Module manager: Dr Adam Cathcart
Email: A.Cathcart@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
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. Personalities at the core of the module include Kim Il-sung, Mao Zedong, and Douglas MacArthur, but the difficulties the occupation and war imposed on the Korean people will also take centre stage. Women’s role in North Korean state construction, including the controversial visit of the Women’s International Democratic Federation to North Korea, will be covered. Students will investigate American foreign policy and Anglo-American decision-making, problems with the the United Nations intervention in Korea, and the politics of propaganda around atrocities and bacteriological weapons. The module concludes with an investigation of long-form journalism around contemporary US-North Korea relations, including the role of defectors and their advocates. Please note this is an optional module and runs subject to enrolments. 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.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Evaluate critically the relationship between the wider Cold War and the conflict in Korea;
2. Assess historiographical interpretations of the Korean War;
3. Analyse the key developments in Korean political culture and society during this period.
Skills Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
4. Demonstrate extensive familiarity with the principal primary sources and secondary literature in this area.
5. Engage in analysis and critical thinking in relation to these sources.
6. Construct rigorous and original scholarly arguments, supported by relevant evidence and scholarship.
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 | ||
In addition to informal in-class feedback, including feedback from peers on ideas discussed, students will have the opportunity to receive feedback on an essay plan from their tutor. Some class time will be made available to discuss the portfolio, and students will have the opportunity to ask questions, and receive advice on, each component part of this assessment.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Essay | 50 |
| Coursework | Portfolio | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team