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Major: Bachelor of Arts
MajorOverview
The program’s mission in East Asian Studies is to enable students to obtain a comprehensive understanding of East Asia broadly conceived, which is the area stretching from Japan through Korea and China to the contiguous areas of the Central Asian landmass. Students are expected to have a good mastery of an East Asian language and focus on a particular sub-region or a substantive issue involving the region as a whole. The classes emphasize the developing powers of critical thinking and expression, which serve students well regardless of their ultimate career goals in business, government service, academia, or the professions.
Requirements
Core Program Requirements
Language Proficiency Requirement
This requirement applies to students who do not declare a subplan. Demonstrate proficiency in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean language at the second-year level or above, to be met either by coursework or examination.
CHINLANG 23
Second-Year Modern Chinese, Third Quarter
CHINLANG 23B
Second-Year Chinese for Bilingual Students, Third Quarter
JAPANLNG 23
Second-Year Japanese Language, Culture, and Communication, Third Quarter
KORLANG 23
Second-Year Korean, Third Quarter
Students who meet the language proficiency requirement through examination are expected to do at least two of the following:
Take an additional 15 units of the language at a higher level.
Enroll in literature courses taught in the language.
Complete the first-year course sequence of another East Asian language.
No more than 30 units of language courses may be counted toward the major.
Breadth in Discipline
Area Courses Requirement
Complete three area courses total, one in each of the following categories:
Humanities
History
Social Sciences
Courses used toward the area courses requirement should have a thematic focus on East Asia and/or a region of East Asia and may be listed at any number level.
The listed courses are examples and not exhaustive; if uncertain whether a course fits into a specific category, please consult with the DUS and/or SSO.
Humanities Area Courses
CHINA 175
Constructing National History in East Asian Archaeology
EALC 110
Gender and Sexuality in East Asia
EALC 214
Specters of Asia: Hauntology and Ethnography of East Asia
FILMEDIA 135
Around the World in Ten Films
ARCHLGY 111
Emergence of Chinese Civilization from Caves to Palaces
ARTHIST 182B
Cultures in Competition: Arts of Song-Era China, 960-1279 CE
ARTHIST 185
Arts of China in the Early Modern World, 1550-1800
ARTHIST 226
Field Works: Contemporary Chinese Landscape Arts across Cultures
ARTHIST 228
Curating Contemporary Chinese Art
CHINA 111
Literature in 20th-Century China
CHINA 115
Sex, Gender, and Power in Modern China
CHINA 168
The Chinese Family
CHINA 174
New Directions in the Study of Poetry and Literary Culture
CHINA 185
Literary Translation, Chinese to English
CHINA 190
Research in Chinese Linguistics
CHINA 191
The Structure of Modern Chinese
CHINA 279
For Love of Country: National Narratives in Chinese Literature and Film
CHINA 380
Survey in Sinophone Literature
CHINLANG 125
Chinese through Modern Fiction
CHINA 151
The Use of Classical Antiquity in Modern China
RELIGST 224
Ritual and the Senses in Asian Religions
RELIGST 242
Chinese Buddhism
RELIGST 274
Buddhism and the Arts
RELIGST 314
Seminar in Buddhist Historiography
ANTHRO 157
Japanese Anthropology
JAPAN 125
Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Beyond: Place in Modern Japan
JAPAN 126
Japanese Functional Objects
JAPAN 138
Introduction to Modern Japanese Literature and Culture
JAPAN 164
Introduction to Premodern Japanese
JAPAN 165
Readings in Premodern Japanese
JAPAN 188
The Japanese Tea Ceremony: The History, Aesthetics, and Politics Behind a National Pastime
JAPAN 191
Sharing Conversations Across Generations: The Magic of Haiku
JAPAN 192
Analyzing Japanese Text and Talk
JAPAN 193
Acquisition of Japanese as a Second Language
JAPAN 197
Points in Japanese Grammar
KOREA 120
Narratives of Modern and Contemporary Korea
KOREA 111
From Colonialism to K-pop: Race and Gender in South Korean Culture
KOREA 250
Topics in Korean Literary History
ENGLISH 335
Bilingual Loyalties
History Area Courses
HISTORY 254F
Anti-Asian Violence in America: A History
HISTORY 295F
Race and Ethnicity in East Asia
HISTORY 298
Major Topics in Modern Chinese History: Science and Technology in East Asia
HISTORY 205E
Comparative Historical Development of Latin America and East Asia
HISTORY 256
350 Years of America-China Relations
HISTORY 291G
Pre-Modern Chinese Warfare
HISTORY 293E
Female Divinities in China
HISTORY 392B
Law and Society in Late Imperial China
HISTORY 495A
Qing Legal Documents
HISTORY 292D
Japan in Asia, Asia in Japan
HISTORY 396D
Historiography of Modern Japan
HISTORY 290
North Korea in a Historical and Cultural Perspective
HISTORY 290E
Movies and Empire in East Asia
HISTORY 292F
Culture and Religions in Korean History
HISTORY 392G
Modern Korea
Social Sciences Area Courses
EASTASN 117
Health and Healthcare Systems in East Asia
EASTASN 143
Taiwan's Democratic Evolution
EASTASN 168
Taiwan Security Issues
EASTASN 177
Divided Memories & Reconciliation: the formation of wartime historical memory in the Pacific
EASTASN 179
Rebalancing Economic Systems in a World Driven by Tech: Quality-of-Life in Socio-Cultural Context
