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Academics

The Major

You can acquire linguistic proficiency in one or two East Asian languages and gain a deeper understanding of East Asian culture by studying the histories, philosophies and traditions of countries like China, Japan and South Korea. You’ll have access to literature, film and media in their original languages, develop strong analytical and intercultural communication skills, and better understand major historical and political developments in the region.

Why Study East Asian Languages & Cultures?

You’ll develop practical language skills in Chinese or Japanese while gaining a deeper understanding of the societies where these languages are spoken. You will learn to communicate across cultures, analyze language and literature, and build strong research, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. These abilities will prepare you to engage thoughtfully with Chinese- and Japanese-speaking communities and to navigate an increasingly interconnected world.

Featured Courses

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Basic Chinese

An introduction to Mandarin, the language with the largest number of native speakers in the world, which is the national language of China, the de facto official language of Taiwan, and one of the official languages of Singapore.

Elementary Japanese

An introduction to modern spoken and written Japanese, the course aims to instill proficiency in Japanese by developing four necessary skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing to successfully interact with native speakers.

Intermediate Chinese I

Intermediate Chinese I and II are designed to consolidate the foundations built in Basic Chinese and continue developing students’ skills in aural comprehension, speaking, reading, writing, and intercultural communication.

Intermediate Japanese

This course is a continuation of First-Year Japanese 101-102, further developing the four skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

Upper-Intermediate Chinese I

The goal of this course is to continue developing students’ overall language proficiency.

Upper-Intermediate Japanese

This course is a continuation of Japanese 201 and 202. Students will further develop the four skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing, while consolidating the foundations built in Elementary and Intermediate Japanese.

Major Requirements

A minimum of ten courses are required to major in East Asian Languages and Cultures. Three years of Chinese/Japanese language study are combined with a variety of disciplinary courses and electives. A dual-language option is available, and up to four study-away credits can be counted toward the major.

Required Courses

Six language courses in one East Asian language offered by the department (currently Chinese Mandarin and Japanese)
Two Chinese/Japanese core electives in literary, linguistic or cultural studies in their primary focus of study
Two approved electives related to Chinese/Japanese language and culture

Language Placement

If you have higher language proficiency, you may be placed out of the core language sequence. Instead, you can complete an equivalent number of faculty-approved electives taught in the target language or in English, including courses in literature, linguistics, cultural studies, or related fields such as art history, history and political science. Contact a faculty member and they will help you complete a placement evaluation.

Dual Language Option

If you complete the core language sequence in Chinese or Japanese by the end of your sophomore year, you can pursue a dual-language option and reach intermediate speaking proficiency in a second Asian language by graduation.

Honors Program

You can pursue a degree in East Asian Languages and Cultures with Honors by writing an honors thesis. You’ll examine a topic or text with greater depth than regular courses allow. If you’re interested in this path, you should begin thinking about your thesis topic as early as possible–especially if you need to gather materials or conduct research abroad. You’ll work with a faculty advisor who specializes in the topic you’re interested in pursuing. This usually happens by the end of the fall semester of your junior year.

You’ll submit a proposal to the department chair and your intended advisor before you pre-register for your senior-year classes. Admission to the honors thesis program is limited to students with a consistent record of honors-level work, as indicated by at least a B+ average in their major courses.

The honors thesis is intended to be a rigorous and original scholarly work of approximately 80 to 120 pages that makes use of both primary and secondary sources. Students should make substantial use of sources in the Chinese or Japanese language that have not been translated into English.

A thesis can be either analytic or focus on translation. Students pursuing the option of a translation thesis are required to produce polished translations with substantial scholarly annotations, plus an analytic section that involves a scholarly discussion of the translated works, a discussion of particular issues in the process of translation of these works, or both.
Students typically meet with their advisor weekly. The advisor presents the student with a set of deadlines for different stages in the thesis, ranging from a bibliography to the final draft. All theses require a first chapter or substantial section of translation to be submitted by the end of the first semester; and the finished thesis to be submitted by two weeks after the last day of spring break.

The department assigns a reader, separate from the advisor, to each thesis. The reader gives a written assessment of the thesis that will be an important factor in the final determination of the student’s grades for the thesis and what honors designation, if any, are given. These written comments are shared with the student.

Within two weeks after submission, the department schedules an oral defense. This is a one to one-and-a-half hour session in which the student publicly presents his or her thesis to members of the department and invited guests followed by a question and answer period.

Attain a minimum of Intermediate High level in speaking, listening and reading of either Chinese or Japanese, and Intermediate Low level in writing in the language based on the ACTFL proficiency guidelines.

Students who choose the dual-language option will attain the Advanced level in speaking, listening, and reading in either Chinese or Japanese, and the Intermediate level in a second Asian language based on the ACTFL proficiency guidelines.
Acquire research, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills by engaging in linguistic or literary analysis in the field of Chinese studies or Japanese studies.
Obtain basic intercultural communicative skills to navigate some social and cultural contexts in Chinese- or Japanese-speaking environments.
Continue their engagement with an Asian language and culture as lifelong learners and users of the target language.