This thesis discusses the topic of the competitive Korean education system visualised in K-dramas that deal with the societal pressures on Korean youth and their parents regarding educational...Show moreThis thesis discusses the topic of the competitive Korean education system visualised in K-dramas that deal with the societal pressures on Korean youth and their parents regarding educational background. To do so, it offers an elaborate analysis of the K-drama SKY Castle (2018) embedded in a theoretical framework of identity building and the field of cultural production while using 'classical' Bordwellian film analysis. By using concepts from fields such as Media-Studies, Area-Studies, Identity/Gender studies and Sociology, this research offers a multi-disciplinary approach to explore questions regarding studies on Korean identity, Korean popular culture and the relation between the two. In this respect, it illustrates how one can understand Korean popular cultural products as emerging spaces of Korean identity construction.Show less
This research uses the television series SKY castle as a case study with the focus on trying to answer the question: How does Sky Castle discuss education fever as a byproduct of status...Show moreThis research uses the television series SKY castle as a case study with the focus on trying to answer the question: How does Sky Castle discuss education fever as a byproduct of status consciousness in Korean society? SKY is an acronym used to refer to the top three universities in Korea using the first letter of their names: Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University. The case study draws on Pierre Bourdieu’s distinction theory to show the impact that education has on status awareness in South Korea as portrayed in SKY Castle. Chapter 1, discusses this methodology and the theoretical framework of this paper and the choice for focusing on SKY Castle as a case study will be further argued. Chapter 2 focusses on the actual analysis of the television series SKY Castle. The findings of Chapter 2 are discussed in Chapter 3 by showing an overview and interpretation of these findings. Lastly, in Chapter 4 this paper gives a conclusion and discusses the limitations of this research and future research possibilities. Sky Castle can be seen as a dialogue with reality, highlighting specific social issues and can be seen as a way to open the discussion towards the current debate in Korea on the topic of status and education fever. The popularity and success of the television series imply that the subject with regard to the Korean educational fever and status consciousness, speak to the social concerns of the Korean viewers.Show less
