Dates
June 6 – June 21, 2026Subjects
Cuisine & Culture, Hospitality Management, Pop Culture, Asian StudiesDeadlines
Dec. 1: Apply Early & Save $100Feb. 5: Regular Deadline
Program Overview
The KIIS Japan-Korea Pop program offers students a multi-destination opportunity to discover the many-faceted images of Japan and Korea to gain insight into the complex and dynamic culture and society of these countries. The program will begin in Korea (7 nights) in Daegu and Seoul, then travel to Japan (7 nights) to Nagoya and Osaka for the remainder of the program. In addition to regular classes, students will experience the vibrant culture of city life and visit educational institutions and historical and cultural sites
Note: Studying abroad likely is more physically strenuous than you are used to at home. KIIS study abroad programs typically involve approx. 5-10 miles of walking (approx. 10,000-20,000 steps) or the like in a day, including the possibility of walking, hiking, and climbing stairs in heat and humidity, over elevations at higher altitudes, and over rocky terrain. See Health & Wellness for more information.
Program Director
Dr. Zelideth Rivas is the Assistant Provost for Global Education at Marshall University and the director of the Japan-Korea program, established in 2023. She is a professor of Japanese and specializes in popular culture. She enjoys teaching students about Asia while abroad.Dr. Zelideth María Rivas
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Courses
Courses are taught in English and are 3 credit hours. You may enroll in 1 course.
This two-week immersion explores Asia “from Army to Zelda”— from colonial militarism and reconstruction to today’s global cultures of K-pop, anime, and street food. Lectures, site visits, and cultural engagement in Korea and Japan allow students to connect academic readings to lived experiences in temples, markets, and pop-culture districts.
This course introduces new and experienced students to Japanese animation (anime) and manga and Korean manhwa and webtoons by considering them as literary genres, medium, art, culture, and industry. We will review their histories from AD 1000 to the present, focusing on the period from post-WWII to the present, while we explore in depth and compare them with other artistic works. Taught in English.
Food serves as a lens for understanding diverse cultures. With the growing popularity of K-pop and K-drama, this course offers students a cross-cultural study of how personal identities and social groups are formed. We will identify the meaning and significance of food by experiencing and exploring foods in Korea and Japan to directly engage with different cultures and food systems. Taught in English.
All KIIS course credit is awarded by Western Kentucky University. Prior to your KIIS program, please speak with your home campus academic advisor and/or study abroad office to determine course equivalencies. Grades will be transferred to your home institution in mid-August after the completion of the program. Course offerings are subject to change according to enrollment. For more information, visit Transcripts & Grades.
Program Excursions
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Gyeongbokgung Palace
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Gwangjang Market
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Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum
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Nagoya Castle
Group Flight
ESTIMATED COST $2,350 – $2,450
The Japan-Korea Pop program offers a group flight option where you can travel to Korea (Seoul) and return from Japan (Osaka) with other students and faculty. The group flight will depart from Chicago (ORD). If you choose this option, KIIS will purchase a round-trip flight ticket on your behalf. The flight cost will be added to your final program fee on April 1. (The group transfer between Korea and Japan is included in the program.) Visit flights for more information.
If not selecting the group flight, you are responsible to purchase your own roundtrip airfare. (US-Seoul / Osaka-US)
The flight to Korea is overnight arriving the following day. On the return, the flight from Japan to the USA departs and arrives on the same day. Visit Flights and Passports & Visas for more information.
Seoul South Korea
Test Description for Seoul
Kyoto Japan
Test description for Kyoto Japan
Nagoya Japan
Test description for Nagoya Japan