East Asian Languages and Cultures Requirements

Language courses, as well as majors and minors, offered by the department are listed separately under “Chinese” and “Japanese.” Students may declare two majors in the department.

The nations of East Asia increasingly dominate the economic, technical, and cultural trends of our world; in fact, some writers have even labeled our time as the “Asian Century.” The region is also home to some of humankind’s most venerable literary, philosophical, religious, and artistic traditions. The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures prepares students for a future in which Asia plays a major role; we provide them with the intellectual and linguistic skills necessary to understand and engage with this region.

Our mission is to cultivate better-informed and more broad-minded global citizens by stimulating curiosity and increasing knowledge about contemporary East Asia, while also giving students the tools to understand the historical foundations on which the “Asian Century” stands. We ask students to examine the stereotypes that they encounter in popular media and political discourse, and to question their assumptions about East Asia by engaging critically with documents and images created in East Asia, thus allowing them to develop more nuanced insights about the past, present, and future of East Asia.

We offer a combined humanistic and social-scientific approach to studying and thinking about the region, while remaining deeply committed to training students to communicate effectively in both English and East Asian languages. We hold a resolute belief in the power of language learning as an antidote to cultural essentialism. We teach Chinese and Japanese with the conviction that, in a world of AI chatbots, the ability to communicate directly and competently in these critical languages will be essential for meeting the challenges of this century. In short, our curriculum opens the door to a global consciousness.

Chair, Professor Kimberly Besio (Chinese)

Professors James Behuniak (Philosophy), Kimberly Besio (Chinese), Daniel LaFave (Economics), Nikky Singh (Religious Studies), Ankeney Weitz (Art History), and Hong Zhang (Chinese); Assistant Professors Inga Kim Diederich (History), Zoe Shan Lin (History), Quỳnh N. Phạm (Global Studies), Rio Katayama (Japanese), Seth Kim (Cinema Studies), Yiqing Ma (Music), Laura Nuffer (Japanese), Sarah Bramao-Ramos (History), Andie Wang (Chinese), and Gloria Xiong (Government); Language Assistants Ruyu Yang (Chinese) and Yumiko Goto (Japanese)

Twelve courses. One introductory comparative course (East Asian Languages and Cultures 150); a language concentration consisting of three language courses beyond the all-college requirement (normally Japanese 128, 321, and 322 or one 400-level Japanese course; or Chinese 128, 321, and 322 or one 400-level Chinese course); one capstone course (East Asian Languages and Cultures 493), taken only in the fall semester of the senior year; and an additional six courses chosen from those approved for the East Asian languages and cultures major. These six courses must conform to the following distribution: one 200-level art, religion, philosophy, literature, or music course; one 200-level government, anthropology, economics, education, history, or sociology course; one 300-level or 400-level course; and three additional electives. Fourth-year language courses or three- or four-credit East Asian language courses outside the language concentration may constitute elective courses. Students who start taking Chinese or Japanese at the 300 level or above are expected to take at least four language courses, which may include three- or four-credit independent studies Japanese 491, 492 or Chinese 491, 492. East Asian studies majors are required to spend at least one semester of study in the country of their language concentration. Under extraordinary circumstances, students may petition to substitute an equivalent immersion experience in the country of the language concentration for a semester of study.

The point scale for retention of the major applies to all courses offered toward the major. No requirement for the major may be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory. To achieve distinction in the East Asian studies major, the student will have to achieve a 3.5 grade point average in the courses listed for the major and will have to take two additional language courses beyond those required for the major. These courses may be a continuation of the language of concentration at the 400 level, or they may be introductory courses in a second Asian language.

Ten Courses. 

1. Language: completion of CN/JA 127, OR proficiency test result equivalent to CN/JA127, OR proficiency in another language used in the Greater East Asia region such as: Vietnamese, Korean, Mongolian, Tibetan (other Asian languages will be considered by individual petition). Native speakers of an East Asian language should schedule an assessment interview with relevant department faculty. Students who test out of one, two, or three of the language sequence courses will substitute any combination of classes as described in section 3 below. 
2. Gateway Course: EA150 (Foundations of East Asian Languages and Cultures). Students should attempt to take this course early in their course of studies.
3. Area Studies Courses: At least five additional courses on East Asia from across the curriculum, to include any combination of courses on East Asian topics subjects taught in English (approved list updated annually), additional courses of the language used to satisfy requirement #1 (Language), or courses in a second EA language. At least three of these courses must be above the EA 100-level, and at least one must be at the EA 300-level
4. Capstone experience: East Asian Languages and Cultures 493, to be taken in the fall of the senior year (or equivalent 400-level course, by petition)
5. Pre-approved immersion experience in East Asia: during JanPlan, summer, or academic semester. Options include: study abroad programs, internships, or independent research.

The point scale for retention of the majors applies to all courses offered toward the majors. No requirement for the major may be taken satisfactory/unsatisfactory. To achieve distinction in the East Asian studies major, the student will have to achieve a 3.5 grade point average in the courses listed for the major and will have to take two additional language courses beyond those required for the major. These courses may be a continuation of the language of concentration at the 400 level, or they may be introductory courses in a second Asian language.

An honors program is available for senior majors who have earned a 3.5 major average. Normally, applications to the program must be submitted prior to the senior year. Some aspect of the culture of East Asia must be studied as the honors project in EA 483 and 484.

Attention is called to the majors and minors in Chinese and Japanese, listed under “Chinese” and “Japanese.”

The East Asian studies minor consists of six courses: one introductory comparative course (East Asian Languages and Cultures 150); two language courses at or above the 126 level in either Chinese or Japanese; three non-language courses, one at the 200 level, one at or above the 200 level, and the third at the 300 level or above. Courses may be selected from offerings in anthropology, art, economics, government, history, literature, music, philosophy, and religious studies courses on East Asia. With the exception of one introductory comparative course, no content course at the 100 level will count toward the minor.

Six Courses.

1. Gateway Course: EA 150 (Foundations of East Asian Languages and Cultures)
2. Electives: Five additional courses in East Asian language instruction, OR about East Asian topics in English

Students who study abroad for one semester may count up to four classes for the majors and three classes for the minors. Students spending two semesters in East Asia may count up to six classes for the major. A student who has a double major in the department (say Japanese and Chinese) may count up to four classes for each semester toward the majors.

Students choosing to double major in two of the majors offered by the East Asian Languages and Cultures department may cross-count up to four courses.

Chinese

• All courses offered

• 280 Topics in Global Cinema: Contemporary Japanese Cinema

• All courses offered

• 222 Economic Statecraft in U.S.-China Relations
• 256 Introduction to East Asian Politics
• 345 Chinese Foreign Policy

• 144 Patterns in East Asian History to 1600
• 146 Modern East Asian History 1600 to Present
• 235 A Shrimp Between Whales: The Making of Modern Korea
• 244 Brothers at War: The Two Koreas, 1945-Present
• 255 Becoming “China:” A History to 1800
• 297A From Qi to Chemistry
• 298 Mongols and More
• 398 History from the Inner Chambers
• 343 Sense and Sensibility: Gender and Sexuality in Confucian China
• 344 Buying Asian Bodies: Selling People and Parts Across the Pacific
• 349 Almost Asian: Race Mixing and Trans-Racialism Across Asia
• 350 Ways of the Barbarians: Others and Selves in Pre-Nation China
• 351 Desiring Asia: Gender and Sexuality in East Asia
• 498 Making the Perfect Man

• All courses offered

• 265 Chinese Philosophy
• 266 Buddhist Philosophy