• Department Information
• Undergraduate Requirements
• Course Listings
• Major Advising

Why should I major in this subject?

You should consider a major in East Asian Studies if you are interested in learning the languages and studying the countries of China, Japan, Korea and Tibet. The many faculty who study East Asia at Columbia all have their own particular disciplinary interests, which they combine with a special fascination with this large and important area of the world. Some students come to the study of East Asia through family background or personal experience, while others encounter it through reading or being exposed to its literature, films, and art. But all become ultimately dedicated to studying and understanding a range of cultures that are both very different from those of the West, and crucial for grasping what is happening in the world today.

The foundation of East Asian Studies is language, and each major is asked to complete three years of either Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Tibetan by the time that she or he graduates. Although these languages require considerably more time than most European languages to master, both because of their linguistic character and their complex writing systems, those who make the effort are rewarded in a number of ways: not only by the inherent fascination of the languages themselves or the sense of achievement in learning to speak and read them, but also, and above all, by the way in which language acquisition opens up whole new worlds of exploration and study.

Administered through the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, which directly provides courses in languages, history, literature, and film, the major in East Asian Studies is multi-disciplinary. Additional courses approved for the major are offered in a wide variety of other departments, notably Anthropology, Art History, Economics, Political Science, Religion, and Women's Studies. If you decide to major in East Asian Studies you will be asked to choose one particular discipline as the focus of your program of study, and to write a senior thesis in consultation with a faculty member in that discipline. You may also, however, take elective courses in any department as long as the content addresses East Asia topics and issues.

Another important component of the East Asian Studies major that you may find appealing is the required senior thesis, which is basically a research paper of about the length of an article in a scholarly journal, normally around thirty to forty pages. If you have advanced language skills by the time you begin working on your thesis, you will find it particularly rewarding and challenging to be able to use your Chinese, Japanese, or Korean for original research. If you are obliged to rely on Western-language resources, and many of our majors find that they need to do so to some extent, you will discover yourself intensely engaged in the endeavor and able to accomplish a serious piece of research that marks the culmination of your academic achievement over the four years of your undergraduate study. In many cases, your thesis will be the only extended research paper that you write in your career at Columbia, and experience shows that the great majority of the East Asian majors find it a very rewarding and fulfilling achievement.

More information on the major in East Asian Studies, including profiles of the faculty, is available on the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures web site.

What are some useful first courses that I should take in order to get to know this field of study? When should I take them?

The first and most crucial step in anticipating a major in East Asian Studies is to begin the study of one of the East Asian languages: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Tibetan. The sooner you begin, the better. Three years of language study in one of these languages is required in order to enable you by your fourth year to do serious reading and research in the language you have chosen to study. One of the ways to expedite your language competence and expertise is to engage in an intensive summer language program, which is an excellent way to accomplish a full year of language study.

To acquaint yourself with the history and literature of East Asian traditions, you should consider taking some of the introductory courses to the major. For example, Colloquium on Major Texts (AHUM V3400) will provide you with the opportunity to read and discuss some of the great texts of the East Asian tradition, such as the Analects of Confucius (Chinese) or the Tale of Genji (Japanese). Another possibility is to take any of the four introductory courses that are offered on the history of the civilizations of China, Japan, Korea, and Tibet (ASCE V2359, V2361, V2363, V2365). If you are seriously considering majoring in East Asian studies, you should take at least two of these four courses before you declare your major in the spring semester of your sophomore year and begin an informed and committed pursuit of the major in your junior year.

What are the major requirements?

To major in East Asian Studies, you must fulfill the language requirement and complete 32 additional points, as follows:

Concentration

Students may choose between two tracks for the Concentration in East Asian Studies. 1) For the Thesis Track, requirements are identical to those for the major, except that there is no East Asian language requirement. 2) For the Language Track, requirements are identical to those for the major, except that there is no senior thesis (students do not take EAAS V3999 and EAAS W3901). For this track, placement examinations may not be used to fulfill the required three years of language study; students with prior proficiency in an East Asian language who opt for the Language Track of the Concentration in East Asian Studies must fulfill the language requirement by studying a second East Asian language.

Note about Study Abroad

East Asian Studies majors or thesis-track concentrators who opt to spend their junior spring abroad must take the required disciplinary and senior-thesis-related courses in the spring of their sophomore year (contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies for details).

Why do the requirements take this form?

The three-year language requirement is the foundation of the major because a working knowledge of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Tibetan enables a student in this field to understand a particular culture of East Asia as its people understand themselves. While none of the undergraduate courses in East Asian Studies, other than language courses themselves, are actually taught in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Tibetan, three years of study in at least one East Asian language will provide you not only with an understanding of the language and culture of the East Asian subregion on which, as a major, you have chosen to focus, but also with a bridge to studying and mastering other East Asian languages.

The three required introductory courses are designed to provide you with a general knowledge of the classic works of philosophy and literature in the East Asian tradition, and of the histories of at least two of the four countries of China, Japan, Korea, and Tibet.

