Korea & Japan: Art & Religion

This program affords students the opportunity to study the religions and arts of Korea and Japan under the leadership of two Asian Studies faculty who are experts in these areas. The program will take place over seven weeks, from mid-May to early July. Students will first travel to Seoul, South Korea, where they will live in a hybrid work-study space in downtown Seoul. The program offers twice-weekly classes taught by LC faculty, and will include visits to museums, palaces, temples, art galleries, and sites such as the Demilitarized Zone. Hands-on experiences, including calligraphy and woodblock printing workshops, are an integral part of the program. Excursions by train to cities such as Gyeongju will allow students to visit some of the most important temples, museums and archaeological sites of the pre-modern period.

From Seoul, the program moves to Fukuoka, Japan, following the path of Buddhism’s transmission from Korea to Japan. In Fukuoka students will visit Kyushu University’s Ito campus and explore museums, shrines, and other heritage sites. Moving on to Kyoto by train, via Hiroshima, students will stay in centrally-located apartment-like accommodations in Kyoto, continue twice-weekly classes with LC faculty held at Ryukoku University, and build relationships with students there. The program includes visits to numerous temples and shrines in Kyoto and Nara, as well as an excursion to the Ise Shrines. Students will also engage in cultural experiences such as Zen meditation, tea ceremony, and lacquer-staining.

Both in Korea and Japan, the program is designed to allow students time to travel and explore independently, or to participate in optional trips led by the organizers that might include walks along the ancient Kumano pilgrimage road. The program ends in Kyoto and students depart from the Osaka airport.

Requirements Fulfilled:

General Education - This program fulfills the Global Perspectives general education requirement for students who successfully complete 8 or more semester credits. ART 232 (Korean and Japanese Art in Context) fulfills the Creative Arts OR the Historical Perspectives OR the Culture/Power/Identity General Education requirement. AS 210 fulfills the Creative Arts OR Culture/Power/Identity General Education requirement. RELS 247 fulfills the Historical Perspectives General Education requirement.

Major / Minor - All three courses may be used to fulfill the elective course requirement for the Asian Studies major or minor.  RELS 247 counts toward the RELS major/minor. Art 232 counts toward the ART major/minor. 

Credits: 12 credits (3 courses)

Curriculum:

ART 232: Arts of Korea and Japan: The Politics of Collection and Display (4 credits)

During our seven weeks in Korea and Japan, we will study examples of Northeast Asian art by visiting the sites for which the works were originally made (including temples, tombs, palaces, and gardens) and the spaces in which they are currently studied and displayed (among these, archaeological excavations, museums, art galleries, and UNESCO World Heritage sites). Exploration of how geography, political regimes, religion, and technology, among other forces, work with art to construct concepts of what it means to be “Korean” and “Japanese,” both historically and today. This course is hands-on and site specific. Be ready to experience art with all of your senses.

RELS 247: Religions of Korea and Japan (4 credits)

Exploration of the history of religious transmission and mutual influence between Korea and Japan, which are separated by a mere 670 miles of sea. Primary and secondary source readings and lectures are interspersed with visits to temples, shrines, museums, and sacred natural sites. During three and a half weeks in Korea we will encounter its religious repertoire of Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, and shamanism. We will next travel to Japan, following the development of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism in their more or less diffuse and/or institutionalized forms. Understandings of enlightenment and the afterlife, religious mixing, and religion-state relationships will be examined.

AS 210: Experiencing Heritage in Korea and Japan (4 credits)

Students will receive instruction and practice on their own in a number of artistic and religious forms traditional to Korea and Japan. Local instructors will be contracted, and topics may include: calligraphy, tea ceremony, flower arranging, ceramics, fabric dying, taiko drumming, and other traditional musical forms. Students will also participate in meditative and ritual experiences at temples and sacred mountains in both Korea and Japan. LC faculty will oversee contact hours and assessment through reflection papers.

Housing: Students will stay in live-work spaces and apartment-like lodgings, primarily. In addition, students will stay in hotels and country inns.

2025-2026 Fee Breakdown*

Total Fee: $22,043

• $17,520: 12 credits of tuition
• $4,523 Overseas Program fee (includes room, board, and administrative fees)

Please note that a financial aid semester can be used for a summer program. 

Included in the program fee are room/housing, board/meals, and administrative fees. Not included are airfare, passport and visa expenses, primary insurance coverage, photographs, books, immunizations, and incidentals.

Stipend: Students will receive a stipend to cover the cost of meals and transportation costs not covered by the program fee.

Estimated Airfare (PDX to ICN, KIX to PDX): $1,500 - $2,000

All students participating in overseas programs are automatically enrolled in iNext, a supplemental travel insurance program. The fee for iNext is covered in the program cost. However, students are also required to have comprehensive health insurance during their time abroad. All students participating in overseas programs, both abroad and domestic, are automatically enrolled in the College’s student health insurance program. Similar to a regular semester on-campus, students participating in overseas programs may waive enrollment in the student health insurance program if they have other comprehensive health insurance (e.g., through a parent, guardian or employer) that 1) provides coverage for them in the geographic region in which they will be studying and 2) includes mental health benefits. Find more information regarding health insurance & overseas programs.

Physical Requirements:

Before applying to this program, you should assess and determine if you are physically and/or emotionally able to participate in the following physical demands required by some of this program’s activities:

• Walking or hiking up to 5 miles in a day, sometimes for two or more days in a row, sometimes on hilly, uneven, or cobbled terrain
• Climbing and descending stairs
• Using public transportation, including often crowded buses or trains
• Navigating crowded streets and sidewalks
• Standing for long periods during tours and site visits
• Entering into older buildings with narrow and sometimes steep staircases, at times with limited or no access to elevators
• The possibility of warm/hot temperatures while residing in locations without air conditioning, and/or cold temperatures while residing in locations with a comfort for lower indoor temperatures
• The possibility of long, busy days with little downtime and infrequent days off from program activities
• Frequent location changes

If you have questions or are concerned about these or any other program activities, please contact the Lewis & Clark College Overseas & Off-Campus Programs office (overseas@lclark.edu).

Application Process: Student must first submit a Lewis & Clark Application. Once admitted by Lewis & Clark, the students will receive instructions for submitting any required materials to our program partner. 

Learn more about our application process.

Travel: Students will fly into the Seoul airport (ICN), where they will be met by onsite staff and transported to the orientation location.

Visa: Students may be required to apply for a visa in order to participate in this program. More information will be provided upon admission to the program.

Country-Specific Health Information: Visit the CDC website to view specific health information for people traveling to South Korea and Japan.

State Department Country Information: Visit the State Department’s South Korea and Japan pages.