Society and thoughts in Korea

Korean Studies Electives

This course surveys Korean thoughts from the earliest records to the modern era. We will read canonical texts on politics, society, and culture and explore the production of these thoughts: how Korean society adopts, transforms, and applies these thoughts in everyday life. Topics include: religious thoughts such as Shamanism, premodern Korean Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity; Political thoughts in Chosŏn Dynasty, neo-Confucianism on good government and the social order; early modern and modern period thoughts on nationalism, economic thinking and practice; minjung ideology. We will also consider the original forms of these thoughts found in India, China, Japan, and the West.