NEW self-paced course
 
This short sampler course draws on K-Pop (Korean pop) to reflect on themes of Christian Spirituality. 
 
Along with other Korean cultural content such as K-Dramas, K-Movies, K-Beauty, and K-Food, K-Pop has emerged as a growing popular phenomenon in the U.S. As disciples of Christ, we are invited to be “readers of the times.” Our Christian journeys do not exist in a vacuum. Christianity itself, in all its global diversity in thought and practice over its 2,000+ year history, has never been a culture-neutral movement. 
 
It’s important to undergird this course with the theological concept of incarnation. God took on flesh in the particularities of Jesus of Nazareth, a Palestinian Jew. The sacred and holy materialized in very concrete realities of time, space, geo-politics, and culture. Correspondingly, our theological conceptualization of God, the rituals and practices that we take for granted as part of our Christian faith, are all part of, and established over time through, what we call “culture”—the collection of ideals, narratives, technologies, artifacts, methods of organizing social and material relationships, and practices/behaviors. 
 
As we learn about K-Pop, we will use some observations of K-Pop hits and dimensions of the K-Pop culture to reflect on perennial topics in Christian spirituality—ultimately for the purposes of expanding our horizons and deepening our practices as followers of Jesus. 
 
A reminder that this is a “sampler” course—a brief introduction to the deeper wells of conversations about K-Pop, and Christian spirituality. Consider it as a starting point for more questions!
 
This course includes videos, readings, quizzes, and reflections to ensure your understanding of course materials.
 
Course notes
 
This is a 5-module course on a complex and global phenomenon. Due to the limited nature of the scope of this course, consider each module to be a launch pad for further exploration. Also, because this is a course designed to prompt reflection on themes within Christian Spirituality, and not a course dedicated to K-Pop only, the selection of case studies will correspond with the intentions of this thread of inquiry. 
Despite the brevity of this course structure, we will nevertheless be visiting serious issues, such as poverty and mental health.
 
Course modules
 
Module One: Introduction
Module Two: Call to the Prophetic: Highlighting Socially Conscious Songs of BTS
Module Three: God’s Unwavering Presence: Mental Health and K-Pop
Module Four: Narratives of Self-Empowerment: Dignity and Self-Respect
Module Five: Coalitions for Social Transformation: K-Pop Fandoms as Social Agents
 
 
Cover art from pikisuperstar on freepik and Carla Bosteder on Pixabay