Disciplinary courses. The major in East Asian Studies is multi-disciplinary, but, just as each faculty member is grounded in a particular discipline, so too is each major required to develop a disciplinary focus by taking three of her or his five advanced courses within a particular discipline, including an introductory disciplinary course that is not necessarily in the field of East Asia. Although inter-disciplinary interests are strongly encouraged, it is not possible to work between disciplines without first having some grasp of how the relevant traditional disciplines work. At the same time, the requirement of two elective courses acknowledges the importance of inter-disciplinary approaches to East Asia, and enables you to broaden your understanding of different ways to study the region.

Rooted in the conviction that all Columbia students should be provided with the opportunity to learn basic skills of scholarly research and to write at least one major research paper in the course of their undergraduate careers, the senior thesis is the final requirement for the major. The senior thesis process consists of two stages, beginning with a one-point workshop (EAAS V3999) in the spring term of the junior year, in which you will be introduced to basic research methods and asked to develop a thesis topic and choose a faculty thesis advisor. You will write your thesis in the fall semester of your senior year, working directly with a faculty advisor and with a graduate student tutor from the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures.

NOTE: East Asian Studies majors or thesis-track concentrators who opt to spend their junior spring abroad must take the required disciplinary and senior-thesis-related courses in the spring of their sophomore year (contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies for details).

Whom do I speak to about this major? How does the department structure its faculty for advising purposes?

Students who are majoring in East Asian Studies should seek advice about the major from the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Once you have decided upon a disciplinary specialization, you will also select a faculty member in East Asian Studies who specializes in the field of your interest to act as your senior thesis advisor. Majors make this decision in the spring term of the junior year in the context of the required one-point workshop (EAAS V3999).

When should I declare my major?

Although most students normally declare their majors in the spring term of the sophomore year, it is essential if you are seriously considering majoring in East Asian Studies that you begin study of one of the relevant East Asian languages and that you take general introductory courses in East Asian Studies as early in your academic career as possible. Also, if you opt to spend your junior spring abroad, you must take the required disciplinary and senior-thesis-related courses in the spring of your sophomore year (contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies for details).

What research opportunities exist in or through the department?

The most compelling research opportunity is the one that you design for yourself in consultation with your major advisor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies for writing a senior thesis in your area of specialization.  You may also, if you have an advanced level of language proficiency or specialization as well as the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, take beginning-level graduate seminars.

Will study abroad enhance this major?

Study abroad is strongly encouraged for the major in East Asian Studies, both during the summer and during the junior year for either one or two semesters. (NOTE: East Asian Studies majors or concentrators who opt to spend their junior spring abroad must take the required disciplinary and senior-thesis-related courses in the spring of their sophomore year.) High-quality intensive summer language programs are conducted for Chinese in Beijing, in particular the Columbia University Summer Language Program in Beijing; for Korean at Yonsei University in Seoul; and for Japanese at various locations in Japan. For those who wish to spend a semester or two in Japan, Columbia is a member of the consortium of fourteen American universities that sponsor the Kyoto Center for Japanese Studies. For more information on these and other programs for study abroad, please see the East Asian Languages and Cultures web site, the heads of the separate language programs, or the Office of Global Programs.

How might a sample track or course of study look?

How does one receive departmental honors?

Departmental honors will be conferred only on East Asian Studies majors who have earned a grade point average of at least 3.6 for courses in the major, have pursued a rigorous and ambitious program of study, and have submitted senior theses of superior quality, clearly demonstrating originality and excellent scholarship. Qualified seniors will be nominated by their thesis advisors and recommended to the College Committee on Honors, Awards, and Prizes, which makes the final decisions on all honors recipients and awards departmental honors to no more than 10 percent of the graduating majors in any given department. Concentrators are not eligible for departmental honors.

What awards and prizes are sponsored by the department?

The Taraknath Das Foundation Award is given annually to a student in the College for excellence in Asian Studies.  Students should also consult the “Prizes and Fellowships” section of the on-line Bulletin for information on other prizes and awards for which they may be eligible. 

Are there any student clubs, committees, and/or activities offered within or through the department?

The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures in Kent Hall, which is the institutional home of the East Asian Studies major, offers a wide variety of departmental gatherings, lectures, and films every semester, to which all undergraduate majors are invited.

What career opportunities follow upon study in this field?

Graduates of the major in East Asian Studies typically seek out careers in which they can put their language expertise and knowledge in the field of East Asia to good use.  The possibilities are many, whether in law or business that deals with China, Japan, or Korea, or the advanced study in the traditional disciplines leading to a career in research or teaching.  Others choose the field of international and public affairs, eventually seeking careers in the public sector, in non-profit organizations, or in diplomacy.  Whatever career path or study at the graduate/professional level that you choose, your analytical skills combined with your language expertise and knowledge of other cultures will be immensely beneficial.  For information about opportunities available to you after you graduate, you should consult with those professors with whom you have worked closely, your faculty and thesis advisors, and the Director of Undergraduate Studies.  Columbia has extensive graduate programs related to East Asia that can provide good advice on a wide variety of career opportunities.

Whom should I contact about graduate study in this field?

For information about graduate and professional school opportunities, please consult with those professors with whom you have worked closely, your thesis advisor, and the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Related Links

The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ealac/