Premodern Korean History (IEE 3107) Summer 2013 Dr. Jisoo M. Kim E-mail: jsk10@gwu.edu Office Hours: By appointment Instructor s Profile: http://departments.columbian.gwu.edu/history/people/111 Course Description: This course covers Korean history from the ancient and medieval periods through the end of the 19 th century. The issues we will discuss include the emergence of the state, the state vs. society, the evolution of class (birth vs. merit), competing religious and philosophical systems, political ideologies and social thought, cosmopolitanism vs. nativism, etc. We will also discuss the constitutive elements of the changing construction of Korean identity first within the East Asian context and then, in the 19 th century, in confrontation with the West and other nations. We will read materials in primary as well as secondary sources written by Korean and Western scholars. We will link the texts we analyze to their historical context, noting how representations of people, places, and ideas change over time. We will also discuss changing perceptions and definitions of self and other. All readings will be in English and no prior knowledge of or experience in Korea is required. The class is structured through lectures and class discussions. Informed and active participation is required of all students. It is therefore crucial that you keep up with your assignments, attend class regularly, and complete all assignments on time. Course Goals: By the end of this course, students will be able to: 1. Identify, recognize, and memorize major figures, dates, and events, and make sense of Korean history. 2. Have a deeper understanding of the important trends and processes of Korean history as well as a greater comprehension of how that history influenced and was influenced by other nations and peoples. 3. Critically examine historical materials and methodologies. 4. Think and write about major issues in Korean history in critical and compelling manner.
5. Learn how to interpret Korean history from various perspectives. Course Requirements and Expectations Each student is required to do all readings for the course and is expected to participate in class discussions. The course grade will take into account the following: 1. Attendance (10%) 2. Discussion (10%) 3. Field Trip Review (10%) 3. Quiz (20%) 4. Mid-term Exam (20%) 5. Final Exam (30%) Required Texts Peter H. Lee and W. T. de Bary eds., Sources of Korean Tradition vol. 1(Columbia University Press, 1997) Yongho Ch oe, Peter Lee and W.T. de Bary, Sources of Korean Tradition vol 2 (Columbia University Press, 2002) Carter Eckert et al., Korea Old and New: A History (Seoul: Ilchogak, 1990) WEEKLY TOPICS AND READINGS Week 1: 7/2-4 State Formation: Early Korea and the Three Kingdoms 2 T. Introduction 3 W. The Foundation Myth of Korea Gina Barnes, State Formation in Korea (Curzon, 2001), 1-48, 80-90. Sources of Korean Tradition vol. 1 (hereafter Sources), 3-6 4 Th. The Three Kingdoms Korea Old and New, 24-41. Sources vol.1, 18-33, 66-67.
Week 2: 7/8-11 8 M. Religion and Thought in Early Korea Robert Buswell, Patterns of Influence in East Asian Buddhism, in R. Buswell ed., Currents and Countercurrents (University of Hawaii Press, 2005), 1-14. Jonathan Best, Paekche and the Incipiency of Buddhism in Japan, Buswell ed., Currents and Countercurrents, 15-42. 9 T. Unified Silla: Unification or Conquest? Korea Old and New, 42-56. Richard Rutt, Flower Boys Sources vol. 1, 54-73 10 W. Silla to Koryŏ: From Fragmentation to Unification Korea Old and New, 57-85. Sources vol. 1, 118-120, 141-170. 11 Th. Koryŏ: Family, Society, and Religion Martina Deuchler, The Confucian Transformation of Korea, 29-87. Week 3: 7/15-18 15 M. Civilian to Military Rule Korea Old and New, 86-94. Edward Shultz, Generals and Scholars (University of Hawaii Press, 2000), 54-93, 165-189. 16 T. Mongol Rule and Collapse Korea Old and New, 96-106. Sources vol. 1, 200-215. Michael Rogers, Medieval National Consciousness in Korea: The Impact of Liao and Chin in Koryŏ, in Morris Rossabi, China Among Equals (University of California Press, 1983), 151-172. 18 Th. Mid-term Exam
Week 4: 7/22-25 22 M. Early Chosŏn and Neo-Confucianism: Kingship, Government, and Political Culture Sources vol.1, 258-292. HaJyun Kim Haboush, The Confucian Kingship, 7-28. 23 T. Economy, Education and Language Sources vol. 1, 285-310, 327-341. Yongho Ch oe, Private Academy, in Haboush and Deuchler eds., Culture and the State in Late Chosŏn Korea, 15-45. 24 W. Confucian Patriarchy and Ritual Martina Deuchler, The Confucian Transformation of Korea, 231-280. 25 Th. Field Trip: Kyŏngbokgung Week 5: 7/29-8/1 29 M. Imjin War/Manchu Invasions Korea Old and New, 143-151. Kenneth M. Swope, Crouching Tigers, Secret Weapons: Military Technology Employed During the Sino-Japanese-Korean War, 1592-1598, Journal of Military History, vol. 69, issue 1 (Jan. 2005): 11-41. JaHyun Kim Haboush, Open Letters: Patriotic Exhortations from the Imjin War, In J. Haboush ed., Epistolary Korea (Columbia University Press, 2009), 121-140. 30 T. Postwar Searches for a New Identity and Social Changes Korea Old and New, 155-164. J. Haboush, Constructing the Center, in Haboush and Deuchler eds., Culture and the State, 46-90. 31 W. The Confucianization of Korea Martina Deuchler, Heaven Does not Discriminate: A Study of Secondary Sons in Chosŏn Korea, The Journal of Korean Studies 6 (1988-89): 121-162.
JaHyun Kim Haboush, The Confucianization of Korean Society, Gilbert Rozman ed., The East Asian Region (Princeton Univerity Press, 1991), 84-110. Recommended: Ho Kyun, The Tale of Hong Kiltong, in Peter Lee, Anthology of Korean Literature, 115-167. 1 Th. Field Trip: Chosŏn Royal Tombs Week 6: 8/5-8 5 M. Gender, Sexuality, and Law Jungwon Kim, Mapping Chastity in Legal Cases (II): Female Suicide and Female Outrage, Negotiating Virtue and the Lives of Women in Late Choson Korea (Harvard University Dissertation, 2007). Jisoo Kim, Constructing Female Subjectivity through Petitioning, Voices Heard: Women s Right to Petition in Late Choson Korea (Columbia University Dissertation, 2010). 6 T. Late Choson: Marginalized Groups and Regional Identity Sources vol.2, 70-124, 181-193. Eugene Park, Military Examinations in Late Chosŏn, 1700 1863: Elite Substratification and Non-Elite Accommodation. Korean Studies 25.1 (2001): 1 50. Sun Joo Kim, Fragmented: The T ongch ŏng Movements by Marginalized Status Groups in Late Chosŏn Korea, The Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 68.1 (June 2008): 135 68. 7 W. Encounter with the West Sources vol.2, 117-142, 212-244. Don Baker, Silk Letter (Manuscript) 8 Th. Final Exam