Majoring in Korean
Requirements
In addition to the program requirements, students must
- earn a minimum final cumulative GPA of 2.000
- complete a minimum of 45 academic credit hours earned from UNC–Chapel Hill courses
- take at least half of their major core requirements (courses and credit hours) at UNC–Chapel Hill
- earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the major core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for major or specific courses.
For more information, please consult the degree requirements section of the catalog.
The eight core courses (24 credit hours) consist of two to four language courses and four to six literature and culture courses, as described below.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| At least two Korean language courses beyond KOR 204. 1 | 6-12 | |
KOR 305 | Advanced Korean I | |
KOR 306 |  Advanced Korean II | |
KOR 407 | Modern Korean Literature and Culture | |
KOR 408 | Changes and Continuities in Korean History | |
KOR 409 | Korean Through Current Affairs | |
KOR 490 | Topics in Korean Language and Literature | |
| At least one introductory-level course chosen from the following list: 2 | 3-6 | |
ASIA 72 | First-Year Seminar: Transnational Korea: Literature, Film, and Popular Culture | |
KOR 150 | History, Memory, and Reality in Contemporary Korea | |
KOR 151 | Education and Social Changes in Contemporary Korea | |
| At least two Korean literature and culture courses chosen from the following list: | 6-15 | |
KOR/CMPL 232 | Imagining the City in Modern Korea: Text, Image, Space | |
KOR/CMPL/WGST 237 | Rebel, Lover, Martyr: Gender and Sexuality in North and South Korean Screen Cultures | |
KOR 327 | Korean Diasporas | |
KOR 346/CMPL 246 | Body Politics in Modern Korean Literature H | |
ASIA 350 | The Asian American Experience | |
ASIA 427/CMPL 527/PWAD 427 | Cold War Culture in East Asia: Transnational and Intermedial Connections | |
KOR 447/CMPL 547 | Documenting Diasporas: Korean Diasporas in Films and Documentaries | |
| Other major courses | 0-9 | |
ASIA/ECON 469 | Asian Economic Systems | |
ASIA 692H | Senior Honors Thesis II | |
| Additional Requirements | ||
| Korean through level 4 | 4 | |
| Total Hours | 28 | |
| H | Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply. |
- 1
Students whose initial language placement is above KOR 305 should consult the department.
- 2
No more than two introductory courses (6 hours) may count toward the major. It is recommended that students take at least one of these courses either prior to or concurrent with upper-level Korean literature and culture classes.
Approved courses taken in UNC–Chapel Hill-sponsored study abroad programs or taken from another institution may count in the concentration. No more than one first-year seminar may be counted among the eight major courses.
Placement credit (PL) may not be used to meet core requirements for the concentration.
With the approval of the associate chair of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, a student may count a course in directed readings (KOR 496) in the concentration in Korean studies. To register, a student must obtain the approval of the associate chair and the faculty member who will supervise the project.
Special Opportunities in Asian Studies
Honors in Asian Studies
A candidate for honors in Asian studies will write a substantial paper under the guidance of a faculty member. While researching and writing the honors paper, the student will enroll in ASIA 691H and ASIA 692H. ASIA 692H may count as one of the interdisciplinary courses for the major; ASIA 691H will count for elective credit only. In the case of the concentrations in Arab cultures, Chinese, Japanese, Korean studies, and South Asian studies, ASIA 692H may count toward the major in the concentration.
A committee composed of at least two faculty members will examine the candidate. To be accepted as an honors candidate, a student must meet the University’s requirement of a minimum overall grade point average of 3.3, secure the consent of a faculty member in the Asian studies field to act as advisor for the project, and submit a proposal to the associate chair of Asian studies for approval.
Departmental Involvement
The department sponsors a variety of cultural events — lectures, film series, performances, and more — as well as social and informational events where students can get to know each other and faculty members in an informal setting. Faculty members in the department serve as advisors to some of the many Asia-related student organizations on campus, such as the Japan Club, Chinese Conversation Club, Hebrew Table, and more.
Languages across the Curriculum
The department participates in the Languages across the Curriculum (LAC) program, offering a one-credit-hour discussion section that is conducted in Arabic, Chinese, Hindi-Urdu, or Korean but associated with a variety of courses offered in English, both in Asian studies and in such other departments as history or religious studies. This LAC recitation section offers students the opportunity to use their Arabic, Chinese, Hindi-Urdu, or Korean language skills in a broader intellectual context.
Libraries
The University has rich collections of books and periodicals on Asia in the relevant Asian languages, as well as in English and other Western languages. Experts in the collection development department for Davis Library are available to help students locate the materials they need. The University also has an outstanding collection of Asian films and other audiovisual materials, housed in the Media Resource Center at House Library.
Speaker Series
The department sponsors an annual speaker series. These events include lectures by prominent artists, scholars, and writers and are often cosponsored by other units on campus.
Study Abroad
UNC–Chapel Hill sponsors several study programs (summer, semester, and yearlong) in China, Egypt, India, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, Oman, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam. Asian studies majors are strongly encouraged to take advantage of these opportunities to live and study in an Asian setting; UNC-approved study abroad programs also satisfy the experiential education requirement. For further information on these programs and other study abroad opportunities in Asia, contact the UNC Study Abroad Office.
Undergraduate Research
The department actively encourages undergraduate student research. Through classes, advising, and office hours, faculty members guide students toward defining areas of interest, conceptualizing research questions, identifying sources, and writing academic papers. Students may pursue research through independent studies, the senior honors thesis, and study abroad research opportunities such as the Burch Fellowship. Asian studies students have received a variety of competitive research support and travel awards, won regional contests for undergraduate papers, published papers in academic journals, and presented their work at such events as the Senior Colloquium in Asian Studies and the campuswide Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research in the spring.