East Asian Languages & Cultures

Students will:

• Explore and analyze texts, arguments and social phenomena relating to East Asia.
• Integrate general and specialized knowledge with appropriate disciplinary frameworks to ask productive questions and solve problems in their study of China, Japan or Korea.
• Design and carry out an independent, thesis-driven research project (the seminar).
• Develop an understanding of East Asian language, literature and culture—modern and premodern—that will give them historical and comparative perspectives on the world that go beyond simple East-West binaries.
• Engage with the international community at Smith and abroad, learning to communicate respect and understanding across cultures, preparing for—and beginning—lives of ongoing influence in today’s global world.
• Majors and minors in the Chinese, Japanese and Korean tracks will learn to use Chinese, Japanese or Korean to navigate a variety of social and professional situations appropriately and confidently, and to have nuanced discussions about social and cultural issues, as well as professional and academic topics that are of interest to them. They will gain a deep understanding of and fluency in one language and culture.
• Majors and minors in the East Asian studies track will achieve at least intermediate proficiency in Chinese, Japanese or Korean, including listening, speaking, reading and writing. They will develop a multidimensional, interdisciplinary understanding of the arts, beliefs, societies and traditions of either one East Asian country or of a specific theme across East Asia as a region.

Track 1: Chinese

Prerequisites: The first year of Chinese (CHI 110 and 111) is a prerequisite for admission to the major. A language placement test is required prior to registration for students who have previously studied the language.

Advisers: Yalin Chen, Jessica Moyer, Sujane Wu

Requirements: Students take a total of 11 courses (46 credits), distributed as follows:

1. Second-year language courses (10 credits): CHI 220 and 221 (two courses). Students who place into the third year or above will have this credit requirement waived (that is, such students need only nine courses or 36 credits for the major).
2. Third-year language courses (8 credits): CHI 301 and 302 (two courses). In consultation with their adviser, a student whose proficiency places them beyond the third year must substitute advanced language or literature courses for this requirement.
3. At least three EAL-prefix courses (12 credits) in Chinese literature or culture, including a departmental seminar. Students concentrating on China are strongly encouraged to take EAL 231, 232, and/or 234 early, and they must take at least one of these three courses. 
4. At least one EAL-prefix course (4 credits) focusing principally on the literature of another East Asian country.
5. Three additional courses (12 credits), which may be chosen from other advanced language or literature courses in the department or, at the recommendation of the adviser, from related courses in other departments.

Of the 11 required courses, no more than five shall normally be taken in other institutions, such as through the Five Colleges, study abroad programs or summer programs. Students should consult their advisers prior to taking such courses. S/U grading options are not allowed for courses counting toward the major.

Students with native or near-native fluency in Chinese (those with competence above the fourth-year level) need 11 courses for the major, replacing required language courses either with study of a second East Asian language at or above the intermediate level, or with additional courses in Chinese literature and culture. Such students should consult early with an adviser to determine the most appropriate pathway through the major.

Track 2: Japanese

Prerequisites: The first year of Japanese (JPN 110 and 111) is a prerequisite for admission to the major. A language placement test is required prior to registration for students who have previously studied the language.

Advisers: Kimberly Kono, Yuri Kumagai, Atsuko Takahashi

Requirements: Students are expected to concentrate in Japan and take a total of 11 courses (46 credits), distributed as follows:

1. Second-year language courses (10 credits): JPN 220 and 221 (two courses). Students who place into the third year or above will have this credit requirement waived (that is, such students need only nine courses or 36 credits for the major).
2. Third-year language courses (8 credits): JPN 301 and 302 (two courses). In consultation with their adviser, a student whose proficiency places them beyond the third year must substitute advanced language or literature courses for this requirement.
3. At least three EAL-prefix courses (12 credits) in Japanese literature or culture, including a departmental seminar. Students concentrating on Japan are strongly encouraged to take both EAL 241 and 242, but they must take at least one of the two.
4. At least one EAL-prefix course (4 credits) focusing principally on the literature of another East Asian country.
5. Three additional courses (12 credits), which may be chosen from other advanced language or literature courses in the department or, at the recommendation of the adviser, from related courses in other departments.

Of the 11 required courses, no more than five shall normally be taken in other institutions, such as through the Five Colleges, study abroad programs or summer programs. Students should consult their advisers prior to taking such courses. S/U grading options are not allowed for courses counting toward the major.

Students with native or near-native fluency in Japanese (those with competence above the fourth-year level) need 11 courses for the major, replacing required language courses either with study of a second East Asian language at or above the intermediate level, or with additional courses in Japanese literature and culture. Such students should consult early with an adviser to determine the most appropriate pathway through the major.

Track 3: East Asian Studies

Please see the EAS Major Advising Worksheet.

