Yonsei University, the partner university for the course
The Department of Political Science is launching a new summer study abroad course that will take students to Seoul, South Korea, in May and June 2016. The course, POLS 3580 6.0 - South Korea: The Politics of Compressed Modernity, is open to all undergraduate students with an interest in Korea. This class is a socio-political overview and analysis of South Korea during the past 50 years. In Seoul, students will hear from experts in the fields of politics and social policy, and will participate and observe different activities and events highlighting the tensions, political debates and cultural shifts that arise from rapid economic and social change.
Gyeongbokgung Palace in downtown Seoul
There will be field trips within Seoul and to other parts of Korea, including the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea. Students in the course will have the opportunity to interact and work with local students at Yonsei University, with which York University has a partnership agreement. “The course is an extraordinary opportunity to learn about South Korea, focusing on its rapid transformation in the past five decades,” says political science Professor Thomas Klassen.
Incheon City, near Seoul
Klassen, an expert on South Korea, is teaching this course and has written extensively about the country. Students in the course are eligible to receive the York International Mobility Award. In addition, students from the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies are eligible for the LA&PS International Study Abroad Award to reduce costs. The South Korea course is one of 10 York Abroad courses taking place in six different countries during the summer 2016 term. For more information, visit Klassen’s website and York International.