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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Gender, Family, and Social Change in Contemporary South Korea by Yonsei University

4.8
stars
298 ratings

About the Course

This course examines the transformation of Korean society beginning around the turn of the 20th century to contemporary times. In particular, it explores how shifting categories of masculinity, and by contrast, femininity have impacted upon, and in turn been influenced by social, cultural, and political change. Using multiple disciplinary lenses, we will critically examine how gender intersects with political, social, and economic developments starting with the Confucianization of Korean society during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) up to the contemporary moment of globalization and neoliberal reform. The class will draw on a variety of topics such as traditional views of women, religion, race, class, education, patriarchy, sexuality, imperialism, modernity, war, globalization, the diaspora, among others. Special attention will be placed on the historical, transnational and transdisciplinary connections....

Top reviews

CB

Feb 20, 2018

Excellent course. I strongly recommend it for anyone interested in Korean culture. I took it because I am writing about KPOP and sexuality but I learnt much more and am really glad I did it.

NS

Aug 10, 2020

thank you so much for taking the course in a well organized way and in clear detail. i wanted to know more about the culture of s korea and it was dealt in depth by the mentors. thank you.

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1 - 25 of 73 Reviews for Gender, Family, and Social Change in Contemporary South Korea

By Elisabeth J

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May 30, 2020

The content is very interesting. There are many aspect included to show a comprehensive and multi-dimensional picture of the Gender and Family in South Korea. Sadly, that's also one of the problems of this course: there is too much content, and sometimes it didn't feel like the topics within the same week are related. Another issue were the course tasks: the stated length of the tasks was far too little, e.g. reading 5 texts does not take 5 minutes. I would have liked if the tasks were more connected to the videos and to each other. For example: have a quiz and small discussion throughout the week and at the end write a small essay about the whole content of the week and not only about one article. The ressources are my last problem: sometimes the link didn't work or there wasn't one at all. This should be fixed, otherwise the participants spend hours looking for the texts. It's an interesting topic and I learned a lot about South Korea and it's perspecitve of gender. The way it is delivered can be improved.

By Regina D

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Sep 15, 2020

I enjoyed the lectures. I thought they were informative and I liked learning the history of the various topics. I think that it's about time that some of the readings and weblinks be updated to something a bit more current. It seems like this class was introduced in 2016 but I feel much has happened in the world of gender, family and social change in contemporary South Korea now that we are in 2020. There were some links that didn't work properly. It might be helpful for the instructors to pdf the news articles or chapters from books and post those instead of a weblink. I felt like I was having to search for the item once I was directed to a page or looking to have to pay for a book. There were also some books that were recommended and I couldn't even find it on the internet. It would also be helpful to actually include the video link in the Resources section instead of saying in the lecture go check out this YouTube video and then us having to write down the weblink. All the resources should be easily accessible especially since they are items the professors want us to read and review. I would also give other grading levels besides 0 point or 70 points. I came across some assignments where I felt they were in the middle and not close to a full 70 point assignment. I also think some of the directions could be a bit more clear for the assignments or adding at least how many words the assignments should include so that everyone puts the same clear thought instead of rushing through the assignment in 3-4 sentences.

By Nino D

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Jan 8, 2018

I highly recommend taking the course to anyone who wishes to learn more about Gender, Family and Social Change in Contemporary South Korea. The lectures were very interesting and comprehensive. I enjoyed watching and reading materials and, also, writing assignments very much! I am sure you will be as satisfied as I am after you finish this course.

By JOHN Q

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May 28, 2017

Interesting course, especially to learn of Korea today in comparison to 50 years ago when I lived there about a year. Fascinating to see the changes socially. Thanks so much!

By Anna S

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Oct 14, 2020

I really liked this course, I found it engaging and challenging. Perhaps an improvement might be a discussion around war weary countries and conservative morality.

By Juan S S A

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Aug 7, 2017

This is a wonderful course to understand Korean culture. For everyone who is interested in the success of Korea, its economic development, education model and social changes; this course provide a solid and wide introduction with historical perspective to understand the evolution of the country, focusing on gender roles, traditional family conception, the profound confucian heritage, sexuality construction, women empowerment movements and evolution of Korea during the XX century.

Instructors Hyun Mee Kim & Yoo Theodore Jun made an amazing job preparing the material and explaining the most important aspects of the evolution of the country and the historical background behind all the social realities of Korea. The strategy of the course consists mainly in exposing an important social matter, provide the historical background and additional material to go deeper, focus on causes and consequences and contrast the past with the present. Students are asked for a personal analysis based on the exposed material to ensure a good understanding of each topic.

Congratulations to Yonsei University for its courses. Well-developed, stunning instructors and interesting approach to ensure learning. Thank you so much.

By J.H.S

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May 10, 2021

He aprendido con los mejores maestros acerca de la cultura coreana en todos los ámbitos. Si ya era enamorada de este hermoso país, mi amor hacia él trasciende el entendimiento humano.

Maestros, gracias por tan hermosa enseñanza Yoo Theodore Jun, Hyun Mee Kim, ustedes son unos capos.

A través de este curso puedo entender y comprender los muchos pacientes coreanos que vendrán a mi consultorio psicológico y toda una carga emocional que cada uno de ellos traen consigo.