CHINA 191
The Structure of Modern Chinese
CHINA 190
Research in Chinese Linguistics
EASTASN 285
American and Chinese Approaches to Managing Global Challenges
SOC 167A
Asia-Pacific Transformation
ANTHRO 148
Health, Politics, and Culture of Modern China
FINANCE 377
The Chinese Economy and Financial Markets
POLISCI 148
Chinese Politics
POLISCI 235
Chinese Political Thought: 1895-2021
POLISCI 235A
From Cold War to New Cold War: Politics and Political Theory in Contemporary China
POLISCI 248D
China in the Global Economy
SOC 116
The Logic of Governance in Contemporary China
SOC 117A
China Under Mao
SOC 175
China's Political Economy
SOC 217B
Chinese Politics and Society
ANTHRO 157
Japanese Anthropology
JAPAN 151
Japanese Business Culture and Systems
JAPAN 191
Sharing Conversations Across Generations: The Magic of Haiku
JAPAN 192
Analyzing Japanese Text and Talk
JAPAN 193
Acquisition of Japanese as a Second Language
JAPAN 197
Points in Japanese Grammar
SOC 111
State and Society in Korea
Depth in Discipline
Substantive Concentration Courses Requirement
Complete four courses with a thematic coherence on East Asia, at least one of which must be numbered at the 200-level or above.
Examples of possible themes include:
East Asian religions and philosophies
Culture and society of modern Japan
Ethnic identities in East Asia
Arts and literature in late imperial China
Foreign policy in East Asia
Social transformation of modern Korea
China's political economy
Writing in the Major (WIM)
Writing in the Major (WIM)
To meet this requirement, you must complete one of the following EALC courses before your senior year. The course you choose should align with your declared subplan and/or academic interests. For guidance on which course to select, please refer to the subplan information in the relevant section. Students who do not declare a subplan may select any of the three courses.
Only one course may be used to fulfill the WIM requirement, and other EALC WIM courses taken will be counted toward other course requirements.
Capstone Experience
Capstone Experience
Submit one of the following as agreed upon by the DUS, faculty advisor, and student, and present the research to EALC peers and faculty:
Capstone Essay (~7,500 words)
Equivalent Alternate Project (e.g., translation, media production, etc.)
Honors Thesis (~15,000 words)
The topic should be built upon the student’s thematic interest.
A faculty advisor for the capstone essay must be finalized no later than the second week of autumn quarter of the senior year.
Majors must enroll in the Senior Colloquium (EALC 198) in winter quarter of the senior year and enroll in at least one Senior Research course (EALC 198C or EALC 199) with their faculty advisor during the senior year.
Senior Capstone and Honors Thesis Presentations will be held in spring quarter. Students must present as part of their final project.
Subplans
OptionalChina Subplan
Subplan Requirements
Modern Language Proficiency Requirement
Demonstrate proficiency in modern Chinese at the third-year level or above, to be met either by coursework or examination.
CHINLANG 103
Third-Year Modern Chinese, Third Quarter
CHINLANG 103B
Third-Year Modern Chinese for Bilingual Students, Third Quarter
Students who meet the language proficiency requirement through examination are expected to do at least two of the following:
Take an additional 15 units of the language at a higher level
Enroll in literature courses taught in the language
Complete the first-year course sequence of another East Asian language
No more than 30 units of language courses may be counted toward the major.
Classical Language Proficiency Requirement
Demonstrate proficiency in classical Chinese by taking one of the following courses.
Additional Courses Requirement
To bring the total number of units counted towards the major to 78, complete the following courses selected with approval by the SSO, DUS, and/or advisor.
Three CHINA courses at the 100-level, with one in each of the following areas: pre-modern China, modern China, and Chinese linguistics.
Four other content courses, as approved by the advisor, DUS, or SSO. One of these should be a History course offered by the Department of History.
All students take CHINA 111 as part of the Writing in the Major (WIM) requirement.
See NavigateClasses under CHINA, JAPAN, KOREA, EALC, EASTASN, or other relevant departments; if uncertain whether a particular course fits into one of these categories, contact the SSO or DUS.
Japan Subplan
Subplan Requirements
Language Proficiency Requirement
Demonstrate proficiency in Japanese at the third-year level or above, to be met by coursework or examination.
JAPANLNG 103
Third-Year Japanese Language, Culture, and Communication, Third Quarter
Students who meet the language proficiency requirement through examination are expected to do at least two of the following:
Take an additional 15 units of the language at a higher level
Enroll in literature courses taught in the language
Complete the first-year course sequence of another East Asian language
No more than 30 units of language courses may be counted toward the major.
Additional Courses Requirement
To bring the total number of units counted towards the major to 78, complete the following courses selected with approval by the SSO, DUS, and/or advisor.
