JAN 410 - Creative Geniuses or Hard Workers: Innovation Insights from South Korea

Dates: January 4th - January 21st, 2024

Instructors: Tina Xiaotian Zhang & Young-Jae Le

Email: xz4@stmarys-ca.edu

Course Fee:  $4,150 *All expenses included: airfare, lodging, transportation, food, excursions, etc. The only remaining expenses will be souvenirs and food in airports. Travel shot costs will depend on individual insurance coverage.

Course Description: South Korea is currently ranked as one of the world’s most innovative countries, beating out countries like Japan, Germany, the USA, and China. This Course, “Creative Geniuses or Hard Workers: Innovation Insights from South Korea,” is designed to raise awareness of the culture of Creativity and Innovation in South Korea. Special attention is placed on what makes Korean culture so innovative - are they a highly creative people or is it rooted in a hardworking Asian culture? As nations increasingly aim to become “creative economies” (Florida, 2002), we look at the role of national culture in two of Korea’s best-known creative industries, namely electronics and online gaming, to more deeply understand the local and global business contexts that have made companies like Samsung and NCSoft, some of the most innovative in the world. We will also compare and contrast Korea and other nations on innovation policies, to better understand how national systems of innovation are created.

Participants will learn about Korean creativity and innovation experientially through international immersion, lectures by local professors and industry experts in Korea, interactions with local Korean students, visits to Seoul-based electronics and game development companies, and meetings with Korean innovators, gamers, and business leaders. Participants are expected to deepen their understanding about: 

• The concepts of creativity and innovation, as they apply in the cultural contexts of South Korea and the US
• The society, politics, culture, and economy of South Korea
• The various aspects of economic development that support national systems of innovation in South Korea
• Macro-environmental forces affecting organizational and industry level innovation
• Different business models for bringing new product innovations to market

• Attendance at pre-registration meeting; 
• Permission of the instructor

Information Sessions:

 *Failure to attend Health & Safety Orientations will result in immediate drop from the course, and once registered all course fees are non-refundable. 

Credits: 3