The Korea Research & Engagement Centre (KRC) is hosting the first CURTIN KOREA DAY on Thursday, September 14th 2023!

• Venue: Curtin Robertson Library Level 7 (Lantern room)

• Time:  9.45am-1.30pm, including packed Korean lunches!

This event is open to all university students in WA with an interest in Korea and Korean studies.

Registration is currently open for any student enrolled at a WA University:
https://forms.gle/sKCR6CedUVkYKLsr5
Enrol quick! Registration numbers are limited and close on 10th September.

This event is supported by the Core University Program for Korean Studies through the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and Korean Studies Promotion Service of the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS-2022-OLU-2250005).

Friday 25 Aug 2023 at 10am (Perth) in-person seminar on Curtin Bentley Campus (Building 211, Room 139) & via Webex 

This in-person and online seminar focuses on representations of Japanese and Korean masculinities in popular culture. After two short presentations, the two presenters will discuss how analysing pop culture representations of Korean and Japanese masculinities can open up new avenues for theorising masculinity studies.

Please register at: https://curtin.webex.com/weblink/register/ra40d2e4578a5f2fd9e00f582f290e333

This seminar can be accessed online via Webex: https://curtin.webex.com/curtin/j.php?MTID=ma0cfe5dfc8f999b8eb0c5ae1ffe7aea7

• Laura Miller: Who was considered to be a beautiful man in Japan’s ancient period? What did an attractive Heian period courtier look like? When contemporary popular culture producers set out to create manga, anime, film and TV series set in historical eras, they often find that the male beauty standards of long ago are quite different from contemporary reader and viewer expectations. I will introduce a few examples of historical figures who are represented by actors or drawn characters who reflect today's beauty ideology rather than those of the periods they are portraying. Although some efforts are made to depict the costumes or hairstyles of the period, the desire to cater to current beauty norms dominates these productions.   

• Jo Elfving-Hwang: This talk reflects on Laura Miller’s paper and work on how representations of Japanese historical figures have been updated to cater for contemporary global audiences and present an overview of the same in the context of contemporary Korean popular culture, and in TV series in particular. This talk will focus on representations of male beauty in Korean historical TV dramas, focusing specifically on how the context of sageuk (historical TV dramas) are utilised to communicate recognisable and appealing images of “Koreanness” for both international and domestic audiences in ways that combine recognisable K-pop stage aesthetics with stylised Joseon (and occasionally fantastical earlier period) costuming for contemporary viewers.

This workshop is supported by the Core University Program for Korean Studies through the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and Korean Studies Promotion Service of the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS-2022-OLU-2250005).

The Korea Research Centre (KRC) of Western Australia invites applications for a short-term Visiting Resident Research Fellowship. Supported by a grant from the Academy of Korean Studies, the KRC offers one short-term Visiting Resident Research Fellowship per year.

The residency of each Fellowship will last for one week. During this week, the selected Fellow is required to be in residence in the KRC’s Perth office at Curtin University. Fellows will pursue their own research in the KRC’s collaborative environment and conduct one seminar on their current research before the end of their residency. Upon completion of the Fellowship, the Fellow is expected to publish one article acknowledging the support of the Core University Program for Korean Studies through the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and Korean Studies Promotion Service of the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS-2022-OLU-2250005). 

Successful applicants will receive: 

• one week residency at the KRC 

• one round-trip flight to Perth up to the value of AUD$2,500 and accommodation at Curtin University’s campus hotel 

• AUD$500 honorarium 

Selection criteria: 

• The value of the proposed seminar topic to Korean Studies research and development. 

• The quality of the current research project undertaken by the applicant. 

• The contribution this Fellowship will make to the applicant’s career development. 

• Priority will be given to early career researchers and researchers returning from career breaks (such as parental leave). 

• Alignment with the KRC strategic themes of bodies, security and defence, Korean popular culture in Australia, and ‘digital Korea’ is encouraged. 

• Applicants from outside Australia are welcome to apply, but are asked to be aware of the budget constraints that allow for up to AUD$2,500 travel costs only to be covered. 

• Note that this visiting fellowship cannot be combined with other funding sources that require arising publications to be acknowledged.

Expressions of Interest should include: 

• a brief overview of their current research on Korea 

• a proposal for their chosen seminar topic for presentation while at the KRC 

• how this Fellowship at the KRC would contribute to their career development 

Applicants should send their Curriculum Vitae and Expressions of Interest to debbie.chan@curtin.edu.au no later than 30th June 2023. Applicants will be informed of the status of their application by 10th July 2023.