Advisers: Marnie Anderson, Ernest Benz, Kimberly Kono, Suzanne Gottschang, Jessica Moyer, Irhe Sohn, Sujane Wu

The major track in East Asian studies reflects the emergence of East Asia politically, economically and culturally onto the world scene, especially during the last century, and anticipates the continued importance of the region in the future. It also offers students an opportunity to develop a coherent and comprehensive understanding of the great civilizations of the Asia Pacific region.

The major track in East Asian studies combines language study with courses in anthropology, art, economics, government, history and religion. Majors graduate from the program with a firm grasp on the culture and history of the region, as well as a command of at least one language. Thus, the program prepares students for post-graduate endeavors ranging from graduate school to careers in the public and private sectors dealing with East Asia.

Requirements: 

I. Basis Courses

An East Asian language: The second year of an East Asian language, which can be fulfilled by CHI 220 and 221, JPN 220 and 221, or KOR 201 and 202, or any higher-level courses. Extensive language study is encouraged, but only two courses at the second-year level or higher will count toward the major. Normally, language courses will be taken at Smith or within the Five Colleges. Students with native or near-native fluency in an East Asian language must take a second East Asian language. Native and near-native fluency is defined as competence in the language above the fourth-year level.

II. Survey Courses

• One survey course on the premodern civilization of an East Asian country: HST 211, HST 212, HST 220, HST 221, HST 222, HST 223, EAL 231, EAL 233, EAL 234, EAL 235, EAL 241, ARH 200, ARH 352.
• HST 200 (formerly EAS 100) Modern East Asia (normally by the second year).

III. Electives

Six elective courses, which shall normally be determined in consultation with the adviser from the list of approved courses.

• Four of the elective courses shall constitute an area of concentration, which can be an emphasis on the civilization of one country (China, Japan or Korea) or a thematic concentration (comparative modernization, religious traditions, women and gender, political economy, thought and art). Other concentrations may be formulated in consultation with an adviser.
• Electives must include courses in both the humanities and the social sciences.
• Electives must include courses on more than one East Asian country.
• One of the elective courses must be a Smith seminar on East Asia.
• One elective may be a non-seminar course, approved by the adviser, offering a broader comparative framework for East Asian studies.
• At least half of the course credits toward the major must be taken at Smith.
• No more than two 100-level courses shall count as electives.
• No course taken for a satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade counts toward the major.
• Normally students with a second major may count a maximum of three (3) courses from the department of that other major toward the EAS major.

Additional Approved Courses in the Humanities (in addition to EALC courses) for the East Asian Studies Track

ARH 200 China in Expansion

ARH 280 Art Historical Studies
Manga in A Thousand Years: Critical Approaches to Manga and Anime
Playing with Ink and Brush (900 CE to Present): A Material, Cultural and Political History of East Asian Art
Meditation In Caves: Buddhist Grottoes in East Asia 

ARH 352 Studies in Art History
Naturalism & Amateurism: The Aesthetics of the Song Dynasty (960-1276) Paintings

BUS 240 Buddhism and Gender

DAN 142 Dance Forms I
Korean Traditional Dance

FYS 150 Writing and Power in China

MUS 220 Topics in World Music
The Music of Japan

PHI 112 Chinese Philosophy

REL 110 Colloquia: Thematic Studies in Religion
Politics of Enlightenment

REL 161 Introduction to Buddhist Thought

REL 264 Buddhist Meditation

REL 270 Zen Buddhism and Japanese Culture

REL 360 Seminar: Problems in Buddhist Thought
Enlightenment

WLT 232 Modern Chinese Literature

WLT 239 Intimacy in Contemporary Chinese Women's Fiction

WLT 270 Health and Illness: Literary Explorations

Additional Approved Courses in the Social Sciences for the East Asian Studies Track

ANT 223 In Sickness and in Health: Biopolitics, Public Health, and Medicine in East Asia

ANT 252 The City and the Countryside in China

ANT 253 Introduction to East Asian Societies and Cultures

ANT 342 Seminar: Topics in Anthropology
Biopower, Biopolitics, and Governance

ECO 219 The Chinese Economy

ENV 230 Colloquium: Environment and Society in Contemporary China

FYS 183 Images of Japanese Women

GOV 228 Government and Politics of Japan

GOV 230 Chinese Politics

GOV 235 Government and Politics in East Asia

GOV 251 Foreign Policy of Japan

GOV 253 Colloquium: Culture and Diplomacy in Asia

GOV 327 East Asian Politics Seminar

GOV 328 Rising China

GOV 329 Comparative Politics of Northeast Asia

GOV 340 Seminar: Taiwan--Internal Politics and Cross-Strait Relations

GOV 348 Seminar in International Politics
Conflict and Cooperation in Asia

HST 200 (L) Modern East Asia

HST 211 (L) The Emergence of China

HST 212 (L) China in Transformation, A.D. 750–1900

HST 213 History of Modern China

HST 214 (C) Aspects of Chinese History
The World of Thought in China

HST 217(L) World War Two in East Asia: History and Memory

HST 220(C) Japan to 1600 

HST 221 (L) Samurai to Sony: The Rise of Modern Japan

HST 222(C) Aspects of Japanese History
The Place of Protest in Early Modern and Modern Japan

