BACHELOR’S DEGREE

In the East Asian Studies major, students concentrate on either China or Japan and organize their work in the humanities or the social sciences. Students also have the opportunity to take courses related to Korea, as CEAS continues to expand the study of Korea in the undergraduate curriculum. The major offers a liberal education by providing a degree of mastery of a significant field of learning. At the same time, it serves as excellent preparation for graduate study or for business and professional careers in which an understanding of East Asia is essential.

The major. The major in East Asian Studies is interdisciplinary, and students typically select classes from a wide variety of disciplines. The proposed course of study must be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Prerequisite to the major are CHNS 110a and 120b or JAPN 110a and 120b or the equivalent. Beyond the prerequisites, the major consists of thirteen course credits, which may include up to six courses taken in a pre-approved program of study abroad, normally Yale's Year or Term Abroad Program. Required courses are intermediate and third-year Chinese or Japanese. Six term credits must be taken in East Asian language courses. 

Beyond the language requirement, the major consists of seven additional required courses: six in the country of concentration and one outside the country of concentration. Of the six courses in the country of concentration, one must be in the pre-modern period, at least two must be seminars, and one is the senior requirement (a senior seminar culminating in a senior thesis, one-term senior essay, or a two-term senior directed research project ). These courses are normally taken at Yale during the academic year, but with prior approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, the requirement may be fulfilled through successful course work undertaken elsewhere.

For the Class of 2011 and subsequent classes, a maximum of one course taken Credit/D/Fail may be counted toward the requirements of the major, with the permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Senior requirement. All students must satisfy a senior requirement undertaken during the senior year. This requirement can be met in one of three ways. Students may take one seminar in the country of concentration, culminating in a senior thesis. Alternatively, students who are unable to write a senior essay in a seminar may complete a one-term senior essay in EAST 480 a or b with permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Students may also undertake a one-credit, two-term senior research project in EAST 491a, 492b culminating in an essay.

Upon entering the major, students are expected to draw up intellectually coherent sequences of courses in consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) in East Asian Studies. They must consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies each term concerning their course schedules. In 2009-2010, the DUS is Jun Saito, Assistant Professor of Political Science. Students should also identify as soon as possible a faculty adviser in the area of their specialization. As a multidisciplinary program, East Asian Studies draws on the resources of other departments and programs in the University.

In order to keep track of courses taken for credit in the East Asian Studies Major, students are required to utilize a Yale College East Asian Studies Coursework Form. CLICK HERE for a PDF version of the form.

Senior Project Language Support Program. Undergraduate students who are using East Asian-language resources to write their senior thesis or complete their senior research project are eligible for assistance in finding and using these resources. The program will match the undergraduate student with a graduate student course assistant who will provide individualized assistance in locating and utilizing sources for the thesis. This program is open to undergraduates across all majors and departments and is available in both fall and spring semester. For further information, please contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies of East Asian Languages (jing.tsu@yale.edu). This program is sponsored by the Council on East Asian Studies at Yale University and the Department of East Asian Languages & Literatures through generous funding from the United States Department of Education.

IplanYale
For more information on resources at Yale related to the study of East Asian languages and cultures, please visit the IplanYale website and select the region of East Asia when asked to specify your interests.

Official Yale College program and course information is found in Yale College Programs of Study, available on line at http://www.yale.edu/yalecollege/publications/ycps/index.html.

For more information regarding Yale College Undergraduate Admissions, please visit http://www.yale.edu/admit/.

For more general information regarding admissions for international students and fellowship opportunities, please visit http://world.yale.edu/admissions/index.html. In addition, information regarding services for international students can be found at http://world.yale.edu/services/index.html.