Module manager: Dr Adam Cathcart
Email: A.Cathcart@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2025/26
This module is not approved as a discovery module
Korea, the hub of Northeast Asian political and military conflict in the second half of the twentieth century, remains a puzzling world problem, an unfinished war, and the site of divided and mutually hostile states. This module will examine Kim Il-sung's role in the creation of North Korea under Soviet occupation until 1948, American military aid to South Korea, and the origins of the war that began in 1950. As backdrop, students will delve into the Chinese revolution, Soviet foreign policy, and the US occupation of Japan in American Cold War strategy. Personalities at the core of the module include Kim Il-sung, Mao Zedong, Douglas MacArthur, Harry Truman, and Joseph Stalin, but the difficulties the occupation and war imposed on the Korean people will also take centre stage, including the role of massive US bombing of Korea. American foreign policy and Anglo-American decision-making, the mechanics of the United Nations intervention in Korea, and the politics of nuclear and bacteriological weapons, as well as propaganda and culture, will be discussed. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. If a low number of students choose this module, then the module may not run and you may be asked to choose another module.
The objective of the module is to equip you with the skills to write clearly about the division of Korea, and political factions in both Koreas and to promote a broad knowledge of how the developing Cold War shaped political developments in northeast Asia, and vice versa.
The module also aims to develop your capacity to discuss the evolution of the Korean War as it evolved from an inter-Korean conflict into a broader global war, as well as to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the domestic and external context for the consolidation of power by Kim Il-sung in North Korea, and the role of Soviet and Chinese aid in that consolidation.
In addition, the module will encourage you to engage with the principal historiographical questions and controversies surrounding the war, and to identify and synthesise a wide range of primary and secondary source material, of relevance to the subject.
Finally, the module aims to build skills in the effective and appropriate communication of knowledge both orally and in writing.
By the end of this module, you should have acquired extensive knowledge of:
(1) Korea as the hub of Northeast Asian political and military conflict in the second half of the twentieth century. Central to this is the role played by North Korea as it emerged out of Soviet occupation in 1948 and initiated war against its US-backed counterpart regime, the Republic of Korea, in 1950;
(2) the interrelationship of the Cold War and communist revolutions in Northeast Asia, the Chinese revolution, Stalin’s stance toward the US in East Asia as well as his own allies, and the role played by the U.S. occupation of Japan;
(3) the impact of certain personalities at the core of the Korean War narrative: notably Kim Il-sung, Mao Zedong, Douglas MacArthur, Harry Truman, and Joseph Stalin;
(4) American foreign policy and Anglo-American decision-making, and the mechanics of the United Nations intervention in Korea, as well as Kim Il-sung's methods of securing support from his comrades;
(5) other topics which will require student fluency include the impact of the war on the Korean people, the role of massive and largely unopposed US bombing of Korea, and Chinese-North Korean co-operation in their shared border region.
In addition, you should be able to demonstrate extensive familiarity with the principal biographical and secondary literature in this area and enhanced skills in analysis and critical thinking in relation to these sources.
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workshop | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Supervision | 2 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Seminars | 20 | 2 | 40 |
| Private study hours | 355.6 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 44.4 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 400 | ||
- One-to-one feedback meetings preceding and following the Semester 1 4,000-word essay
- One-to-one feedback meetings preceding and following the Semester 2 OTA
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Essay or Dissertation | Essay | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 50 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
| Exam type | Exam duration | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Online Time-Limited assessment | 48.0 Hrs 0 Mins | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Exams) | 50 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 28/04/2025
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team