Korean Studies, School of Modern Languages and Cultures HKU

Are Koreans hot-tempered? Are all Korean TV-dramas about tragic love and secret birth stories? This course explores the history of Korean popular culture before the rise of K-pop. In this course, students will examine popular culture from the early 20th Century to the 1980s, mostly focusing on topics of “crime, passion, and love” represented in the literary and cinematic texts before the rise of K-pop (entertainment culture and TV dramas). Students will also analyze different aspects of popular culture studies and production, and contextualize them historically. The course will include key theoretical texts on popular culture.

Interdisciplinary Elective Course
KORE3036	Crime, passion, love: Korean popular culture before K-pop	6 credits

Are Koreans hot-tempered? Are all Korean TV-dramas about tragic love and secret birth stories? This course explores the history of Korean popular culture before the rise of K-pop. In this course, students will examine popular culture from the early 20th Century to the 1980s, mostly focusing on topics of “crime, passion, and love” represented in the literary and cinematic texts before the rise of K-pop (entertainment culture and TV dramas). Students will also analyze different aspects of popular culture studies and production, and contextualize them historically. The course will include key theoretical texts on popular culture.

Prerequisite: KORE1021. Introduction to Korean culture and society
Assessment: 100% coursework
(Not on offer in 2017/2018)