KRN151 Introduction to Korean Cinema

This course is a survey of Korean national cinema, from the earliest days of medium to the present. It will endeavor to cover a range of relevant issues that have come to define the concept of Korean national cinema. Some of the questions addressed in the course include the following; in what ways has modern Korean history shaped and complicated the notions of nation, nationalism, and national cinema? What elements, themes or innovations of Korean film inform or disrupt the category of national identity? How is “Korean-ness” represented, reassured, questioned or challenged in Korean film? How does Korean cinema negotiate and define gender, sexual, class identities? Who are the major “authors” and audiences of particular periods? By looking into these questions, this course will not only serve to be a primer to Korean cinema, but a case study that expands the discussions of national cinema. All of the films will be screened with English subtitles. No specific knowledge of Korea/Korean is required.