East Asian Studies Major

Majors will choose courses in consultation with a faculty advisor. In their senior year students will apply the methodologies of East Asian Studies to a research topic normally focusing on China, Japan, Korea or their interaction. The major requires:

  1. two semesters of intermediate Chinese or Japanese,
  2. two core survey courses, one from 2.i. and one from 2.ii,
  3. five area studies courses with a maximum of two from 3.ii and 3.iii combined, and
  4. a senior research project, that in conjunction with the other requirements, will total forty credit hours.

Advisors can help the student select which courses in approved study-abroad programs will meet the requirements below:

  1. Language requirement: two semesters of intermediate Chinese or Japanese course work, or the equivalent. Majors are encouraged to begin their language work at Denison during their first year.
  2. Two Core Courses surveying both:
    1. Traditional East Asia
      EAST/HIST 141Traditional East Asian Civilization
      EAST/CHIN 206Dream and Fantasy in East Asian Literature
      EAST/AHVC 231Art of Japan
      and
      EAST/AHVC 232
      Art of China
      1

      Students who take both "Art of Japan" and "Art of China" will fulfill their traditional core course requirement and satisfy one of the five Area Studies (3.i.) requirements. Note that students choosing this option must take both EAST 231 - Art of Japan/AHVC 231 - Art of Japan and EAST 232 - Art of China/AHVC 232 - Art of China to meet the traditional core requirement.

    2. Modern East Asia 
      EAST/HIST 142Modern East Asian Civilization
      EAST/JAPN 219Voices from the Dark Valley: East Asians Under Japanese Fascism (1910-1945)
      EAST/JAPN 235Introduction to Modern Chinese and Japanese Literature
  3. Five East Asian area studies courses, which may include the following:
    1. East Asian Area Studies
      EAST/AHVC 131Asian Art and Visual Culture
      EAST/CHIN 206Dream and Fantasy in East Asian Literature
      EAST/HIST 211Modern East Asia at War
      EAST/ANSO 221Contemporary Japan: In Search of the “Real” Japan
      EAST 216Religions of China (& Japan)
      EAST/AHVC 231Art of Japan
      EAST/AHVC 232Art of China
      EAST/JAPN 235Introduction to Modern Chinese and Japanese Literature
      EAST/JAPN 239Introduction to Japanese Genre Fiction
      EAST/AHVC 263World Views: Spatial Imagination in East Asia
      EAST/JAPN 273Modern Japan in Film and Literature
      EAST/CHIN 305Spontaneity: Taoism and Chinese Literature
      EAST/JAPN 309Japan's Modern Canon
      EAST/AHVC 333Art and Revolution in 20th Century China
      CHIN 340
      EAST 342/HIST 312China's Golden Age: The Tang Dynasty
    2. Independent and Directed Study (maximum of two from ii and iii combined) - Examples:
      CHIN 361Directed Study
      CHIN 362Directed Study
      JAPN 361Directed Study
      JAPN 362Directed Study
      EAST 361Directed Study
      EAST 362Directed Study
      EAST 363Independent Study
      EAST 364Independent Study
    3. Comparative Courses (Maximum of two from ii and iii combined):
      East Asia in comparison with another region of the world
      EAST/AHVC 131Asian Art and Visual Culture
      ECON 412Economics of the Developing World
      ECON 423International Trade
      EAST/REL 105Buddhism
      PPA 332
      Various special topics courses (typically numbered as EAST 264 or EAST 345) may also be counted as either area studies or comparative courses, depending on their content.
  4. ​Senior Research Project

EAST 451 - Senior Research or EAST 452 - Senior Research: Working closely with the project advisor of the student’s own choice, the student chooses a topic in East Asian Studies and analyzes that topic in a major research paper. The student is allowed, but not required, to choose a secondary advisor from the East Asian Studies faculty, or outside experts from the topic-related disciplines. ​ This research project culminates the major and can be proposed for either semester of the senior year. The student signing up must get signatures from the project advisor in the course registration period preceding the semester when the project will be written. 

East Asian Studies Minor

The twenty-eight credits to fulfill the East Asian Studies minor include: two semesters of intermediate Chinese or Japanese, the two core courses, and three additional courses chosen from East Asian area studies courses chosen from category 3 (see above). Only one independent study course, or one comparative course will count towards the minor.

Additional Points of Interest

Study Abroad

Approved programs of study in the People’s Republic of China include programs in Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, and Xian. In Japan, students may study in programs in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Nagasaki. The availability of semester-long, year-long or summer courses depends on the respective program.

Summer Research Through Denison's Young Scholar Awards

No separate East Asian awards exist. Guidelines are on the Lisska Center's homepage under student research. The research must culminate in a written or artistic project and a presentation to other summer scholars. Student scholars will live on Denison's campus and receive a student stipend. Dormitory housing is provided. Meals are excluded. Applications: Submit by late January for the coming summer.

Summer Internships

There are no special grants for East Asian Studies internships. However, the Center for Career Exploration can be a resource for students interested in searching and applying for internships. There are also internship stipend programs meant to support students in their respective internship experiences. Contact the Austin E. Knowlton Center for Career Exploration by phone (740-587-6656) or email (career@denison.edu) to learn more about Denison internship resources and how stipend funding works.