A college-level course dedicated to K-pop and J-pop is available this summer at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Jayson Chun, an associate professor at UH-West Oahu, and Patrick Patterson, a history professor at Honolulu Community College, will be teaching their three-credit course, “K-pop and J-pop: Korean and Japanese Popular Music and Society” (ASAN 464). The class runs from May 21 through June 14 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Chun’s fall semester class at UH-West Oahu filled up within a week, so the summer class is a great option to have and there are still openings available. Learn, examine and analyze why K-pop and J-pop are popular, along with the global appeal of its cultural influences. I hope to sit in a class this summer or in the fall semester. For more information on signing up for class, please contact the Asian studies office at 956-6085 or Jayson Chun at jmchun@hawaii.edu.
THIS WEEK’S SYNOPSES
“The Good Witch”
Episodes 29-30
>> Sunday, 6:30 p.m.: Tae-ri’s hysterical rhetoric reaches an epic high. She pledges to put her father behind bars. Do-hee reclaims her life, as Sun-hee gets ready to end her double life. However, secrets surrounding Do-hee get exposed one by one.
Episodes 31-32
>> Sunday, 7:45 p.m.: Sun-hee and Do-hee are faced with intense conflict, due to their different values. Woo-jin realizes he feels strange toward Do-hee when she comes back from her vacation. Woo-jin is taken aback at Do-hee’s changed demeanor. Chun-dae regrets making the worst mistake in his life: losing Sun-hee.
“Exit” (Special two-part drama)
Part 1
>> Monday, 7:45 p.m.: Kang-soo, who works for a loan shark, has a life filled with constant disappointments. He can’t escape his broken family and experiences a vicious cycle of lows.
Part 2
>> Tuesday, 7:45 p.m.: Distraught with the bleak future, Kang-soo is on the verge of ending his life when a flyer that asks “Do you want to be happy?” catches his eye. He’s ready to do anything to grab a chance at happiness. But it comes at a pricey cost. Will he finally find happiness, or will happiness elude him once more?
“Switch”
Episodes 19-20
>> Wednesday, 7:45 p.m.: Geum Tae Woong works with Joon Soo to make Jung Do Young an assemblyman. Ha Ra finds out about Do Young and Tae Woong’s relationship. Tae Woong discovers that a trap has been set by Ha Ra and Do Chan. Do Chan and his gang team up to find Do Young’s weakness.
Episodes 21-22
>> Thursday, 7:45 p.m.: Ha Ra thanks Do Chan for not betraying her. Do Chan and the team use natural gas to con Geum Tae Woong to find his loot. Geum Tae Woong takes the bait. Ha Ra feels threatened by Geum Tae Woong.
“Rich Son”
Episodes 1-2 (Premiere)
>> Friday, 7:45 p.m.: Gwang Jae and Young Ha broke up and went their separate ways after a big fight. Two years later, Gwang Jae shows up with his new girlfriend at the restaurant where Young Ha works.
Episode 3-4
>> Saturday, 7:45 p.m.: Gye Dong and Won Yong meet at an alumni meeting after a long while. Won Yong returns home smiling at the news of his friend making it big in the food industry. But he sees something that makes him do a double take, bringing him to his knees.
Jeff Chung is general manager of KBFD-TV, which televises Korean dramas with English subtitles. Reach him at 521-8066 or jeffchung@kbfd.com.
