Park, Sandra H. | Department of East Asian Studies

sandrapark@arizona.edu

Phone

(520) 621-5619

Office

LSB 113

Office Hours

Please see syllabus or email for appointment.

Personal Site

https://www.sandrahpark.com/

Park, Sandra H.

Assistant Professor

Sandra Park is a historian of modern Korea, US empire in East Asia, and religion and the Cold War. Her current book project, titled Anointed Citizens: Christianity, Cold War, and the Violent Making of US Empire in Korea, examines the politics of Christian rescue and conversion in the passage of North Koreans into "Free" South Korea—and their transformation from the enemy to good citizens-to-be—at the crossroads of Cold War nation-building and empire-making. An exploration of the moral politics of Christianity and political belonging, Park's research shows that the violent conditions of the Korean War (re)defined the place of religion in modern political life for both Koreans and Americans. Park's previous work on religion and socialist secularization in revolutionary North Korea appeared in the Journal of Korean Studies, and for her second book project, she is interested in exploring the coherence of religious freedom as a distinct category in the context of divided, Cold War Korea.

At the University of Arizona, Dr. Park teaches courses on modern and contemporary Korea, religion and politics in Korea and East Asia, and East Asian history, culture, and society.

Before joining the University of Arizona, Sandra Park was a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Institute for Korean Studies at George Washington University. She holds a PhD in History from the University of Chicago, where she also received an MA and BA. As a first-generation and Asian American scholar, she is committed to inclusive, accessible teaching and mentoring students from marginalized backgrounds.

Publications

Articles:

"A Reverend on Trial: Debating the Proper Place of Christianity in the North Korean Revolution," Journal of Korean Studies 25, no. 2 (2020): 379–405.

Web Essays:

"Bound by Freedom: Oh Chong Song's Escape and the Mirage of "Free" Korea," Not From Here: Immigration and Ethnic History Society Blog, June 10, 2021.

"Christianity, Citizenship, and American Empire in the Korean War," American Religion Online Supplements, February 17, 2021.

"Finding the Taejon Massacre in Independence, Missouri," #AsiaNow (Association for Asian Studies Blog), March 24, 2020.

Currently Teaching

EAS 498H – Honors Thesis

An honors thesis is required of all the students graduating with honors. Students ordinarily sign up for this course as a two-semester sequence. The first semester the student performs research under the supervision of a faculty member; the second semester the student writes an honors thesis.

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KOR 275 – History of Korea through 1945

This survey-level course introduces students to the history of Korea from early times through 1945. From ancient civilization to the end of Japanese colonial rule, the course examines key moments, figures, and themes that speak to the varied experiences of the people who inhabited the Korean peninsula. Students will explore, apply, and reflect on the humanities perspective by learning about the historical continuities and transformations in Korean society, culture, politics, and government across time. Through a combination of diverse modalities of learning including in-person lectures and discussions and online assignments students will be immersed in humanities methods (esp. history) that connect close readings of primary sources with their historical context. Core questions of the class are related to Korea's place in East Asia, the formations of political orders, the making of identities and cultures from above and below, and the continuities and transformations in Korean society over time.

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KOR 319 – Shamans, Martyrs, and Heretics: Religion and the Korean Peninsula

South Korea today is a religiously pluralistic society, where no single religion claims a significant majority. On the other side of the border, North Korea has banished religion or so people claim. How did this contemporary religious landscape of the Korean peninsula emerge? This course journeys through the history of Korea's philosophical thoughts and religious traditions in tandem with social, political, and cultural transformations on the peninsula from the early kingdoms through the contemporary era, including the Korean diaspora today. Religious and philosophical traditions this course will examine include shamanism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, and new religious movements, as well as modern political movements with religious personalities.

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Korean culture, despite its important position in East Asian history, tends to be neglected in academia because it is located between China and Japan in both geographical and intellectual perspectives. This course not only introduces general historical information about Korean culture, but also considers its influence on Japanese religious and philosophical traditions, and even on Chinese culture. Such analyses will proceed from the following main topics: Shamanism, Buddhism, Daoism, Confucian philosophy, religious discourse during war time, "new" religions in both North and South Korea in the modern era, and Korean religions beyond Korea.

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EAS 202 – Symbol, Society, and Social Change--Contemporary East Asia

This course introduces students to East Asia in modern and contemporary times -- its recent histories, evolving cultures, languages and literatures, and the changes. China, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula have all undergone drastic cultural, political, linguistic, and social changes. There have also been increasing transnational flows among these countries, which further shape these changes. This course engages students in discovering these changes and flows and understanding the social and cultural context in which they take place.

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