The East Asian Studies Program challenges the student to understand China and Japan through the rigors of language study and the analytical tools of various academic disciplines. This process demands both broad exposure to different subjects and a focused perspective on a particular feature of the East Asian landscape. Japan and China are related yet distinct civilizations. Each has its own traditions and patterns of development. These traditions have played an important role in the development of culture around the globe and remain formative influences today.

Students interested in East Asian studies will be guided by the expectations for liberal learning at Wesleyan and by the program's interdisciplinary approach. Language, literature, history, and the sophomore colloquium provide the common core of our program. The colloquium will expose students to a wide variety of intellectual approaches to East Asian studies and will thereby provide a foundation for students to focus in more depth on particular areas. Prospective majors are urged to start their language and history courses early in their Wesleyan careers. This approach will leave more time for study abroad and for more meaningful work in the concentrations of the students' choice. To help students chart their way, the program faculty has designed the programs of study listed below. Admission to the major requires approval of the program chair and designation of an East Asian studies academic advisor. Before deciding on a specific course of study, students must consult with their academic advisor in East Asian studies.

A. Application for admission to East Asian studies as a major

Application forms are available at the Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies (FEAS). The form can also be downloaded in Word file from Wesleyan's East Asian Studies Program's home page at www.wesleyan.edu/east/. This form must be completed, approved, and signed by the chair and by the student's advisor, then returned to the office at the FEAS. This should be done at the same time that a student files the Major Acceptance Card at the Office of the Registrar.

B. Major requirements

Satisfactory completion of the intermediate level of either Chinese or Japanese, or Korean if available. All students are strongly urged to go beyond this minimum. New majors who place higher than the third year of language are strongly urged to undertake more advanced language work or to study another East Asian language with which they are less familiar, depending on the particular needs of the student.

• EAST201 Sophomore Colloquium. The aim of this course is to introduce prospective majors to a range of fields and methodologies that comprise East Asian studies at Wesleyan. The material will be organized into several disciplinary modules, each contributing to a central theme. The modules will vary from year to year. Examples are art history, economics, government, history, language and linguistics, literature, music, philosophy, and religion.
• EAST223/HIST223 History of Traditional China
• EAST260/HIST260 An Introduction to Japanese History and Culture
• One course in East Asian literature
• One additional East Asian studies course, to be decided in consultation with the student's advisor
• Four courses in one of the nine concentrations listed below or in a concentration designed through close consultation between the student and his or her academic advisor. All concentrations must have the approval of the program chair. Detailed descriptions of these concentrations can be found in Section G. Concentrations currently offered are:

• Art history
• China
• Chinese language and literature
• Gender in East Asia
• History
• Japan
• Japanese language and literature
• Philosophy and religion
• Political economy

• A senior project. All majors must complete a written or (with approval) creative project during their senior year. This should involve the use of East Asian language materials to the extent that the student's preparation permits. This requirement can be fulfilled in several ways:
  • Write an essay of 15 or more pages dealing substantially with East Asia in the context of a regular class. If the class instructor is not an EAS faculty member, the essay must be approved by the student's EAS advisor.
  • Write a one-semester senior essay in a tutorial, preferably given by an EAS faculty member.
  • Write a senior thesis, typically in a two-semester tutorial with an EAS faculty member.
  • Summer language study. Many students take advantage of summer language study programs, such as those at Middlebury and other colleges and universities (including those in East Asia), to further their language studies. Application forms for summer language study and financial support are available at the Asian Languages and Literatures Department and on Wesleyan's East Asian Studies Program's home page www.wesleyan.edu/east/ by downloading a Word file. The applications are processed through the Asian Languages and Literatures Department, then reviewed by the East Asian studies faculty for awarding some financial assistance for summer language study expenses. A grade of B or above is required for transferring credit to Wesleyan.
• Study abroad. Study abroad is a primary gateway to competence in Japanese or Chinese and to the cross-cultural awareness that is indispensable in today's world. For most students, total immersion in the culture and language of another country is the only path to becoming bilingual and bicultural. Study abroad sharpens our understanding of ourselves in relation to the world in which we live and is thus a vital component of a liberal education.

Accordingly, East Asian studies majors should devote one, or preferably two, semesters to study at an approved program in China, Japan, or Taiwan. (Students whose exceptional circumstances make study abroad problematic may petition the program faculty to have this requirement waived.) Students must consult the Office of International Studies for detailed information on study abroad.

• China: Opportunities for study in the People's Republic of China are available through two Wesleyan-administered programs, the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) program and the Duke University program.
• Japan: Wesleyan, in conjunction with several other colleges, administers the Associated Kyoto Program, a nine-month program offering homestays, intensive language training, and courses in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Prerequisites are one year of Japanese language study and one nonlanguage course on Japan, preferably HIST260.
• Taiwan: Wesleyan participates in the administration of the CIEE program in Taipei. Opportunities for study in Taiwan are also available through Wesleyan-approved programs at the Taipei Language Institute and at Taiwan Normal University.

• Credit toward graduation is granted automatically for course work completed in a Wesleyan or Wesleyan-approved program. Grades are reported on the Wesleyan transcript and are counted toward the student's overall GPA.

Students who attend Wesleyan-administered programs may count four courses per semester toward the East Asian studies major. Language courses taken at these programs may be counted toward satisfaction of the major language requirement. Students who attend Wesleyan-approved programs may count two nonlanguage courses per semester toward the East Asian studies major. Students may count language courses taken at these programs toward the major. Grades received only from Wesleyan-administered programs will be counted toward departmental honors.

Students may normally receive no more than one credit for study in the field and one credit for independent study undertaken abroad. Students must obtain approval for such courses from their major advisor and from the program chair before leaving Wesleyan.

During their time in East Asia, majors should consider possible topics for senior research projects. They should therefore discuss research possibilities with their advisor before leaving Wesleyan.

Majors are normally expected to take at least one language course in Chinese or Japanese at Wesleyan after their return from study-abroad programs.

• Financial aid for study abroad is available in various forms; see the Office of International Studies for detailed information.

C. Criteria for departmental honors

To qualify for departmental honors, the student must complete a thesis, perform a concert, or mount an exhibition or related project under the supervision of a faculty member of the East Asian Studies Program. Responsibility for overseeing the senior project rests with the tutor.

The evaluation committee for each honors candidate is comprised of the tutor, a faculty member from the program, and a Wesleyan faculty member outside the program. The committee is to be selected by the tutor and program chair.

For high honors, all three readers have to recommend the thesis for a grade of A- or higher.

D. Prizes