BCM111: Global Film Industries – Nollywood and Korean Cinema

Ryoo, W 2009, ‘Globalization, or the logic of cultural hybridization: the case of the Korean wave’, Asian Journal of Communication, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 137-151

Woongjae Ryoo in this source, gives an explanation about what the Korean Wave is and how it has spread to different countries including Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia etc. He theorises the reason why Korean culture such as cinema, K-pop and dramas have begun to spread recently is because of Korean income being higher resulting in better quality, the proximity to other Asian countries and the themes included in things such as Korean Dramas. The themes presented in Korean Dramas usually focus on things such as “love, family, filial piety and reinforce ideas of Confucianism”. Korean Movies however are very different and instead show themes of extreme violence, “psychological madness and sexual distortions existing in modern South Korean society”. Ryoo explains that because of these dramas becoming popular, so too is K-pop because many of the soundtracks include songs by K-pop artists. This has also spread to many other Asian countries in particular as a result of the spreading of Korean dramas. This source is reliable because it has been released on a database. The source frequently refers to other sources through in-text referencing thus making it even more reliable. This source would be useful in particular for the study of how the Korean wave has spread and the reasoning behind why it spread and how it got popular in other countries.

 

Martin Roll, 2018, Korean Wave (Hallyu) – The Rise of Korea’s Cultural Economy & Pop Culture, weblog post, Jan, viewed 26 August 2018 <https://martinroll.com/resources/articles/asia/korean-wave-hallyu-the-rise-of-koreas-cultural-economy-pop-culture/&gt;

The source, much like Ryoos article, explains what the Korean Wave or ‘Hallyu’ is in great detail. It explains the ways in which Hallyu became popular and the countries that it spread to. The author also raises the point that there have been things in the past that have prevented Korean dramas from being exported to places, like Japan, such as trade bans specifically on media content. The source explains that these bans were put in place because places like Japan and Korea wield ‘soft power’. Soft power is described as power gained through image rather than the strength of military or weapons. The source also adds that this was the case with America where almost every country bought into Coca Cola and apple phones because it was seen as “cool”. This is similar with Korean dramas and K-pop in South Korea. This source also highlights the fact that k-pop became popular because of the success of Korean dramas in other Asian countries. This source used in tandem with others would become extremely useful for the study of how the Korean Wave has spread and what is encompassed by the Korean Wave. The source also details the difficulties that the Hallyu Wave has had to overcome and the issues it may still face.

BCM111: Internationalising Higher Education – Learning and Teaching

Leong, S & Woods D 2017, “I Don’t Care About Asia”: Teaching Asia in Australia’, Journal of Australian Studies, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 367-379 <https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.uow.edu.au/doi/full/10.1080/14443058.2017.1343251&gt;

This source written by Susan Leong and Denise Woods argues what should be taught about Asian Education and why it is taught as well as the benefits it can provide. The authors raise the point that while sometimes the subject will be compulsory leading to students sometimes saying ‘I don’t care about Asia’ the subject can also be chosen when it is taught as a tertiary education subject. They state that it would be backwards for a student to complain that they ‘don’t care about Asia’ when they have chosen to do a subject about the topic. In terms of Internationalising education, Leong and Woods state that it is necessary to teach Asian education in universities as it develops an understanding and interaction between domestic students and international students. This conversation promotes the exchange of cultural ideas and different beliefs. The authors state that it could be because of the language barriers that students become intimidated about learning through Asian education by means of exchange programs, thus universities have begun to teach subjects focusing on Asian education and Asian culture. The source is on a journal database which lends to it credibility. The authors raise their points clearly which makes the piece easy to understand and the statements are backed with relevant sources included in an extensive bibliography.

 

Harkin, J 2006, Big Idea, The Guardian, weblog post, 10 June, viewed 25 August 2018 <https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2006/jun/10/comment.mainsection2&gt;

This blog post written by James Harkin explains in detail where the term ‘Cosmopolitanism’ originated and how the term has been discarded and revived throughout history. He describes it as being part of a singular culture yet respecting the cultures of others. Harkin raises the point that through cosmopolitanism the “ropes holding us to a national culture” are being ‘constantly frayed’ by outside influences meaning that most humans will identify with more than one culture. Cosmopolitanism is however, stated within the article to be a “high-wire act” meaning that it can be risky. The risks are not outlined in this article, however it is insinuated that if everyone were to follow cosmopolitanism that there would be no difference in between cultures. The source is slightly biased as it only really discusses the views of one person and it is placed under the tag “opinion”. The source does not provide evidence for its information and therefore should be further researched before stating whether it is reliable or not.

BCM111: Globalisation, Media Flows and Saturation Coverage

O’Shaughnessy, Michael 2012, ‘Globalisation’, in Media and society, 5th ed, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, Vic

O’Shaughnessy writes about the positive and negative impacts of Globalisation by presenting both a Utopian and Dystopian view. The Utopian view that O’Shaughnessy explains is where Globalisation and media flows creates a world where everyone, no matter where they are from, can interact with each other with very few barriers. The Dystopian view to counter this describes Globalisation as something that increases the gap between the rich and the poor as well as promoting Cultural Imperialism. O’Shaughnessy clearly explains the contradictions found with Globalisation and the ways in which Hollywood in particular plays and the possibility of it Americanizing other cultures because of how predominant it is. In showing both sides of the argument it can be said that there is little evidence of bias. Through prior research to reading this article it is seen to be reliable. The source is especially useful for researching the ways in which media directly influences Globalisation and the effects that it has on different cultures. The source is also useful for understanding which cultures are more inclined to spreading their culture and the ways that they do it, such as music and/or movies.

Media Connect 2013, The Impending Globalisation of ‘Australian’ Media, Media Connect, weblog post, 16 October, viewed 23 August 2018, <http://mediaconnect.com.au/blog/the-impending-globalisation-of-australian-media&gt;

This source written by an unknown author under the website ‘Media Connect’ details the effects that specific forms of Globalisation had on Australian Media. It addresses the concerns that people have for their local voice in the news as bigger international companies buy and re-brand smaller local companies. By re-branding Australian media and globalising Australian media through the purchasing of local outlets people begin to hear less local news and more international news. If these international companies own more than one newspaper there is then the issue of little variation within the news, which tends to focus more on international news. The author writes that the Globalisation of Australian media, while being beneficial economically, would prevent Australian from receiving as much Australian news. By using further research and using this source in conjunction with another such as O’Shaughnessy’s article then it would be more reliable. Very few sources are given. It could be said that the team behind the entire website also gives credibility to the source as most of them have media backgrounds. The source does show a small amount of bias as it does talk more about the negative impacts that globalisation of Australian media could have on Australian news outlets even though they do briefly touch upon the positive impact it could have. It is made clear that globalisation on Australian Media could be an extremely bad thing.