HST 223 (C) Women and Gender in Japanese History
Women in Japanese History From Ancient Times to the 19th Century

HST 301 Calderwood Seminar on Public Writing
Writing about Twentieth-Century Wars in Asia

HST 313 Seminar: Problems in East Asian History
Remembering the Asia-Pacific War
Writing Gender Histories of East Asia

Course requirements are designed so that a student concentrates on one of the East Asian languages but has the option of being exposed to the other courses in the department.

Track 1: Chinese

Advisers: Yalin Chen, Jessica Moyer, Sujane Wu

Prerequisites: The first year of Chinese (CHI 110 and 111) is a prerequisite for admission to the minor.

Requirements: A total of six courses in the following distribution, no more than three of which shall be taken in other institutions. Students should consult the department prior to taking courses in other institutions. The S/U grading option is allowed for only one course counting toward the minor.

1. Chinese II (CHI 220 and 221) (10 credits).
2. Four courses, at least two of which must be EAL-prefix courses in Chinese literature and culture.

Track 2: Japanese

Advisers: Kimberly Kono, Yuri Kumagai, Atsuko Takahashi

Prerequisites: A total of six courses in the following distribution, no more than three of which shall be taken in other institutions. Students should consult the department prior to taking courses in other institutions. The S/U grading option is allowed for only one course counting toward the minor.

1. Japanese II (JPN 220 and 221) (10 credits).
2. Four courses, at least two of which must be EAL-prefix courses in Japanese literature and culture.

Track 3: Korean

Advisers: Suk Massey, Irhe Sohn

Prerequisites: The first year of Korean (KOR 101 and 102) is a prerequisite for admission to the minor.

Requirements: A total of six courses in the following distribution, no more than three of which shall be taken in other institutions. Students should consult the department prior to taking courses in other institutions. The S/U grading option is allowed for only one course counting toward the minor.

1. Korean II (KOR 201 and 202) (8 credits).
2. Four courses, at least two of which must be EAL-prefix courses in Korean literature and culture.

Track 4: East Asian Studies

The minor in East Asian studies provides a coherent understanding of and basic competence in the civilizations and societies of China, Japan and Korea. It may be undertaken to broaden the scope of any major; to acquire, for comparative purposes, an Asian perspective within any of the humanistic and social-scientific disciplines; or as the basis of future graduate work or careers related to East Asia.

Advisers: Marnie Anderson, Ernest Benz, Kimberly Kono, Suzanne Gottschang, Jessica Moyer, Irhe Sohn, Sujane Wu

Requirements: The minor consists of a total of six courses, no more than three of which shall be taken at other institutions. Courses taken away from Smith require the approval of the East Asian Studies adviser.

1. HST 200 (formerly EAS 100) Modern East Asia (normally by the second year).
2. Five elective courses, which shall be determined in consultation with the adviser.
3. One year of an East Asian language is strongly encouraged and may constitute two elective courses. (One semester of a language may not be counted as an elective.)
4. No course taken for a satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade counts toward the minor.

Special Studies

Before the semester begins, students should consult with their EALC major or minor adviser, and the instructor with whom they would like to do the special studies. After consulting with their adviser and instructor, students must apply for departmental approval from the EALC curriculum committee and chair. Specifically, the student should submit a 1-2 paragraph description of the special studies, along with a schedule of readings and assignments. Once the student receives approval from the EALC curriculum committee and chair, the student will submit an application for special studies to the Registrar's office. Students who wish to count a special studies in another department toward their EAS track major or minor must get approval from the instructor, the department of that special studies, and their major or minor adviser.

Honors

Students who wish to pursue an Honors Thesis should meet with a faculty member in the department to discuss ideas and develop a proposal with the assistance of the potential thesis supervisor during the spring semester of their junior year.

Students should also consult with the Honors Director of the department no later than the spring semester of their junior year. 

Director: Irhe Sohn

EAL 430D Honors Project
Credits: 4-8
Normally offered each fall

EAL 431 Honors Project
Credits: 8
Normally offered each fall. Please consult the director of honors for specific requirements and application procedures.

Check the Course Search Tab and Smith College Course Catalog for current offerings, times and locations.

Check the Course Search Tab and Smith College Course Catalog for current offerings, times and locations.