EAST 318 - Irreducible Distance: Japan-Korea Relations Through Literature and Visual Media

FC ARHU CD

4 credits
Beginning with the colonial period (1910-45) and ending with the current day, this course examines works of literature and visual media from both the Japan and Korea sides that address issues of intercultural relations and communication. How do political developments and ongoing issues of war responsibility (comfort women, etc.) continue to dictate the state of Korea-Japan relations? We will thus discuss how recent works (such as Assassination (2015) and Spirits Homecoming (2016)) constitute an effort to reexamine historical events and the legacy of Japanese imperialism and their relevance to an understanding of the present day. Previous coursework in Japanese or Korean history, film, or literature strongly encouraged.