About

The East Asian Languages and Cultures program is a vibrant community of teachers, scholars, undergraduates, and graduate students. As the only program in the University that focuses solely on East Asia, we are in a unique position to provide insight into a part of the world that is not ordinarily studied as broadly in other departments and programs.

We are a “languages” program because we offer classes in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean as well as both majors and minors in Chinese and Japanese, and a certificate in Korean. We are a “cultures” program in so far as our faculty offers courses in literature, religion, linguistics, second-language pedagogy, politics and diplomacy, popular culture, women’s studies, gay/queer studies, and film studies. We also hold a variety of events throughout the year that allow us to meet more informally with tea tables to practice conversation, orientations for new and returning students, lectures by outside scholars, culture nights, and a career night. East Asia is one of the most rapidly developing areas in the world. Its importance to world cultures, politics, and economy is unquestioned today. Whether you are interested in exploring the cultural traditions or the popular cultures of East Asia, we cover it all. Our website provides information on course requirements for the majors and minors, entrance requirements for graduate study, numerous study abroad opportunities, and an introduction to our faculty and their research areas. We hope it can answer your questions, but if it cannot, please contact any of us to find out more.

Photo: The "floating" torii gate at the Itsukushima Shrine on the island of Itsukushima in Japan.