Colonial-period Korea, and the difference between a moving scene and a historical source
12 April 2027
Before the screening#
Watch the assigned episodes. Bring one scene you found moving, and be ready to ask of it: is this drawn from the historical record, or invented for the story?
In the screening#
We hold the drama’s two roles apart throughout: what it draws from the historical record of colonial-period Korea, and what it invents or romanticises for a nationalist story that plays well as entertainment. Neither role disqualifies the other, but conflating them does.
Afterwards#
The habit of separating a source from a story is the one this whole course asks you to bring to every drama — this week just asks for it under the highest stakes.
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 name one historical fact the drama draws on, with a source other than the drama itself
- you can name one moment that is dramatic invention rather than record
Teaching team
- May Rhee — convenor