K-Pop Immersion

Go behind the scenes to study this pop culture phenomenon.

What’s it all about? K-pop (short for Korean pop music) covers a range of musical styles, from electronic and dance-pop to hip hop and R&B. The craze is characterized by cutting-edge music videos with striking audiovisual elements, trendsetting fashion, and highly skilled choreography. Creative use of art, graphics, costumes, and color make this an art form well worth studying. 

With CIEE staff, you’ll take a special K-pop tour to several trendy sites throughout the city and visit modern and historic sites from music videos, dramas, and other media about Korea. Experience the extreme fan culture first-hand. Attend an Indie concert to experience music beyond K-pop. 

You’ll also visit HYBE INSIGHT, the K-pop mecca dedicated to the music, technology, fashion, and fandom surrounding BTS and the other groups represented by HYBE (previously known as Big Hit Entertainment). Here, you can learn more about the artists and their process for making music and how artists and producers work together as well as look into the lives of the individual artists and what inspires them.

Back in the classroom, guest lecturers on the forefront of the movement such as music producers, songwriters, critics, and choreographers round out your daily K-Pop Immersion class curriculum and deepen your experience. The Korean Spirit & Culture Workshop, part of orientation for all students, introduces you to the Korean language, as well as Korean concepts, values, and customs, such as learning to bow.