Advanced Topics in Diaspora (370-0-1)

Topic

Constructing North Korea in the Western Imaginary

Instructors

Helen Cho

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-319: Tues, Thurs 5:00PM - 6:20PM

Overview of class

Kim Jong Un bans mullets and skinny jeans. North Korea is a nuclear weapons nightmare. These ripped-from-the-headlines statements are part of popular ‘Western' conceptions of the DPRK as dangerous, unknowable, and absurd. In this course, we ask how the production of knowledge, expertise, and media shape dominant representations of North Korea, and how these images circulate in ‘Western' discourse about the country - in news, popular culture, and digital spaces. By critically examining our ways of knowing, we explore the construction, circulation, interpretation, and contestation of ‘Western' knowledge about North Korea.

Class Materials (Required)

All course materials will be available on Canvas.

Class Notes

Attendance at first class mandatory.

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area