Faculty

Michael Tangeman, Chair

Wei Cheng (Music), John Cort (Religion), John Davis, (Anthropology and Sociology), Xinda Lian (Chinese), Catherine Stuer (Art History), Taku Suzuki (International Studies), Michael Tangeman (Japanese), Shao-Yun Yang (History), Rongbing Zheng (Chinese), Yumiko Tashiro (Japanese)

Departmental Guidelines and Goals

To graduate with a degree in East Asian Studies requires a balance of courses in Chinese or Japanese language study with courses selected from a variety of departments, focusing on the East Asian region (normally defined as China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam). Study in China or Japan for a semester or a year on an approved program is encouraged. Every senior major will research a topic chosen by the student in consultation with professors from two disciplines.

A Minor in East Asian Studies

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 category III (see below). Only one independent study course, or one comparative course will count towards the minor.

A Major In East Asian Studies

Majors will choose courses in consultation with a faculty advisor. In their senior year students will apply the methodologies of two disciplines to a research topic normally focusing on China, Japan, or their interaction. The major requires: (1) two semesters of intermediate Chinese or Japanese, (2) two core survey courses, one from II.a. and one from II.b., (3) five area studies courses with a maximum of two from III.b and c 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 (History) 141: Traditional East Asian Civilization (normally offered in the spring)

      • East (Chinese) 206: Dream and Fantasy in East Asian Literature (normally offered in the fall)

      • East (AHVC) 231: Art of Japan or East (AHVC) 232: Art of China. Students who take both courses will fulfill their traditional core course requirement and satisfy one of the five Area Studies (III.A.) requirements. Note that students choosing this option must take both East (AHVC) 231 and East (AHVC) 232 to meet the traditional core requirement.

   2. Modern East Asian Civilization

      • East (History) 142: Modern East Asian Civilization (normally offered in the fall)

      • East (Japanese) 235: Introduction to Modern Chinese and Japanese Literature (normally offered in the spring)

3. Five East Asian area studies courses, which may include the following:

   1. • East (AHVC) 131 Asian Art and Visual Culture

      • East (AHVC) 231 Art of Japan

      • East (AHVC) 232 Art of China

      • East (AHVC) 333 Art and Revolution in 20th Century China

      • East (Chinese) 206 Dream and Fantasy in East Asian Literature

      • East (Japanese) 239 Introduction to Genre Fiction

      • East (Chinese) 305 Spontaneity: Taoism and Chinese Literature

      • East (Japanese) 309 Japan's Modern Canon

      • East (Chinese) 340 Chinese Cinema in English

      • East (Economics) 201 The Economy of China

      • East (History) 241 The Mandate of Heaven in Classical China

      • East (History) 341 The Confucian Classics

      • East (History) 348 Cold War in East Asia

      • East (Japanese) 273 Modern Japan in Film and Literature

      • East (Japanese) 235 Introduction to Modern Chinese and Japanese Literature

      • East (Religion) 216 Religions of China

   2. Independent and Directed Study (maximum of two from B and C combined) - Examples:

      • Chinese 361-362 Directed Readings in Chinese Texts

      • Japanese 361-362 Directed Readings in Japanese Texts

      • East 361-362 Directed Study in East Asian Studies

      • East 363-364 Independent Study in East Asian Studies

   3. Comparative Courses (Maximum of two from B and C combined):

      • East Asia in comparison with another region of the world

      • East (AHVC) 131 Asian Art and Visual Culture

      • East (Communication) 409 International Communication

      • Economics 412 Economic Development in the Third World

      • Economics 423 International Trade

      • Political Science 332 Politics in Latin America, Africa, and Asia

      • Political Science 355 International Political Economy

      • East 105 (Religion 105) Buddhism

4. Senior Research Project

   • East Asian Studies 450: Senior Project in East Asian Studies. Selecting two disciplines, students choose a topic in East Asian Studies and utilize the skills of both disciplines to analyze that topic in a major research paper, directed by faculty members in those disciplines. This research project culminates the major and can be proposed for either semester of the senior year. The student must have signatures from the two advisors in the course registration period preceding the semester when the project will be written. Only students completing a yearlong research project are eligible for special recognition.

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, Nagoya and Sapporo. 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 Gilpatrick 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 the student stipend is $3,700. 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.

The Language and Culture Program is an exciting residential option that gives students the opportunity to hone their language skills and to participate in special cultural events. Students who choose this residential option will live in a small community of their peers who share their enthusiasm for foreign languages and cultures. Extracurricular activities and programming in the Language House support language acquisition and permit a closer relationship with professors and languages assistants from the Department of Modern Languages.