East
Asian Languages
The
Bi-College programs in Chinese and Japanese offer full
undergraduate curricula in Mandarin Chinese and modern
Japanese. By studying in our program, students may achieve
a strong level of usable proficiency, which can be further
heightened by studying abroad, an experience we strongly
encourage.
The Chinese Program offers four years of instruction in Mandarin
Chinese, beginning with First-year Chinese 001-002. This
course has two master sections (taught at Bryn Mawr) and
three drill sections (taught at Haverford). Students should
register for one of the master sections and choose one of
the drill sections (N.B.: Students cannot register just for
a drill section). Second-year Chinese (003-004) is taught
at Haverford College. Third and Fourth-year Chinese (CNSEB101-102
and CNSEB201-202) ) are taught at Bryn Mawr College. If you
have any questions, please contact Shizhe Huang (shuang@haverford.edu)
for clarification.
The Japanese Program offers four years of instruction in
modern Japanese. First-year Japanese (JNSE001-002), taught
at Haverford, has two master sections and three drill sections
per week. Students should register for one of the master
sections and choose one of the drill sections (N.B.: Students
cannot register just for a drill section). Second through
Fourth-year Japanese (JNSE003-004, JNSEH101-102, and JNSEH201-202)
all meet at Haverford. If you have any questions, please
contact Yoko Koike (ykoike@haverford.edu) for clarification.
The First-year courses in Chinese (CNSE 001-002) and Japanese
(JNSE 001-002) meet five days a week. Both semesters must
be completed in order to obtain credit.
Major Requirements
Requirements for the major are:
1. 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.
2. EAST 200 (Sophomore 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. Required of EAS majors and minors; open to History majors and others with permission of the instructors. This course should be taken in the second semester of the sophomore year.
3. 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.
4. A one-semester senior conference (EAST 398) in the Fall, culminating in the completion of a senior thesis by the end of that semester.
Minor Requirements
The Department of East Asian Studies offers a
flexible six-course minor for students with varying interests
in East Asian cultures and
languages. All candidates for minor credit must take:
1. EAST 200 (Sophomore Seminar)
2. In addition, students take five additional courses in
East Asian cultures and society, or any combination of
culture courses and language courses in Chinese or Japanese above the
first-year (001-002) level. The most typical configurations
will be EAST 200 plus: five additional culture courses
and no language; three additional culture courses and two language
courses at the second (003-004) or third-year (101-102)
level; or one additional culture course and four language courses
at the second-year level and above.
Language Placement Tests
Placement tests for first-time students
at all levels are conducted in the first week 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.
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 3.5 average in major-related coursework is considered the minimum necessary for consideration for honors.
Study Abroad
The East Asian Studies Department 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 significant issues confronting their
host country, based on information from local newspapers
or magazines, television, or personal interviews. No
departmental credit will be granted for study abroad without
satisfactory completion of this assignment, whose details
should be worked out with the student's adviser.
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 program. If studying abroad is
not practical, students may consider attending certain intensive
summer schools approved by the East Asian studies program.
These plans must be worked out in concert with the program's
study abroad adviser and the student's dean.
