In order to study Korean literary materials, it is necessary to have an understanding of the target material’s year of publication, publication medium, and publisher. That is, a grasp of the concepts and systems of bibliography and of the reality of written literature, and a bibliographic understanding of the target literature are the first step in studying materials recorded in that literature. In this course, students will gain the necessary knowledge to deal with literature related to the study of Korean literature from a bibliographic perspective, and they will be able to broaden their bibliographic understanding of materials in the study of Korean literature.

This course provides an introduction to Sino-Korean prose literature and its related researches. We will cover all of the various genres of Sino-Korean prose, from the period when Sino-Korean was introduced until the end of the Joseon Dynasty, as well as works corresponding to each genre. Thus, the students will come to understand the characteristics of each genre. We will also establish research methods suitable for each genre, and the students will attempt to analyze and interpret works according to those methods. At the end of the semester, they will be called upon to give an interpretation of Sino-Korean prose based on such aspects as criticism, style, and subject.

Literary research can be divided into philology, which systematizes information concerning literary works,analytics, which closely examines the meaning of works, and the theory of genre, which divides works into types and uncovers the common aesthetic characteristics. The goal of this course is to examine the research methodologies that have appeared in each field, diagnose the problems with each methodology, and establish a realistic research methodology free of theoretical contradictions.

We will analyze and interpret classical novels based on a comprehensive understanding of Korean classical novels. Students will also critically examine existing research on individual works and the genre as a whole, developing their own arguments on these subjects. The primary goals of this course are to discover the literary-aesthetic characteristics of each genre, the influence the different genres have on each other, and the principles of internal development, gaining the ability to see works in terms of the history of novels.

The goal of this course is to allow students to engage in independent study concerning particularly important research subjects or methodologies in the field of classical poetry. Though it centers on the field of classical poetry, the themes covered in this course will vary according to the needed area of research at that time.

We will analyze and interpret works based on a comprehensive understanding of oral literature, including national foundation epics, shaman songs, pansori, tales, folk songs, and traditional drama. In addition, we will examine existing research methodologies that define the characteristics of the genre and diagnose the problems, establishing a research methodology appropriate for the works and the genre. Students will then apply this methodology to the study of actual works and the genre itself, gaining the ability to study Korean oral poetry on their own.

This subject focuses on comparing Korean classical literature and world literature in terms of genre, subject, and the author. This investigation will reestablish the position of Korean classical literature in context of the history of world literature. Futhermore, We study the various methods of globalizing Korean literature.

The goal of this course is to research literary works, interpret their meaning, and find their significance in the history of literature. Accordingly, we will critically examine the existing ways of researching literary works and establish a methodology and theory that is appropriate to the materials.

Based on an understanding of each genre, we will examine from an historical point of view the various genres that were created, grew, and died out from ancient times to the end of the Joseon period. We will determine the historical context and principles on which the various ontological aspects of Korean literary works are founded. We will also conduct comparisons with other literary histories, shedding light on the universality and uniqueness of Korean literary history. In addition, through a study existing research and theories on periodic division and genre systems students will develop their own insights into Korean literary history and acquire their own methods for studying literary history.

Students in this course will conduct their own research and arrive at their own conclusions, dealing in-depth with authors deemed important in literary history or uncovering worthwhile authors who have so far been ignored. There are many classical literary works whose author’s are unknown, and discovering the authors of these works is a possible research task. The goal of the course is to comprehend the relationship between author and work from a variety of viewpoints and perspectives, to shed light on the unique characteristics of a single author and that author’s works, and to establish a methodology for studying authors. Subtitles to the course title each semester will clearly explain the character of the course for that semester.

Students will be trained in the various approaches that have been used throughout Korean classical prose, enabling them to conduct their own research and establish their own arguments. We may study a variety of subjects, such as the concepts, origin, genre theory, or author theory of classical prose. Accordingly, subtitles to the course title for each semester will clearly explain the character of the course for that semester.

Criticism is an essential area in the study of literature. In essence, criticism makes possible a fundamental and critical understanding of humanity, life, the world, and literature. Thus, criticism occupies a central place in university education on and study of literature. Korean classical literature has abundant and significant critical materials, and these materials contain a wide variety of thought. Through academic examination of these materials, students will establish epistemological and ethical foundations for the study of literature, and at the same time broaden their critical horizons as researchers.

Korean classical literature is inextricably intertwined with art. For this reason, a deep, multilayered look into Korean classical literature requires an examination of its relationship with art. In this course, students will study the interrelation of Korean classical literature and art, thus deepening their understanding of both aspects and broadening their epistemological horizons when it comes to the study of literature.

“Thematic Inquiries in Korean Literature”is being run as a group Ⅱ graduate course, with a subtitle selected from important themes in Korean literary history―such as love, friendship, marriage, family, disease, aging, death, nature, ecology, travel, politics, ideology, power, and art―and encompassing the interests of students who will be taking the course (to be determined by a preliminary survey). Examples would be: “Love and Friendship in Korean Literature,” “Korean Literature and Family,” “Disease and Aging in Korean Literature,” “Korean Literature and Ideology,” “Korean Literature and Nature,” “Korean Literature and Travel,” etc. Students will share research results from their specific fields (oral literature, classical poetry, classical prose, classical Chinese, modern poetry, modern novels, drama, etc.) and receive guidance on conducting integrated research on the theme.

We will review the heritage of Classcal Korean Literature, such as oral literature, poetry, novels, and Sino-Korean works, and examine the existing research on these works to design methods to conduct research. Meanwhile we can examine the ontological aspects of Korean Literature, determine how these have been handed down and adapted throughout history, attempt analysis and interpretation of Classcal Korean Literature from a number of viewpoints, and study the methods and theories of categorization and systematization of it.

Narratology is the academic field that sheds light on the essence of narratives or stories. It is the foundation of myths, tales, epics, novels, drama, and film, and it is related to storytelling as well. Humanity has such a fundamental interest in narrative that it could be called an essential part of our nature, so one could say that the study of narrative gets to the root of what it means to study humanity. In this course, students will study various narratological theories developed in the U.S., Europe, and elsewhere, examining in detail how these theories have been transformed in the field of Korean classical narrative, particularly novels. The course will also look at earlier forms of narrative, such as myths, and modern forms of narrative, such as film, allowing for a deep study of the changes and developments in narrative.

The purpose of graduate school is to prepare students to stand confidently as scholars on the world stage. Improving one’s academic abilities and accumulating knowledge is, of course, the core of that process. But if one is not properly able to demonstrate those abilities or share that knowledge with others, they could easily be rendered useless. The goal of this course is to train students to be able to more effectively present their research results in English by practicing the skills required to make clear points and then convey those points articulately and eloquently.

This course prepares students for independent study in Silla and Goryeo literature. This will be accomplished by examining existing research methods that analyze and interpret these works and establish a research method that corresponds to the actual works. The students will then employ their designed method to conduct research on poetry and prose in these ages.

The ability to comprehend individual text is vital to the study of Classical Korean literature. We will read text selected equally from the different branches of oral literature, poetry, novels, and Sino-Korean works, and we will attempt practical analysis and interpretation of these text. In this way students will gain the ability to comprehend original text and at the same time gain an overall understanding of Korean literary text.