Bachelor of Arts: Korean Studies

BA in Korean Studies

The Korean Studies program provides students with a solid foundation in Korean language skills and knowledge of Korea's history, literature, culture, and religions. The program is based on the premise that both contemporary and historic understandings of Korea, its interrelations with larger East Asia and its global importance today cannot be fully grasped without a deep understanding of its language, history, social systems and culture.

Hence, the program aims to provide students with not only language training, but also a solid understanding of how Korean societies and people actually functioned and interacted with other cultures in both the pre-modern and contemporary periods. The wide range of courses is designed to introduce various aspects of Korean Studies and provide students with the knowledge necessary for business, professional or academic endeavors.


Requirements

  • Major Requirements

    The Korean Studies major requirement consists of 11 courses.

    Language Courses

    Students are required to successfully complete the following four language courses:

    • KOR 203 Intermediate Korean I

    • KOR 204 Intermediate Korean II

    • KOR 305 Advanced Korean I

    • KOR 306 Advanced Korean II

    Note: KOR 101 (Elementary Korean I) and KOR 102 (Elementary Korean II) provide the basic linguistic knowledge and skills required to begin the major but do not count towards the major. After consultation and proficiency test assessment administered by Korean Program faculty, students who already demonstrate competence in Korean at any of the required levels may waive part or all of the language requirements. Waived Korean language courses will not count toward the major and must be replaced with other Korean Studies courses to bring the total number of courses to eleven. A letter grade of C or better is necessary for a course to count toward the Korean Studies major.

    Elective Courses

    In addition to the required language courses, students must choose:

    • One core course in Asian American and Diaspora Studies.

    • Six elective courses in Korean Studies.

    In addition:

    • Two of the courses have to be at the 400 level, with at least one being in Korean Studies.

    • At least two additional elective courses must be at the 300 or 400 level.

    • At least six courses must be taken at 黑料视频.

    • No more than one course may be an independent study.

    • No more than one course may be taken Pass/Fail.

    • No language course may be taken Pass/Fail.
    • A letter grade of C or better is necessary for a course to count toward the major.

  • Minor Requirements

    The minor in Korean Studies consists of six courses consisting of three language courses and three Korean Studies elective courses. At least three of these six courses must be at the 300 or 400 level.

    The three required language courses are:

    • KOR 203 Intermediate Korean I

    • KOR 204 Intermediate Korean II

    • KOR 305 Advanced Korean I

    Note: KOR 101 (Elementary Korean I) and KOR 102 (Elementary Korean II) provide the basic linguistic knowledge and skills required to begin the minor but do not count towards the minor. After consultation and proficiency test assessment administered by Korean Program faculty, students who demonstrate proficiency in Korean at any of the required levels may waive part or all of the language requirements. Waived Korean language courses will not count toward the minor and must be replaced with other Korean Studies courses to bring the total number of courses up to six.

    In addition:

    • No more than one course may be an independent study
    • No more than one course may be taken Pass/Fail.
    • No language course may be taken Pass/Fail
    • At least four courses must be taken at 黑料视频.
    • A letter grade of C or better is necessary for a course to count toward the minor.

Faculty Members of Korean Studies

headshot of Sungdai Cho

Sungdai Cho

Professor, Korean and Linguistics; Graduate Director

Department of Asian and Asian American Studies

Research Interests

  • Syntax and Morphology
  • Passive; Causative; Sluicing; Honorifics
  • Language Pedagogy
  • National Standards
  • Assessment
headshot of Kyung-Ah Kim

Kyung-Ah Kim

Lecturer

Department of Asian and Asian American Studies

Research Interests

  • Teaching Korean as a Second/Foreign Language
  • Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL)
  • Second Language Acquisition
  • Korean Linguistics

headshot of Sonja M. Kim

Sonja M. Kim

Director; Associate Professor, Department Chair

Institute for Asia and Asian Diasporas; Department of Asian and Asian American Studies

Research Interests

  • Korea and Comparative East Asia
  • Medicine
  • Health
  • Gender
  • Race and Class
  • Education and Welfare
headshot of Young-il Kim

Young-il Kim

Lecturer

Department of Asian and Asian American Studies

Research Interests

  • Korean Linguistics (Syntax and Morphology)
  • Linguistic Typology
  • Teaching Korean as a Foreign Language
  • Error Analysis and Remedial Teaching
headshot of Eunjin Park

Eunjin Park

Lecturer

Department of Asian and Asian American Studies

Research Interests

  • Teaching Korean as a foreign language
  • Heritage language learning
  • Language socialization
  • Multilingualism and multiculturalism
headshot of Michael J. Pettid

Michael J. Pettid

Professor of Korean Studies

Department of Asian and Asian American Studies

Research Interests

  • Premodern Korea (history; literature; culture; religions)
  • Korean folklore and shamanism
  • Korean Confucianism
  • Daily life in premodern Korea (diet; housing; clothing; educational institutions; entertainment)