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2012 K-Pop Academy: The Application Window is now open

You have until 12 February to get in your application form for the Spring Term outing of the KCC’s new K-Pop Academy. Looks like an exciting curriculum for someone who’s just getting to know Korea via their favourite K-pop star. Make sure you download your application form from the KCC website.

K-POP ACADEMY Course Outline

Spring Term, February 2012

K-pop academy banner

Course Administrative and Contact Details

Course Conveners

Phone +44 (0)20 7004 2600
Email [email protected]

School Office

Korean Cultural Centre UK,
Grand Buildings, 1 – 3 Strand,
London WC2N 5BW

Course Information

The course runs over 12 weeks. Lectures, screening and tutorials run from week 1 to week 12. You are required to attend all lectures, screening and tutorials.

Course Blog

Check http://www.kccuk.org.uk and http://www.facebook.com/theKCCUK for regular updates, links, reviews, suggestions and resources. You are expected to start up your own online presence to host all your tasks and to act as a form of communication with your colleagues.

The Course at a Glance

Week Programme Detail
1 Korean history
  • Choose your favourite K-pop star and use the star to create a story about a famous Korean historical personality.
2 Hangul (Korean alphabet)
  • Basic Korean language; history of Hangul; fundamentals of Hangul.
  • Introduce Hangul textbook and self-study kit.
3 Cooking Experience
  • Learn how to make a Korean dish (make a video of yourself making the dish).
4 Meeting with opinion leaders
  • Visit the Korean Embassy in London; meet and speak with the Korean Ambassador
  • Guest speaker from Korea (K-pop Star, Entertainment director).
5 Fan-meetings with a star
  • Make a video to send to your favourite K-pop star; Skype with your favourite K-pop star.
6 Korean films
  • Watch a film that a K-pop star has starred in.
7 Learning K-pop
  • Learn a K-pop dance and song.
8 Korea inside the UK
  • Find a Korean image in London and upload a photo on your blog.
  • Visit a Korean company in London.
  • Visit a British centre that displays Korean culture.
9 K-pop, Hot VS Cold
  • Invite students’ family and share differing thoughts and opinions.
10 K-pop Day
  • Make an annual ‘K-pop Day’; Dress up as your favourite K-pop star
11 Volunteer Work at the KCCUK
  • Become a PR at the KCCUK, promoting the culture of Korea.
12 Graduation ceremony
  • Details TBC

Course Description

This course examines the K-pop phenomenon that is currently spreading across Asia and moreover the world. It develops a cultural and conceptual map of the phenomenon that is dominating not only the music industry but also the media industry in general – including film and television. By focusing on the cultural aspects of Korea as a socio-cultural force, this course will encourage K-pop fans to learn more about the culture of Korea. The course considers the K-pop phenomenon as an important catalyst for K-pop fans to further flourish around the world and to promote Korea’s fascinating and diverse culture.

Course Aims

This course aims to give K-pop fans a firm grounding in the history of the development of the K-pop phenomenon – including an understanding of Korea’s history, culture, language, food, etc. It will also allow K-pop fans to develop an understanding of the dynamic relationship between K-pop music and Korean cultural determinants. Moreover, the ‘K-pop Academy’ will help students understand K-pop as both a Korean and a global phenomenon. It will also encourage a more hands-on approach, where students will participate in various activities – for example, cooking a Korean meal. Finally, this course will give students an understanding of the interconnectedness of K-pop as a form of mass entertainment.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course, you will:

  1. Have an understanding of the history of Korea and its impact on the development of K-pop as a mainstay of contemporary culture.
  2. Understand the basics of Korea’s culture.
  3. Be familiar with some of the cultural aspects of Korea.

Rationale and Teaching Approach

The KCCUK ‘K-pop Academy’ has been designed to activate and develop interest in thinking about – and understanding – some of the cultural factors that impact on and are at play in the K-pop phenomenon and in popular media more broadly. In this course, we not only want to develop your knowledge of K-pop, we also want to develop your interest in it. This is because an understanding of the history of the culture of Korea does not only give us an understanding of K-pop and the music industry – it also gives us insights into other practices, media industries, and popular culture forms that have responded to, drawn from, or informed the K-pop phenomenon.

Our approach to this task of developing your knowledge of, and your interest in K-pop has been to structure this course around particular aspects of Korea’s culture that have influenced K-pop around the world.

Our approach to teaching is one in which we use the fundamentals of Korean culture as the starting points for much of the discussion. We believe the various topics that this course will cover, will stimulate your interest in thinking about Korea and everything it offers – including, of course, K-pop.

Additional Information

For a pass grade to be awarded, your attendance at all the lectures must be complete, unless you provide a good reason for absence backed up by appropriate documentation. It is also expected that you attend all scheduled out-of-class activities. The K-pop Academy involves a collaborative process and it is essential that you are punctual, reliable and maintain a high level of group responsibility.

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