Academic Program
Learn more about the department courses and requirements
The East Asian Studies Department offers students a multidisciplinary approach to understanding Japan, China, and Korea. Our mission is to build language competency in Japanese or Chinese and provide in-depth exposure to traditional and contemporary East Asia through a wide variety of course offerings across the humanistic and social science disciplines.
A major in East Asian Studies will achieve an ability to communicate effectively in English and at least one East Asian language, to critically interpret texts and develop research skills using primary sources and data, and to acquire a comparative understanding of the region. Students achieve these goals through an immersion experience in East Asia as well as through their coursework at Colby.