[DeCal] Korea as a Japanese Colony, Reading

Our conversation this week will be moving into how Korea (Joseon) was under a Japanese colony.

Group 1 will be presenting. And, I'm very excited about how their presentation is looking.

Objective: To try and take a fair and balanced look at how Korean (Joseon) society developed under Japanese colonial rule and its implications.

Required Readings for this Week:
From the Library of Congress:


A Country Study: South Korea

This is an online book and I believe the link might not be permanent, so if that happens to be the case just google it and read the following:

■Chapter 2 - The Society and Its Environment by Donald M. Seekins.
Specifically, "Cultural Identity," "Korea and Japan," and "the Korean Language" (Though all of Ch. 2 is required reading).

Recommended Readings for this Week:

Korea's Place in the Sun, Chapter 3 ("Eclipse" 1905-1945)
The Origins of the Korean War, Chapter 1 (Class and State in Colonial Korea)

Readings for Next Week:
Korea's Place in the Sun, Chapter 4 ("The Passions", 1945-1948), Chapter 5(Just the last paragraph in this chapter"Collision," 1948-1953). Note: We will be skipping most aspects of the Korean War except to mention that it was largely a civil war, highlight the extent of its destructiveness, and what was gained, if anything, from the war from the perspectives of the countries involved.

The Origins of the Korean War, Chapter 5("Forging a New Order: The Entry of American Forces and Policies Toward the Bureaucracy, the Police, and the Military), Chapter 6(only the part, "Policies Toward Land and Rice," 201-9).