Course Information
Course Code: 4533660 (Section 1)
Course Title: SPORTS, NATION, AND POLITICS IN KOREA
Credit/ECTS: 3 / 5.0
Instructor: Assist. Prof. Dr. DONGKYU NA
Schedule: Friday, 13:40 - 16:30, EFD-103
Course Catalog Description:
This course examines the historical relationship between sport, nation-building, and politics in modern Korea from the Japanese colonial period to contemporary Korea. Using sport as an analytical tool, the course explores Korea's development, nationalism, developmental state, globalization, domestic and foreign policy, and social change. Through selected scholarly articles, policy documents, media materials, and case studies, students will critically analyze how sport has shaped and reflected critical transformations in Korean society and politics.
Tentative Weekly Outline
Week 1: Introduction to the Course (What is Korean Studies? / Sport as a tool, lens, and method for understanding Korea / Interdisciplinary approaches to Korean Studies)
Week 2: Colonialism, Sport, and Physical Education in Korea (Colonial modernity, physical culture, and Korean identity)
Week 3: Liberation, the Korean War, and Sport (Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule / The division of Korea and the Korean war / The formation of Korean sport institutions)
Week 4: Authoritarian Rule, Developmental State, and Sport (Political regimes, governing power, modernization, elite sport, and national development)
Week 5: Sport, Education, and Discipline (Sport, physical education, discipline, and social regimentation)
Week 6: The Cold War, Two Koreas, and Sport (Ideological rivalry, international recognition, inter-Korean relations, and sport diplomacy)
Week 7: Interim Group Project Workshop (Group project proposal draft / Interim group project presentation / Instructor and peers' feedback)
Week 8: The 1988 Seoul Olympics (Modernity, political legitimacy, democratization, and international visibility)
Week 9: Sport Mega-Events, Urban Politics, and Global Recognition (Discourses of Korean sport mega-events / Urban transformation and national image / Korea's international positioning)
Week 10: Professional Sport and Sport Industry in Korea (Professional sports and spectator culture / Commercialization, sport products, and e-sports / Sport tourism and outdoor recreation)
Week 11: Media, Heroes, and Sport Nationalism (Media representation, sport heroes, and national identity / Celebrity athletes and fandom / Sport and social media)
Week 12: Gender, Hierarchy, and Sport Culture (Gender inequality, institutional hierarchy, athlete rights, justice, and Korean sport culture)
Week 13: Globalization, Public Diplomacy, and Korean Sport for international development (Korean sport, sport policy, foreign policy, public diplomacy, soft power, and Korea's international engagement and global positioning)
Week 14: Final Group Project Presentations and Course Review (Final group project proposal / Course reflection)