Premodern Korea in a Global Context: Premodern Literature and Cultural Exchange Main Menu Introduction Premodern Korea, a Hermit Kingdom? Korean Envoys and Sino-Korean Exchange Imjin War and Cultural Exchange Premodern Korea in the Emergent World

Premodern Korea in Global Context: Premodern Literature and Cultural Exchange

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Keywords: Premodern Korea, Premodern Korean culture, Cultural exchange, Sino-Korean, Japanese invasions, War, Travel, Travelogues, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Korean diaspora, Seventeenth-century Korean fiction, European missionaries, Nagasaki, Imaginary geography, Imagination, Maps of premodern East Asia, Hermit Kingdom

This course is aimed at increasing awareness of long but under-represented premodern Korea, often referred to as a Hermit Kingdom in the West, by offering a comprehensive outline of its literary and cultural traditions from historical and cross-cultural perspectives. 

We will read a variety of texts, ranging from literary works (poetry and fiction), historical, philosophical, and religious documents, diaries, and travelogues, to important recent scholarly works in the field. Students are also required to read literary and cultural theories to help them formulate their own questions and arguments and implement logical analysis in their writing. The course also utilizes TV shows, films, and other visual materials, as well as non-Korean literary works that are significant in understanding the interconnected relationships between Korea, China, and Japan.

Contents of this path:

  1. Introduction
  2. Premodern Korea, a Hermit Kingdom?
  3. Korean Envoys and Sino-Korean Exchange
  4. Imjin War and Cultural Exchange
  5. Premodern Korea in the Emergent World