Major and Minor Requirements
Students may complete a major in East Asian Studies or a minor in Chinese or Japanese.
Students considering a major in East Asian Studies should be aware that the minimum language requirement is three years of study (or equivalent). Potential majors who have native or near-native fluency in Mandarin Chinese, Japanese or Korean are expected to begin the study of another East Asian language. Native or near-native speakers of Cantonese or other Chinese dialects may fulfill this expectation by taking Mandarin.
Major Requirements
- Completion of at least the third-year level of (Mandarin) Chinese or Japanese (i.e., 101-102). Students who entered college with native fluency in one East Asian language (including Korean) must complete this requirement with another East Asian language.
- EAST 200 (Major Seminar: Methods and Approaches to East Asian Studies), which highlights the emergence of East Asia as a coherent cultural region and introduces students to basic bibliographic skills and research approaches.
- Five additional courses in East Asian cultures, as follows: one 100-level Introduction (from among EAST 120, 129, 131 or 132); two 200-level courses; and two 300-level seminars.
- A senior seminar (EAST 398, 399, culminating in the completion of a senior thesis early in the spring semester).
Minor Requirements
The Department of East Asian Studies offers minors in both Chinese and Japanese. The
requirement is six courses in either language.
Language Placement Tests
Placement tests for first-time students at all levels are conducted the week prior to the beginning of the fall semester. To qualify for third-year language courses students need to finish second-year courses with a score of 3.0 or above in all four areas of training: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. In the event that students do not meet the minimum grade at the conclusion of second-year language study, they must consult with the director of the respective language program and work out a summer study plan that may include, but is not limited to, taking summer courses or studying on their own under supervision. They must take a placement test before starting third-year language study in the fall.
Study Abroad
The Department of East Asian Studies strongly recommends study abroad to maximize language proficiency and cultural familiarity. Because study abroad provides an unparalleled opportunity to study a culture from the inside, students spending a semester or year in China, Japan or Korea will be required to prepare an essay of 10 pages on some aspect of the society or culture of their host country. Sources for this essay may include course readings, magazines, novels, newspapers, television, or personal interviews. The essay may take up contemporary or historical themes.
Formal approval is required by the study abroad adviser prior to the student’s travel. Without this approval, credit for courses taken abroad may not be accepted by the East Asian Studies Department.
If studying abroad is not practical, students may consider attending certain intensive summer schools approved by the East Asian Studies Department. These plans must be worked out in concert with the department’s study abroad adviser and the student’s dean.
Honors
Honors in East Asian studies will be awarded by the departmental faculty on the basis of superior performance in two areas: coursework in major-related courses (including language classes), and the senior thesis. A 3.7 average in major-related coursework is considered the minimum necessary for consideration for honors.
