East Asia
The East Asian Studies named option offers a multidisciplinary range of courses that explore the diverse and vibrant cultures, arts, histories, political systems, and literatures of China, Japan, Korea and Tibet. Students in the East Asian option can study Chinese, Japanese, Korean or Tibetan language and linguistics; and explore Chinese ghost stories and classical Chinese literature or poetry; Korean cinema and pop culture; classical Japanese fiction; early modern comedic narratives, manga, anime and counterculture. ALC faculty and instructors offering courses in this option include: C. D’Etcheverry, A. Detwyler, N. Geyer, R. Huntington, A. Kern, H. Kim, B. Lim, J. Mori, T. Nakakubo, S. Ridgely, H. Zhang, W. Zhu.

To take advantage of the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures’ many relationships with other departments and program units across campus, students may choose to double major or enhance their studies in ALC with one of the certificates offered at the university, such as the global health certificate, the certificate in health and the humanities, or those offered by the area studies centers: Center for East Asian Studies; Center for South Asia; and Center for Southeast Asian Studies.

This major is interdisciplinary and offers a wealth of options. Careful planning and consultation with the ALC advisor, is especially important.

Requirements for the East Asian Option

32 credits to include the Introductory and Residence and Quality of Work requirements of the general major, plus these requirements specific to the East Asian Option: 

East Asian Intermediate Language

Complete a sequence:
ASIALANG 201
ASIALANG 202
Third Semester Chinese
and Fourth Semester Chinese
8
ASIALANG 203
ASIALANG 204
Third Semester Japanese
and Fourth Semester Japanese
8
ASIALANG 205
ASIALANG 206
Third Semester Korean
and Fourth Semester Korean
8
ASIALANG 235
ASIALANG 236
Third Semester Modern Tibetan
and Fourth Semester Modern Tibetan
8

East Asian Studies Breadth

East Asian Studies Humanities

Complete 9 credits from the following course options:
ASIAN 203 Lost in Translation: Western Experience in Asia3
ASIAN/​RELIG ST  236 Asia Enchanted: Ghosts, Gods, and Monsters3
ASIAN 253 Japanese Popular Culture3
ASIAN/​HISTORY/​RELIG ST  267 Asian Religions in Global Perspective3-4
ASIAN 268 Tibetan Cultures and Traditions3
ASIAN 351 Survey of Classical Chinese Literature3
ASIAN 352 Survey of Modern Chinese Literature3
ASIAN 353 Lovers, Warriors and Monks: Survey of Japanese Literature3
ASIAN 354 Early Modern Japanese Literature3
ASIAN 355 Modern Japanese Literature3
ASIAN 358 Language in Japanese Society3
ASIAN 361 Love and Politics: The Tale of Genji3
ASIAN 367 Haiku3
ASIAN 371 Topics in Chinese Literature2-3
ASIAN 372 Topics in Chinese: Study Abroad1-6
ASIAN 373 Topics in Japanese: Study Abroad1-6
ASIAN 375 Survey of Chinese Film3
ASIAN 376 Manga3
ASIAN 378 Anime3
ASIAN 432 Introduction to Chinese Linguistics3
ASIAN 433 Topics in East Asian Visual Cultures3
ASIAN 434 Introduction to Japanese Linguistics3
ASIALANG 311 First Semester Classical Chinese3
ASIALANG 312 Second Semester Classical Chinese3
ASIALANG 313 Classical Japanese3
ART HIST 203 Survey of Asian Art3-4
ART HIST 307 From Tomb to Temple: Ancient Chinese Art and Religion in Transition3
ART HIST 308 The Tastes of Scholars and Emperors: Chinese Art in the Later Periods3
ART HIST 372 Arts of Japan3-4
ART HIST 375 Later Japanese Painting and Woodblock Prints3-4
ART HIST 475 Japanese Ceramics and Allied Arts3
LITTRANS 261 Survey of Chinese Literature in Translation3
LITTRANS 262 Survey of Chinese Literature in Translation3
LITTRANS 263 Survey of Japanese Literature in Translation3
LITTRANS 264 Survey of Japanese Literature in Translation3
LITTRANS 368 Modern Japanese Fiction3
LITTRANS 373 Topics in Japanese Literature3
LITTRANS 374 Topics in Korean Literature3

East Asian Studies Social Science

Complete 9 credits from the following course options:
ASIAN/​HISTORY  103 Introduction to East Asian History: China3-4
ASIAN/​HISTORY  104 Introduction to East Asian History: Japan3-4
ASIAN/​HISTORY  108 Introduction to East Asian History - Korea3-4
ASIAN/​HISTORY/​POLI SCI  255 Introduction to East Asian Civilizations3-4
ASIAN 277 Kendo: Integration of Martial Arts and Liberal Arts2
ASIAN 301 Social Studies Topics in East Asian Studies1-3
ASIAN/​HISTORY/​RELIG ST  308 Introduction to Buddhism3-4
ASIAN/​HISTORY  335 The Koreas: Korean War to the 21st Century3-4
ASIAN/​HISTORY  337 Social and Intellectual History of China, 589 AD-19193-4
ASIAN/​HISTORY  341 History of Modern China, 1800-19493-4
ASIAN/​HISTORY  342 History of the Peoples Republic of China, 1949 to the Present3-4
ASIAN/​HISTORY  363 China and World War II in Asia3-4
ASIAN/​HISTORY  454 Samurai: History and Image3-4
ASIAN/​HISTORY  456 Pearl Harbor & Hiroshima: Japan, the US & The Crisis in Asia3-4
ANTHRO 357 Introduction to the Anthropology of Japan3-4
GEOG 340 World Regions in Global Context3
HISTORY 336 Chinese Economic and Business History: From Silk to iPhones3-4
HISTORY/​ASIAN  337 Social and Intellectual History of China, 589 AD-19193-4
HISTORY 340 Cultural History of Korea3-4
POLI SCI 324 Chinese Politics3-4
POLI SCI 328 Politics of East and Southeast Asia3-4
POLI SCI 346 China in World Politics3-4
SOC 225 Contemporary Chinese Society3

East Asian Studies Capstone

Complete one course for at least 3 credits:
ASIAN/​RELIG ST  505 The Perfectible Body in Religions, Medicines, and Politics3
ASIAN 533 Readings in Early Modern Japanese Literature3
ASIAN 563 Readings in Modern Japanese Literature3
ASIAN 571 Readings in Classical Chinese Literature1-3
ASIAN 573 Readings in Classical Japanese Literature3
ASIAN 631 History of the Chinese Language3
ASIAN 632 Studies in Chinese Linguistics3
ASIAN 641 History of Chinese Literature I3
ASIAN 642 History of Chinese Literature II3
ASIAN 671 3
ASIAN 672 Studies in Chinese Fiction3
ASIAN 681 Senior Honors Thesis3
ASIAN 682 Senior Honors Thesis3
ASIAN 691 Senior Thesis3
ASIAN 692 Senior Thesis3
ASIAN 698 Directed Study2-3
ASIAN 699 Directed Study2-3
ASIALANG 401 Seventh Semester Chinese3
ASIALANG 402 Eighth Semester Chinese3
ASIALANG 405 Seventh Semester Korean3
ASIALANG 406 Eighth Semester Korean3
ASIALANG 451 Advanced Readings in Japanese3
ASIALANG 452 Advanced Japanese through Audio-Visual Media3
ASIALANG 454 Advanced Chinese through Media3
ASIALANG 475 Advanced Topics in Asian Translation3

See Four Year Plan for the Asian Languages and Cultures Major; course choices for the East Asian Studies Named Option will focus on that region.