Korean Literature and Film

The previous reviewer summed it pretty well, so I will make it short.

Take this course!

Professor Hughes is genuinely interested and very knowledgable. He tried to provide many different points of view and does not impose his own view onto his students. The film selection is a great mix from 1940's to 2010, most of which are very interesting and often thought-provoking. The readings were decent, and oh, having the autual Korean writers in class was great (He invited Shun Kyungsook and Kim Youngha to class)!
Grading is also generous, and the TA (Jon) was really nice.

This class infuses a lot of history alongside literature and film. Professor Hughes' lectures provide you with snapshots of the different kinds of literary and artistic movements that arose in Korea during the country's different historical periods: colonization, post-colonization, Korean War, modernization, as well as aspects of North Korean history. Even if you are Korean or Korean-American you will learn something new about Korean history and definitely get a good dose of quality Korean films and literature. This semester he invited two authors to speak to the class and do some Q&A. It was fantastic. You rarely get that in other lecture classes. He's also very patient and thorough in all of his explanations of class expectations, guidelines and class format.

Class structure:
1 day per week movie screening (optional attendance, but if you don't go you really miss out.)
1 day of lecture on historical background, key players, movements, definitions, plus film review.
1 day of lecture on literary movements and close reading analysis.

You also give a class presentation with your classmates. This is a fun project.

Also, take advantage of office hours. Even if you feel like you learned everything for that week, he gives you a fresh take on it during office hours.

I understand that some people might not be 'blown away' by his lecture-style, but he's eloquent succinct and well-informed. He's also sensitive to controversial topics that might dominate the news headlines, which is refreshing.

Go ahead, take it.

I took this class to fulfill a major culture requirement and it ended up being one of the most enjoyable classes I had. It was amazing to learn Korean history through its literature and films, and I enjoyed most of the readings and films we read or watched in class. I am a Korean, so I have to say I might have had some background knowledge to begin with, but I still learned a lot about modern Korean history in a global and less nationalistic perspective. The class definitely had a post-modern tone to it, as we frequently discussed gender and colonialism. We also talked a lot about the relationship between literature and film. Overall, it was a joyful class, and the grading was generous.