Stanford University in the U.S. launches K-pop online course... from Seo Taiji to K-Pop Demon Hunters

*This content was translated by AI.

Prestigious U.S. university Stanford has launched an online course focused on K-pop.

Stanford University's Continuing Studies program will run the six-week online course titled "K-Pop and the Global Stage" from July 13 to August 17. Anyone can enroll without an admissions review, and the tuition fee is $365 (approximately 500,000 won). Participants who attend five or more sessions will receive a certificate of completion.

The course description states, "What began as a regional experiment in Korea has become one of the cultural forces defining the 21st century." Students will analyze how K-pop grew from a domestic entertainment industry into a global movement, and academically explore concepts such as idol culture, fandoms, social media, and cultural soft power. Materials including music videos, live performances, variety shows, and industry reports will be used as course materials.

The six-week curriculum is structured as follows: Week 1 covers the history of K-pop and the music industry; Week 2 focuses on the 1992 explosion of Seo Taiji and ballads; Week 3 examines the politics, parody, and paradox of "Gangnam Style"; Week 4 explores the idol training system (competition, training, plastic surgery, success and failure); Week 5 covers Hallyu fandoms; and Week 6 discusses K-pop as soft power. Notably, external experts such as British musicologist Keith Howard and Professor Dal Yong Jin will participate as guest lecturers.

In particular, the Netflix animation "K-Pop Demon Hunters" was highlighted in the curriculum as a work that "playfully reinterprets idol culture through myth and genre storytelling," drawing attention. The course is designed so that students do not merely consume content but develop the critical analytical ability to question assumptions about artists, entertainment companies, fandoms, and cultural trends.

Cases of K-pop being incorporated into the formal academic curricula of major universities worldwide continue to increase. Stanford's launch of this course is evaluated as a clear example of K-pop having firmly established itself as a subject of academic research with cultural, social, and diplomatic influence, beyond being merely a pop music genre.

Previously, Harvard University used BTS as a case study in its business school, and Ivy League universities such as Yale and Columbia have also offered courses related to K-pop. Stanford's course is receiving further attention because it is open to anyone worldwide interested in K-pop, with no admission requirements.

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*This content was translated by AI.