By Colette B

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Feb 21, 2018

Excellent course. I strongly recommend it for anyone interested in Korean culture. I took it because I am writing about KPOP and sexuality but I learnt much more and am really glad I did it.

By Nourin S

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Aug 11, 2020

thank you so much for taking the course in a well organized way and in clear detail. i wanted to know more about the culture of s korea and it was dealt in depth by the mentors. thank you.

By Elena S

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Feb 27, 2021

I truly enjoyed the course and really appreciate the efforts its designers put into their work. As a fellow professor I can relate how difficult it ir to make your course both informative and entertaining, challenging and efficient. I do believe Professors Hyun Mee Kin and Yoo Theodore Yun did their best to achieve the above-mentioned aims. Wishing to give credit where credit is due, I would particularly emphasize the variety of sources presented and recommended as studying materials, multifarious and original assignments and a broad range of topics covered. The only reason I don't give this course the highest rating is because, unfortunately, some materials (especially those taken from mass media) date 2015-2016 and urgently need updating! In addition, some of the links do not work, which might make less motivated students easily give up without trying to find the necessary source on their own. Otherwise, I find the course really inspiring and enlightening and wish everyone involved in its development all the best in creating more online courses and spreading the word globally!

By Kanta P

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May 9, 2020

Although I really like the course, its contents, how it is structured and, most of all, the reading materials, the peer review system and discussions that often are not very engaging draw me back a bit. Still, if you are interested in this porticular topic of South Korea, this course is worth taking.

By Burcu F

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Oct 20, 2019

Unfortunately I couldn't get what I expected from this course. The videos were not enthusiastic, mostly based on info-graphs and pie charts. Quizzes were mostly based on parrot-fashion.

By Soraia M

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Sep 14, 2020

The logistics of this course was completely different than the previous ones, in lieu of focusing on questionnaires and quizzes, this one presents more discussion and assignments. I appreciate the efforts made by the Professors to bring controversial and sensitive topics in a friendly manner. My final undergraduate thesis was about cultural exports of South Korea so I already had baggage on these topics, but more information was presented that enlighted my eyes. Thank you so much!

By AyÅŸe S K

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Jul 24, 2020

This course was rather eye-opening for someone like me who had no prior knowledge about Korean society and women's status in Korean society as independent individuals. Thanks to this course, now I am aware of the effect of Confucianism and modernization in Korea and how it shaped the Korean culture altogether. It also provided insights about the feminist society of Korea which is quite interesting itself and I had a little knowledge of it.

By Garima B

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Oct 25, 2020

This is a great course for someone who wants to pursue their interests in the Korean society and wishes to further understand social constructs like gender and its underlying historical contexts. I took up this course some time after my graduate degree and it helped me get back into the habit of reading articles and writing critical analyses of them. This certificate will help you in case you want to pursue research in similar themes.

By Sidrahsakhi

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May 27, 2021

This course is a very precise yet full of new learning. Throughout this course you gradually build up the concept about Korean gender, family and changes beginning with historical context and the modern ideas. I enjoyed writing responses about the questions assigned by our instructors. You get to read relevant articles that help you with understanding the topic. Investing your time in this course is worth it.

By Antonio M B P

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Aug 1, 2020

Strongly recommended, with this course you will learn how the society in Korea is shaped and what's his behavior base on gender roles. I'm very satisfied with the lessons of the course and it gives me a new perspective about gender issues in society and what can we do to propose solutions. If you're a fan of Korean Culture you need to take this course.

By Natia M

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Apr 14, 2022

I think this course provides precisely detailed information about Korean society, its characteristics, the role of family amongst Koreans, gender difficulties and social change during historical eras. It includes very interesting and informative materials which help us to better understand the main theme.

By Vahkhonei K

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Jun 27, 2020

Very Useful and great way to know more about the studies of Gender family and social changes, helps me in reforming my knowledge about Korea more, moreover I really cherished and enjoy my each moment with this online course provided by Yonsei, Thankyou

By Brenda L J

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Jul 23, 2020

A wonderful course for those who are interested in Korean studies. I totally recommend it. It is for both, novice and researchers with experience. If you want to know more about this beautiful country, beyond pop culture, this is the right course.

By 사솅카

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Sep 7, 2020

I absolutely loved course. I have had interest in Korean culture and learned Korean language for 8 years now. I have also learned about feminism for maybe 7 years. I was very happy to study the course that has my 2 favourite things combined.

By Catherine H

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Dec 22, 2018

I really enjoyed this class!! It really gives valuable insight to why the Korean societal structure is the way that it is, from a long-standing historical standpoint up to modern day ideas and opinions. I would highly recommend this class!

By Prompiriya P

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Jun 28, 2020

This course is tailored in great detail, and provides a lot of interesting material to explore on these topics. Professors are very engaging as well even with the accent. My gratitude to professors and teams working on this course.

By Busra A

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Nov 19, 2021

This course has given me valuable and priceless knowledge about Korean society. After completing, I feel more secure and equipped when I consider Korean ways of thinking. Thanks to Yonsei University for creating this opportunity.

By Rae R

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Apr 19, 2020

I learned so much and enjoyed the course. I will definitely recommend this to my peers. Anyone can take it and those who finish will be able to understand women’s role in the South Korean society and how far it has developed.