Upcoming Events & Announcements
The Annual USC Graduate Conference in Korean Studies is set to be held on Friday, February 7th, 2025. We are currently accepting applications for presenters.
We welcome applicants from the humanities and social sciences who are conducting research related to Korea, East Asia, or Asian diasporas. Submissions that situate Korea within broader comparative or theoretical frameworks are especially encouraged.
Important dates for applicants:
Deadline for paper proposals: Friday, November 15th, 2024
Notifications of acceptance: Monday, December 2nd, 2024
Deadline for paper submissions: Friday, January 17th, 2025
Gangnam: The Hallyu Entertainment Industry Capital and the Locus of Social Evil w/ Speaker Pil Ho Kim | February 6, 2025 | 2:00pm – 3:30pm | Dosan Ahn Chang Ho Family House
Anyone genuinely curious about what makes South Korean pop culture tick should look no further than Gangnam. Having been wildly celebrated by an unlikely K-pop superstar called Psy in 2012, it is the epicenter of Hallyu, the Korean Wave. Gangnam is an exclusive zone of wealth and privilege that has lured pop culture industries to take root and flourish since the 1980s. But at the same time, Gangnam is widely regarded as a breeding ground for ‘social evil’ (sahoeak) in South Korea as it has firmly established itself as the shrine of the unholy trinity of Korean capitalism: real estate speculation, adult entertainment/sex industry, and college-prep private education business. Gangnam’s foul sense of place, associated with such social evils as organized crime, sex work, and overheated educational competition, has helped create compelling villain characters in South Korean film and television drama. Moreover, Gangnam often makes the evil contagious to other characters, who become complicit either in evil acts perpetrated by villains or in corrupt social institutions. By analyzing Yeon Sang-ho’s animation The King of Pigs (2013) and Yoon Jong-bin’s film Beastie Boys (2008) as the main visual texts, this talk will take an unflinching look at the dark side of South Korean society ranging from school bullying to entertainment industry scandals to misogynistic violence, all of which have provided compelling narratives for an increasing number of Hallyu media products.
KSI Undergraduate Fellows Mini-Conference | March 15th
The KSI Undergraduate Fellows will be presenting their research to each other in preparation of the USC-Michigan Undergraduate Research Exchange Conference. They will be honing their papers and presentation skills and giving each other feedback.
Undergraduate Research Exchange Conference w/the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor | March 29th, 2025
Our Undergraduate Research Fellows will be taking part in the annualc USC-Michigan Undergraduate Research Exchange Conference with students from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor as part of the research program! This year, the conference will be held in Los Angeles at USC. More details TBA.
KSI Undergraduate Fellows Commencement Reception | April 15th, 2025 (5 – 7 PM)
We will be celebrating our graduating KSI Undergraduate Fellows as well as welcoming the incoming cohort of students who will begin their journeys with our Fellows program at the Ahn Family House.
Check out all of the events that have happened in the past at the KSI!
Helpful Information
Click here to learn about Dosan Ahn Chang Ho and the history of the Ahn Family House.
For Ahn House visitors, it is recommended that you contact us ahead of time by email at ksi@usc.edu or by phone at (213) 740-3758 as we may be closed to the public for events and programming.
KSI Programs for Students
KSI Undergraduate Fellows Program
The KSI Undergraduate Fellows Program selects outstanding USC students who are interested in conducting research about Korea or Korean-American issues, writing a research paper and gaining experience presenting at academic conferences.
Selected students participate in monthly research workshops during the fall and spring semesters, take part in a mini-conference just for USC students and present their papers at the annual USC-Michigan Korean Studies Undergraduate Exchange in spring.
USC Graduate Conference in Korean Studies
The USC Korean Studies Institute invites applications for the Annual USC Graduate Conference in Korean Studies. This conference aims to foster a multidisciplinary community of local and regional graduate students whose research projects significantly engage Korean society and culture across the periods. It offers a platform for emerging scholars to present their work-in-progress, receive feedback from faculty and peers, and participate in interdisciplinary discussions within a supportive environment.
We welcome applicants from the humanities and social sciences who are conducting research related to Korea, East Asia, or Asian diasporas. Submissions that situate Korea within broader comparative or theoretical frameworks are especially encouraged.
U.S.- Asia Grand Strategy Predoctoral Fellows
KSI aims to make USC the key university that produces young scholars with the local area expertise to challenge and enhance debates about American grand strategy. Each year, USC brings 3-4 external ABD students to USC.
Contact Us
809 W 34th St., Los Angeles, CA. 90089
Business Hours
M-F 9:30 AM-5:00 PM
To get in touch or learn more about the Korean Studies Institute, please reach out to us by phone or by email.