LAS4129 Human Rights, Conflict and Development on the Korean Peninsula

Spring Semester 2025/26

30 credits

Module Organiser: Dr. Yookyeong Im (y.im@sheffield.ac.uk)

Overview

This module explores how the concept of human rights has entangled with developmental politics on the Korean Peninsula. We examine the social life of the human rights concept in contemporary social contexts while notwithstanding historical contingencies that have shaped Korea’s current politics. The module will cover a range of thematic topics relevant to the development of “human rights” as a prominent political concept in the Korean Peninsula. They include gender and sexuality, socioeconomic inequality, information justice, right to justice, freedom of speech and ideas, and two Koreas’ entanglement with international human rights mechanisms. In exploring these themes, we will focus on the processual nature of national and regional politics.  

By engaging with a range of case studies, students will be encouraged to critically examine the contentious politics of human rights on the Korean Peninsula as a dynamic concept rather than a fixed object. We will refer to various types of materials in this module, including theoretical and academic scholarship, legal and policy documents, civil society publications, and the media that both shape and reflect relevant debates. This approach provides students with more opportunities to develop their skills in interdisciplinary analysis and application of academic knowledge in various sectors such as academia, governments, non-governmental agencies, and media.

Topics Covered

• Global and regional histories of “human rights” as a key concept of contemporary politics

• Two Koreas’ engagement with international human rights mechanisms

• Human rights institutions and their roles in South Korea

• Development of right to justice and democratisation in South Korea

• The use of human rights in gender politics in South Korea

• Key debates of information justice in two Koreas

• Two Koreas’ different approaches to socioeconomic rights and civil/political rights

• South Korean social movements and the influence of inter-Korean relationship on their development

Skills Development

On successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

• Understand how the concept of human rights has developed on the Korean Peninsula and how that history has engaged with the global political economy

• Identify critical approaches to analyse the current sociopolitical landscape of human rights in Korea(s)

• Develop communication skills through discussions during seminars

• Develop critical thinking and academic writing skills through short portfolio assignments and final paper

• Enhance a capacity to understand and design academic research

• Create original and critical insights about human rights and development as objects of scholarly analysis 

Study Hours

The University recommends that you spend 300 hours working on a 30-credit module. This will include:

• Lecture: 10 hours

• Seminar: 10 hours

• 280 hours Independent study including readings, videos, seminar preparation and portfolio tasks.