Korea & Japan: Art & Religion

Academics

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.  

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weeks in Korea and Japan, we will study examples of Northeast Asian art by visiting the sites for which the works were originally made (including temples, tombs, palaces, and gardens) and the spaces in which they are currently studied and displayed (among these, archaeological excavations,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.

Student Life

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

Cost

2025-2026 Fee Breakdown*

Total Fee (includes Tuition, Program Fee, and Health & Wellness Fee): TBD. We anticipate the cost to be roughly equivalent to 1/2 of a semester’s overseas program fee. This will work out to around $21,000. Please note that a financial aid semester can be used for a summer program. 

Tuition: TBD

Program Fee: TBD

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.

*Fees are updated every October for the following academic year. The fees for the Summer 2025 program will be updated here as soon as they are finalized.

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

Estimated Health Insurance Fee: TBD

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. Click here for more information regarding health insurance & overseas programs.

Program Preparation

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. 

For more information about the application process, click here.

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.