A girl group, a monster plot, and the industry underneath both
1 March 2027
Before the screening#
Watch the assigned episodes. Note one moment where the show seems to be describing the real K-pop industry rather than inventing a fantasy version of it.
In the screening#
We use the show’s demon-hunting premise as a lens rather than a distraction: what does it exaggerate about K-pop, and what does the exaggeration make easier to see? From there we move to the actual production system — training, choreography, styling — and the fandom structures built around it.
Afterwards#
Keep your notes on “what gets exported and what doesn’t” — week 10 (materialism and consumer culture) and week 11 (beauty standards) both return to versions of this same question from different angles.
The spec
What you bring to the session. Written so a reader can tell whether it has been met without asking you.
- you have watched the assigned episodes before arriving
- you can describe one production choice (staging, styling, choreography) and what it's designed to do for an audience outside Korea
- you can distinguish the show's fantasy premise from a claim about the real K-pop industry
Teaching team
- May Rhee — convenor