Three JAPAN courses at the 100-level, with one in each of the following areas: pre-modern Japan, modern Japan, and Japanese linguistics.
Four other content courses, as approved by the advisor, DUS, or SSO. One of these should be a History course offered by the Department of History.
All students take JAPAN 138 as part of the Writing in the Major (WIM) requirement.
See NavigateClasses under CHINA, JAPAN, KOREA, EALC, EASTASN, or other relevant departments; if uncertain whether a particular course fits into one of these categories, contact the SSO or DUS.
Korea Subplan
Subplan Requirements
Language Proficiency Requirement
Demonstrate proficiency in Korean at the third-year level or above, to be met by coursework or examination.
KORLANG 103
Third-Year Korean, Third Quarter
Students who meet the language proficiency requirement through examination are expected to do at least two of the following:
Take an additional 15 units of the language at a higher level
Enroll in literature courses taught in the language
Complete the first-year course sequence of another East Asian language
No more than 30 units of language courses may be counted toward the major.
Additional Courses Requirement
To bring the total number of units counted towards the major to 78, complete the following courses selected with approval by the SSO, DUS, and/or advisor.
Six content courses on Korea and/or East Asia at the 100-level, at least two of which must bear the KOREA subject code.
All students take KOREA 120 as part of the Writing in the Major (WIM) requirement.
See NavigateClasses under CHINA, JAPAN, KOREA, EALC, EASTASN, or other relevant departments; if uncertain whether a particular course fits into one of these categories, contact the SSO or DUS.
East Asian Languages Subplan
Subplan Requirements
Language Proficiency Requirement
Demonstrate proficiency in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean at the third-year level or above, to be met by coursework or examination.
CHINLANG 103
Third-Year Modern Chinese, Third Quarter
CHINLANG 103B
Third-Year Modern Chinese for Bilingual Students, Third Quarter
JAPANLNG 103
Third-Year Japanese Language, Culture, and Communication, Third Quarter
KORLANG 103
Third-Year Korean, Third Quarter
Additional Courses Requirement
To bring the total number of units counted towards the major to 78, complete the following courses selected with approval by the SSO, DUS, and/or advisor.
Additional East Asian Language Proficiency
An additional East Asian language separate from the one used in fulfillment of the Language Proficiency Requirement for a maximum of 3 additional quarters beyond the tested proficiency level
Advanced Courses
East Asian Advanced (Fourth-Year or Above) and/or Conversational Language Courses
Classical East Asian Language Courses
CHINA 105
Beginning Classical Chinese, First Quarter
CHINA 205
Beginning Classical Chinese, First Quarter
CHINA 106
Beginning Classical Chinese, Second Quarter
CHINA 206
Beginning Classical Chinese, Second Quarter
CHINA 107
Beginning Classical Chinese, Third Quarter
CHINA 207
Beginning Classical Chinese, Third Quarter
CHINA 208
Advanced Classical Chinese: Philosophical Texts
CHINA 209
Advanced Classical Chinese: Historical Narration
JAPAN 164
Introduction to Premodern Japanese
JAPAN 264
Introduction to Premodern Japanese
JAPAN 165
Readings in Premodern Japanese
JAPAN 265
Readings in Premodern Japanese
JAPAN 389
Seminar in Premodern Japanese Literature
East Asian Cultural Content Courses
Complete one or more of the following courses and/or other translation/poetry/readings courses applicable to the primary language.
CHINLANG 125
Chinese through Modern Fiction
CHINA 81N
The Art of Chinese Poetry
CHINA 166
The Art Song (Ci): Love and Performance
CHINA 185
Literary Translation, Chinese to English
CHINA 190
Research in Chinese Linguistics
CHINA 191
The Structure of Modern Chinese
CHINA 380
Survey in Sinophone Literature
JAPAN 191
Sharing Conversations Across Generations: The Magic of Haiku
JAPAN 192
Analyzing Japanese Text and Talk
JAPAN 193
Acquisition of Japanese as a Second Language
JAPAN 194
Benefits of Being Atypical: From the Perspective of Japanese Language
JAPAN 197
Points in Japanese Grammar
JAPAN 235
Academic Readings in Japanese I
JAPAN 279
Research in Japanese Linguistics
JAPAN 298
The Theory and Practice of Japanese Literary Translation
KOREA 120
Narratives of Modern and Contemporary Korea
KOREA 250
Topics in Korean Literary History
Honors
OptionalHonors
Honors Requirement (optional)
Majors with an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 may apply for the honors program by submitting a senior thesis proposal to the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) during the winter or spring quarter of the junior year. The proposal must include:
A thesis outline
A list of all relevant courses the student has taken and plans to take; one advanced-level colloquium or seminar dealing with China, Japan, or Korea is required
A preliminary reading list including a work or works in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean
The name of a faculty member who has agreed to act as the honors topic advisor
Students must discuss the honors project with the DUS and receive approval before conducting honors research. Without approval, students should plan to complete the capstone essay.
More information about the honors program can be found on the EALC website opens in a new tab.