Contemporary Korean Science and Speculative Fiction with Jane S. Kim, A&S, '25 (MFA)

Contemporary Korean Science and Speculative Fiction
Instructor: Jane S. Kim, A&S, '25 (MFA)
October 25 - December 6 (6 Sessions; no class Nov. 29)
Sundays, 3:00PM - 5:00PM ET (12 - 2PM PT)
Virtual va Zoom

Brought to you by Odyssey  

Course Description: From the rapid industrialization under dictatorship of the 1970s to the democratization movement in 1987, South Korean science fiction has been a way to represent the South Korean political unconscious. In the introduction to the anthology, Readymade Bodhisattva, editor Sunyoung Park notes, “Science fiction is a rising and ever-shifting genre in South Korea today. Inspired by the activism of the past decades, more and more writers see the genre as the creative laboratory for reflecting on the opportunities and contradictions of modernization in a late-capitalist and postcolonial society.” More than ever, global audiences are familiar with South Korean visual media, but what about fiction? Over the course of six weeks, we will read a sampling of works published between 2005 and 2019 to find inspiration and possibility in the speculative imagination. In this class, we will get a chance to explore science fiction as a literature of ideas, and discover the critical relevance of these works as commentary on contemporary social, political, and environmental issues.

In addition to the primary text, Readymade Bodhisattva, which includes works by Kim Bo-young, Kim Young-ha, Djuna, and Bok Geo-il, we will also read works by Kim Cho-yeop and Bora Chung, among others, to find ways to imagine outside our current circumstances and into another world. You’ll draft and workshop an exploratory draft your own speculative short story. This is a beginner level course. No prior writing experience required.
 

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