The Institute for Korean Studies FU Berlin, Germany, is pleased to organise the 2023 Korean Studies Summer School held from August 16 – 24, 2023 in Kwangju (Gwangju) and Seoul, South Korea. The Summer School will bring together students enrolled in BA and MA programs in Korean Studies at Free University Berlin/Germany and other European Universities.

The summer school is an academic program with field trips supported by the KDI-School and the National Institute of Unification Education. The objective of the Summer School is to provide students with expert-led, on-site training in Korean history, culture, politics, and North-South Korean relations, in cooperation with History D – Asia Peace and History Institute (Dr Lee Sincheol), Seoul. The program provides a great opportunity to expand knowledge of the diverse fields of Korean Studies.

The main theme of the 2023 program is Encountering Korean history and culture in Kwangju and near area. Kwangju and the region all around have played an outstanding role throughout the history of Korea; especially May-18^th Uprising in Kwangju (1980) was a milestone on the way to democracy and human rights in South Korea. From the perspective of art and cultural heritage, Kwangju and the nearby area have abundant treasures: Gwangju has hosted a contemporary art biennale since 1995. Near Kwangju, there are several places of historical meaning, such as the anti-colonial struggle, significant cultural sites with ceramic art and other diverse handicrafts, Confucian and Buddhistic heritage, traces of writers and intellectuals, etc.

Program

This program consists of two parts:

• the first part is a regular course during the Sommer Semester 2023 (Wednesday 16:00-18:00) focusing on the history and culture in Kwangju and near area. 
• The second part refers to the field trip, which is composed of three sections: