Korean Studies (MA) (120EC)

About the programme

The two-year master's in Korean Studies, a specialisation of Leiden University’s master's in Asian Studies, offers a large and varied selection of subjects and the freedom to choose the areas upon which you will focus.

Semester 1
The first semester of the programme is held in Leiden. You will have the chance to follow a number of courses offered through the Asian Studies master’s programme. To a large degree, this programme concentrates on cultural and cultural-historical themes such as globalisation and frontier-cultures in Asia. It also examines Asian philosophies such as Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. Language training aims to develop in students a strong command of Korean, and focuses on broad and practical applications, such as situations in which graduates will find themselves in their professional lives.

The first semester consists of the core courses ‘Introduction to Asian Studies’ and ‘Thesis and Methods Class’, both of which are compulsory for students of the master's in Asian Studies. In addition, you will take Advanced Korean language courses and choose elective courses with a focus on Korea.

Semester 2 and 3: Korea
Two semesters of the programme will be spent at one of Leiden’s partner universities in Korea, where you will develop your language skills through intensive study courses. At the end of the third semester, your language-level – and thus your subsequent course choice – will be based upon the results of internationally-recognised exams in Korean as a foreign language (or exams held at Leiden at the beginning of the semester).

Semester 4: Leiden
During your final semester, a lot of your time will be devoted to writing and writing skills. You will also receive more advanced language training, focusing on practical applications of Korean of the kind that will arise in a professional setting, and developing your reading skills. At the end of the programme, you will produce a master’s thesis based on original research that will include the use of primary materials in Korean and a review of professional literature on the topic of your research.

Course overview

First year
Course	EC
Introduction to Asian Studies	10
Advanced Korean Reading	10
Cultural Heritage in East Asia: Dealing with the Past in Present and Future	10
Comparative Asian Linguistics	10
Lives on the Margins: Korean Peninsula Migration and Identity (10 EC)	10
Lives on the Margins: Korean Peninsula Migration and Identity (5 EC)	5
Material Culture, Memory and Commemoration along the Silk Roads in Central Asia	10
Critical Approaches to Heritage Studies	5
Urban Ecology of Asian Cities	10
Pure Land Buddhism	5
Pilgrimage and Holy Places	10
Taiwan MA Seminar	10
Art and Environment in East Asia	10
Study in Korea A	30

Second year
Course	EC
Study in Korea B	30
MA Thesis Asian Studies (120 EC)	15
Topical Readings in Korean (5 EC)	5
Topical Readings in Korean (10 EC)	10
Approaches to East Asian Cinema (10 EC)	10
Approaches to East Asian Cinema (5 EC)	5
Culture and Conquest: the Impact of the Mongols and their Descendants	10
The Politics of Destruction: Targeting World Heritage	10
Forgery as Historiography in Korean and East Asian History	10
Buddhism seminar	10

For a more detailed programme, see the Prospectus.

Please note that this guide applies to the current academic year, which means that the curriculum for next year may slightly differ.

Koen De Ceuster

Researcher and University Lecturer

"Korea is not only an object of study, but also a site of critical knowledge production. We do not only ask what we can know, but how we can know."

Admission and Application

Do you want to find out if you are eligible for this Master's Programme?

Check the entry requirements