East Asian Studies

Knowledge Areas

• Develop a multidimensional understanding of the arts, beliefs, societies and traditions, including a historical dimension, of either one East Asian country or of a specific theme across East Asia as a region.
• Achieve some awareness both of the particularity and the complexity of different East Asian cultures and societies and of historical and contemporary continuities within the region.
• Develop a basic understanding of one East Asian culture through the logic of its principal language, as well as through a study of thought, history, society and arts.
• Demonstrate a broader understanding of contemporary social, political, economic, and cultural developments and themes that are shaping and defining the region.
• Achieve some experiential understanding of aspects of the culture and language of study.
• Achieve some acquaintance with the approaches and fundamentals of methodologies associated with the social sciences and humanities.

Skills of Expression and Communication

• At a minimum, achieve conversational competence as well as ability to read and write at the second-year level of an East Asian language.
• Be able to express complex ideas and articulate arguments clearly in English, orally and in writing.
• Apprehend complex thoughts and arguments presented by others in English, both orally and in writing.
• Communicate in relevant and respectful ways in an academic environment.

Skills of Inquiry and Analysis

• Explore analytically a text, argument, or social phenomenon in their field.
• Integrate general and specialized knowledge to ask productive questions and solve problems in their field.
• Design and carry out an independent, thesis-driven research project (the seminar).
• Locate and use secondary sources judiciously in research in their field.

The major in East Asian studies offers students an opportunity to develop a coherent and comprehensive understanding of the great civilizations of the Asia Pacific region. The study of East Asia should be considered an integral part of a liberal arts education. Through an interdisciplinary study of these diverse cultures, students engage in a comparative study of their own societies and values. The major also 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 therefore helps prepare students for post-graduation endeavors ranging from graduate training to careers in both the public and private sectors dealing with East Asia.

Advisers: Marnie Anderson, Ernest Benz, Suzanne Gottschang, Kimberly Kono, Jessica Moyer, Sujane Wu and Dennis Yasutomo

See the EAS Major Worksheet →

Requirements

Forty credits, including:

Basis courses

The second year of an East Asian language, which can be fulfilled by Chinese 220 and 221, Japanese 220 and 221, or Korean 220 and 221, or 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. 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.)

The interdepartmental minor in East Asian studies is a program of study designed to provide a coherent understanding of and basic competence in the civilizations of China, Japan and Korea. It may be undertaken in order 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 and careers related to East Asia.

Advisers: Marnie Anderson, Ernest Benz, Suzanne Gottschang, Kimberly Kono, Jessica Moyer, Sujane Wu and Dennis Yasutomo

Requirements

The minor consists of a total of six courses (24 credits), with no more than three courses taken at other institutions. Courses taken away from Smith require the approval of the East Asian Studies Advisory Committee.

1. HST 200: Modern East Asia (formerly EAS 100) (normally by the second year).
2. Five elective courses which shall be determined in consultation with the adviser.

• 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.)
• No course taken for a satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade counts toward the minor.

Director: Ernest Benz

The honors program is a one-year program taken during the senior year. If admitted, students write a thesis in both semesters of the senior year. Admission requires a grade point average of 3.5 inside and outside the major. The central feature of the honors program is the writing of a senior thesis with the guidance of a faculty adviser.

If you would like to be considered for the honors program, meet with a faculty member in East Asian studies during the spring semester of your junior year to discuss your ideas and develop a proposal with the assistance of the potential thesis supervisor. Your proposal should include a full description of your topic, your planned research methodology (the breadth of sources you will use and how), a brief description of how your project fits into the scholarship on this topic, and a preliminary bibliography (including primary and secondary sources). The college requires that the faculty supervisor for the thesis be a member of the program, although you may have a second reader in another department or program. Submit your proposal to the director of honors in the Program in East Asian Studies by May 1, with the thesis supervisor’s signature. Detailed information and the official application for honors are available at the class deans’ website.

Guidelines

1. The thesis will be a two-semester thesis.
2. The GPA required for courses within the major is 3.5.
3. The GPA required for courses outside the major is also 3.5.

In considering departmental honors, we will weigh as follows:

• Thesis=60%
• GPA for courses within the major=30%
• Thesis defense=10%

China

Associated Colleges in China (Smith-affiliated program)
TERMS: Summer/Fall/Spring
LOCATION: Beijing
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: Mandarin
PREREQUISITES: One year of college-level Chinese (second-year Chinese offered summer only).
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: ACC is a language-intensive program with an extremely rigorous study schedule. Students should expect to spend most of their time attending classes, completing assignments and studying. A language pledge is upheld by professors and staff, and 35-40 undergraduate and graduate students attend. Second-year Chinese offered summer only; Third- and fourth-year offered all three terms. Preference is given to students studying two consecutive terms. Students live in a foreign student dorm and have day visits to host families on weekends. ACC is run by Hamilton College and hosted by Minzu University of China (MUC) in Beijing.

Middlebury in China, In Association with CET - Hangzhou
TERMS: Fall/Spring/Year
LOCATION: Hangzhou
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: Mandarin
PREREQUISITES: Two years of college-level Chinese study or equivalent.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: Study at Zhejiang University of Technology in Hangzhou, 100 miles from Shanghai. Course work includes a one-on-one tutorial, one-on-two speaking class, and electives including classical Chinese, newspaper reading and Chinese film studies. A wide range of co-curricular activities is also available. Students who study for the full year have the option of enrolling in a mainstream course with Chinese students in the spring. Students are paired with a ZUT student and live in university dormitories.

Middlebury in China, in association with CET - Beijing
TERMS: Fall/Spring/Year
LOCATION: Beijing
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: Mandarin
PREREQUISITES: Two years of college-level Chinese study or equivalent.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: Based at Capitol Normal University, students gain a broad understanding of Chinese culture, history and issues of contemporary significance, while allowing them the flexibility to focus on specific issues through service learning or focused study. Course work includes a one-on-one tutorial, one-on-two speaking class, and electives. A wide range of co-curricular activities is also available. Students who study for the full year have the option of enrolling in a mainstream course with Chinese students in the spring. Students are paired with CNU students and live in university dormitories.

Japan

Smith Consortium Program
Smith in Japan: Associated Kyoto Program
TERM: Year
LOCATION: Kyoto
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: Japanese, English
PREREQUISITES: One year of Japanese and one Japan-related course other than language.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: AKP emphasizes Japanese language acquisition, and elective courses include Japanese history, culture, literature, politics and economics taught in English by consortium faculty. AKP is based at Doshisha University, and students live with host families. Students may join Doshisha student clubs and circles or study traditional arts with local teachers and artists through AKP's network in Kyoto.
NOTE: Interested students may contact professors Marnie Anderson, Maki Hubbard, James Hubbard, Thomas Rohlich or Dennis Yasutomo.

Korea

CIEE at Yonsei University
TERMS: Fall/Spring/Year
LOCATION: Seoul
LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION: Korean, English
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: Yonsei, a university with 30,000 graduate and undergraduate students, is 20 minutes from the center of Seoul. The Division of International Education offers junior year abroad courses in English; students proficient in Korean may take general university courses.

Summer Program at Ewha Woman's University (Seoul)
Each year, Smith College selects six students to attend Ewha International Summer School tuition free. Applicants with a strong interest in studying the Korean language and culture, one year of Korean study and a 3.0 GPA are preferred. Korean nationals are not generally eligible. Students may also apply for International Experience Grants for financial assistance. Students who are selected by Smith are responsible for applying directly to Ewha International Summer School for admission and for obtaining the proper visa.