Following the end of the Korean War, South Korea underwent an economic development that transformed the country from one of the poorest nations in the world to one of the world's dozen largest economies. Institutional and ideological aspects of this developmental miracle are well-known, but how do we begin to understand what such a change, pursued with a speed and thoroughness rarely witnessed in history, must have meant for the people living through it? In this class, we will examine popular culture as a means of understanding the values, social structures, and customs that sustain people's lives in times of great upheaval and uprooting. Discussions will revolve around texts drawn from diverse genres including popular music, feature films, television dramas, comic books, and advertisements. Secondary readings will deepen our understanding of specific social configurations and movements within which these texts are situated and consumed.