Location

Seoul, Busan, Gyeongju, Heyri Art Village, South Korea

Program Description

South Korea: Art, Design, and Culture is a three-week course that explores historic, modern, and contemporary art, design, and culture. This program allows us to visit and learn about major cities like Seoul and Busan, and we will have day trips to Heyri Art Village in Paju City, and Gyeongju City. Students will experience and explore cultural significance by visiting museums, UNESCO World Heritage temples, and palaces, as well as connecting with traditional and contemporary art and design resources, such as design studios and manufacturing facilities. Students will also engage in the traditional methodology of art-making and cooking processes such as calligraphy and kimchi. Students will be able to witness and taste contemporary pop culture, art, and design in Seoul and Busan. Students are expected to document and develop personal drawings and/or journals through galleries, museums, and cultural site visits. The personal drawings/journals will also inform ideation in design directions for the graphic and/or industrial design final projects. 

GRPH 392 Special Topics in Graphic Design “Integrated Design in Korean Visual Culture” (3 credits)

This journey through Korea's evolving visual culture will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of integrated design, where traditional and modern elements converge to shape Korea's distinctive and continuously evolving visual language and its cultural significance. Through studio visits and workshops, students will learn how designers apply visual elements and principles in their work, gaining insight into contemporary Korean design aesthetics. Project: Digital design project & presentations.

INDU 392 Special Topics in Industrial Design/ Integrated Design Solutions based on the theme: Convergence of Forms (3 credits)

This course will immerse students in the rich cultural heritage of Korean art and design through the theme of Convergence of Forms: Exploring Integrated Design, through integration of traditional arts with high-concept modern design. This investigative approach blends traditional techniques and motifs with innovative, contemporary aesthetics. Through product design studio and manufacturing facility visits, students will learn about the Circularity of the Design Process. Projects: Designer Research & Product Design Creation

ART 392 Topics in Art/ Korean Art: Past and Present (3 credits)

This course will provide engagements and discoveries of Korean traditional, modern, and contemporary art, crafts, and culture.  This course will also introduce students to traditional Korean art and crafts workshops such as calligraphy, Korean patchwork, knotting, and other cultural kimchi-making workshops.  Students will research various visual resources through historical and contemporary site visits, museums, and galleries.  Students' observations and analyses of Korean art, craft, and culture will be translated into daily base drawing exercises, journals, and group discussions.  

HUM 252 Global Cultures: Cross-Cultural Perspectives in Korea (3 credits) GenEd Credit: Group 1 (Human Questions and Contexts)

Through an interdisciplinary approach, students will engage with key aspects of Korean humanities, including literature, philosophy, religion, art, and popular culture. The course will provide an understanding of Korea's historical developments, cultural practices, and social dynamics, highlighting the country's influence and place in the global context. Students will examine diverse responses to enduring human questions and critically engage comparative views on global cultures to broaden students’ understanding of those cultures and their own.

Location Description

Seoul is the capital, largest, and most popular city in South Korea. Seoul's history traces back to 18 BC when it was founded by the people of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. During the Joseon dynasty, Seoul was officially designated as the capital, surrounded by the Fortress Wall of Seoul. Seoul is geographically set in a mountainous and hilly terrain, with Bukhan Mountain positioned on its northern edge. Within the Seoul Capital Area lie five UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Seoul was named the World Design Capital in 2010 and has served as the national hub for the music, entertainment, and cultural industries that have propelled K-pop and the Korean Wave to international prominence.

Busan, a large port city in South Korea, is known for its beaches, mountains, and temples. Busy Haeundae Beach features the Sea Life Aquarium, plus a Folk Square with traditional games such as tug-of-war, while Gwangalli Beach has many bars and views of modern Diamond Bridge. Busan is the second largest city, with a population of over 3.3 million inhabitants as of 2024. The large volumes of port traffic and urban population in excess of 1 million make Busan a Large-Port metropolis using the Southampton System of Port-City classification. As Busan was one of the few areas in Korea that remained under the control of South Korea throughout the Korean War, it served as a de facto capital of the Republic of Korea for some time.

Gyeongju, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla (57 BC – 935 AD), is a city that breathes history. The Silla kingdom, which ruled about two-thirds of the Korean peninsula at its height between the 7th and 9th centuries, left a lasting cultural legacy in Gyeongju. The city is a treasure trove of archaeological sites and cultural properties from this period, earning it the moniker' the museum without walls'. Today, Gyeongju continues to be a living testament to the economic, demographic, and social trends that have shaped modern South Korean culture.

Heyri Art Village is an artistic community in the Unification Hill district of Tanhyeon-myeon, Paju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Artists, writers, painters, and other creatives constructed it. It is Korea's largest artistic community, with an area of approximately 495,868 square meters.

Director

MiKyoung Lee | lee28mx@jmu.edu | School of Art, Design, and Art History

Anna Marie Smith | smit64am@jmu.edu | School of Art, Design, and Art History

Accommodations

Accommodations will be provided for students through hotels and traditional inns with internet access and laundry facilities. Students will be in shared double rooms. Housing accommodations are centrally located and public transportation is easily accessible.

Breakfasts will be provided daily as part of accommodations. There will be a welcome and farewell dinner provided as part of the program, and we plan to have a few other group dinners with Korean partners and artists. Students should plan to spend their own money each day to cover the cost of other meals, and program directors will suggest a per diem budget closer to the departure date.

Applicant Criteria

Applicants must have a GPA minimum of 2.0

No Korean language requirement.  

Open to all class levels and majors, including graduate students.