The Making of Modern Korea

If you need to enrol in ASIA2040 in 2026 to complete Korean Studies Major, please consult Major convenor(roald.maliangkay@anu.edu.au) for advice. This course will introduce students to the history of Korea from 1800 to the present with an emphasis on modernity, family, social hierarchy, imperialism, and capitalism. Using primary sources, literary works, and video resources, we will explore such topics as: the birth of modern Korea amidst imperialism in the 19th century; culture, society, and family during the period of Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945); the origins of national division and the Korean War (1950-53); economic and cultural developments, as well as state-led and resistance politics, in the 1970s and 80s in South Korea; democratisation and its expansive impact in South Korea; and recent developments in the two Koreas. This course will give students a thorough grounding in modern change on the Korean peninsula and introduce them to major interpretative currents in the study of Korean history.