KOR 3415 (K-pop, film, drama) is designed to help students develop and deepen their knowledge and understanding of Korean culture by focusing on K-pop, drama, and film through media analysis. This course prioritizes project-based learning over a standard lecture format. The curriculum is organized into thematic units centered on media curation. Students will synthesize their learning by designing and presenting an original media curation project, both at the conclusion of the K-pop and drama units and as a final project.
Students will not only broaden their knowledge of these areas but also strengthen their media literacy and rhetorical proficiency by engaging with diverse media formats and creating their own media curations as course projects. They will practice organizing and expressing their ideas in written reports and will gain exposure to a variety of perspectives related to K-pop, drama, and film.
- Rhetorical Knowledge: Explore and use with purpose key rhetorical concepts through analyzing and composing a variety of written texts.
- Analyze Cultural Expressions: Interpret the meaning and significance of texts, media resources, and art from various cultures.
- Understand Cultural Context: Recognize how history, society, and culture influence human experiences, values, and artistic expression.
- Develop Cultural Awareness: Understand one's own culture and how it shapes perceptions, and recognize how cultural perspectives impact interactions.
- Apply Critical Thinking: Use analysis and reasoning to understand complex cultural phenomena and human behavior.
Course Canvas & Media Curation Website
- Discussion Posting (73%): For each assignment, carefully view and read the assigned media curations. You will then write three to five short essays (75–125 words each). Each essay should present a thoughtful and creative response to the materials, demonstrating critical engagement with the themes, ideas, and cultural contexts discussed in the unit. Be sure to support your reflections with specific examples from the media.
- Mini-Project (10%): Students will create their own media curations for K-pop and K-drama. Details are provided in the Mini-Project section. Click the section for each unit.
- Final Project (15%): Students will choose a new subtopic of their own and create an original media curation. Details are provided on the Final Project page.
- Communication (2%): Communication with an instructor is important in asynchronous courses. Timely email response is required when is necessary.
A: 90-100 Superior performance—Exceptional mastery of Korean media content, critical insight, and cultural synthesis expressed in clear and structured work.
B: 80-89 Above-average, high-quality performance--Solid comprehension of course content, thoughtful analysis of K-pop, film, and drama, and clear application of cultural understanding.
C: 70-79 Average (not inferior) performance--Demonstrates basic understanding of Korean media and provides fundamental analysis with limited depth.
D: 60-69 Below-average performance--Limited comprehension of course materials and insufficient analysis of Korean media and culture.
F: 0-59 Unacceptable performance--Insufficient comprehension, minimal effort, and lack of critical analysis of Korean popular culture.
Although an asynchronous online course offers greater flexibility, please remember that your timely participation and online engagement are key to your success in this course, as well as that of your classmates.
Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. All work submitted must be original and properly cited. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will result in immediate consequences as outlined in the university's academic integrity policy.
Core IMPACTS refers to the core curriculum, which provides students with essential knowledge in foundational academic areas. This course will help students master course content, and support students’ broad academic and career goals.
This course should direct students toward a broad Orienting Question:
How do I interpret the human experience through creative, linguistic, and philosophical works?
Completion of this course should enable students to meet the following Learning Outcome:
Students will effectively analyze and interpret the meaning, cultural significance, and ethical implications of literary/philosophical texts or of works in the visual/performing arts.
Course content, activities and exercises in this course should help students develop the following Career-Ready Competencies:
- Ethical Reasoning
- Information Literacy
- Intercultural Competence