Coordinator: Professor Noboru Tomonari

With the world's most populous nations and some of its largest economies, East Asia is a region of growing significance. It consists of areas encompassed by present day China, Japan, and Korea (and sometimes also Mongolia, Myanmar, Siberia, and Vietnam). The concentration consists of a program of study combining language training, off-campus study, required core courses in various disciplines, and supporting courses, including a designated capstone course. The underlying logic of the concentration seeks to highlight both the similarities and differences in the societies and cultures of East Asia and to generate increased understanding of a vital part of the modern world.

Requirements for the Concentration:

The East Asian Studies Concentration requires a total of 42 credits, with at least 6 credits drawn from each of the three Asian Studies distribution areas (Arts and Literature, Humanities, Social Sciences)

18 credits in core courses, drawn from at least two of the three Asian Studies distribution areas

24 credits from additional courses, drawn from at least two of the three Asian Studies distribution areas, and including a designated East Asia-related capstone course

Courses taken on off-campus programs may be applied to the concentration

Language courses below 228 may not be applied

Normally, at least one term of off-campus study in East Asia

One year of study of an East Asian language, or its equivalent. For languages offered at Carleton, this will involve completion of a language through 103, or its equivalent. For languages not offered at Carleton, it will involve completion of the equivalent of 103.

Core courses:

18 credits from among the following; courses must be from at least two distribution areas.

ARTH 165: Japanese Art and Culture (not offered in 2007-08)

ARTH 166: Chinese Art

CHIN 282: Tianjin Program: Chinese Civilization (not offered in 2007-08)

HIST 150: History of Ancient and Medieval Japan (not offered in 2007-08)

HIST 151: History of Modern Japan

HIST 152: History of Imperial China (not offered in 2007-08)

HIST 153: History of Modern China (not offered in 2007-08)

JAPN 237: Literature and Arts of Japan: 1333-1868 in Translation (not offered in 2007-08)

JAPN 240: Literature and Society of Modern Japan in Translation (not offered in 2007-08)

RELG 151: Religion in Chinese Culture (not offered in 2007-08)

RELG 152: Religion in Japanese Culture

SOAN 282: Anthropology of Japan (not offered in 2007-08)

SOAN 284: Anthropology of China (not offered in 2007-08)

SOAN 286: Anthropology of East Asia

Supporting courses:

24 credits from among the following; courses must be from at least two distribution areas.

ARTH 208 Ritual and Rhetoric in Ancient Chinese Art (not offered in 2007-08)

ARTH 209 Chinese Painting (not offered in 2007-08)

ARTH 220 Gender and Genre in the Floating World: Japanese Prints (not offered in 2007-08)

ASLN 111 Writing Systems (not offered in 2007-08)

ASLN 231 Intercultural Texts: Japanese and Indian Women Writing Abroad (not offered in 2007-08)

ASLN 237 Tao of Wisdom in Asian Literature: Chinese Roots, Lebanese Prophets and Indian Stray Birds (not offered in 2007-08)

ASLN 260 Historical Linguistics (not offered in 2007-08)

CHIN 115 The Taoist Way of Health and Longevity

CHIN 212 Tianjin Program: Chinese Culture (not offered in 2007-08)

CHIN 235 Beauty, Good and Evil in Chinese Literature

CHIN 250 Contemporary Chinese Literature and Film (not offered in 2007-08)

CHIN 345 Advanced Reading in Chinese Literature: Selected Prose (not offered in 2007-08)

CHIN 346 Advanced Readings in Chinese Fiction (not offered in 2007-08)

CHIN 347 Advanced Reading in Contemporary Chinese Prose: Newspapers (not offered in 2007-08)

CHIN 348 Advanced Chinese: Mass Media (not offered in 2007-08)

CHIN 349 Advanced Chinese: Social Commentary (not offered in 2007-08)

CHIN 350 Advanced Chinese: Poems and Stories (not offered in 2007-08)

CHIN 356 Modern and Contemporary Women Writers (not offered in 2007-08)

CHIN 360 Classical Chinese (not offered in 2007-08)

ECON 240 Microeconomics of Development

ECON 241 Growth and Development

HIST 253 Bureaucracy, Law and Religion in East Asia (not offered in 2007-08)

HIST 254 Colonialism in East Asia

HIST 258 Foreign Relations of East Asia in Modern Times (not offered in 2007-08)

JAPN 230 Topics in Pre-Modern Literature

JAPN 231 Japanese Cinema (not offered in 2007-08)

JAPN 232 Autobiography in Modern Japan in Translation (not offered in 2007-08)

JAPN 236 Classical Japanese Fiction: The Tale of Genji and Its World in Translation (not offered in 2007-08)

JAPN 242 Japanese Poetry in Translation (not offered in 2007-08)

JAPN 345 Advanced Reading in Modern Japanese Literature: The Short Story (not offered in 2007-08)

JAPN 347 Advanced Reading in Contemporary Japanese Prose: Newspapers

JAPN 348 Advanced Conversation and Composition (not offered in 2007-08)

JAPN 349 Advanced Readings in Contemporary Japanese Prose

JAPN 350 Advanced Readings in Contemporary Culture (not offered in 2007-08)

JAPN 351 Advanced Japanese through Documentary Film (not offered in 2007-08)

JAPN 352 Advanced Japanese through Manga & Other Contemporary Materials

POSC 232 Taiwan: Political & Economic Change

POSC 239 The Diplomat’s Craft: Three Case Studies (not offered in 2007-08)

POSC 242 Hong Kong: A Relic of the Past or a Model for the Future (not offered in 2007-08)

POSC 243 The Politics of Burma: Democratic Challenges Military Response (not offered in 2007-08)

POSC 253 Communist Political Thought: Marx to Mao (not offered in 2007-08)

POSC 326 America’s China Policy (not offered in 2007-08)

POSC 329 Vietnam War and American Policy

POSC 345 Guerillas, Warlords and Bandits: The Art of Asymmetric War

POSC 378 Beijing Program: Chinese Social and Political Institutions (not offered in 2007-08)

POSC 379 Beijing Program: Chinese Decision Making (not offered in 2007-08)

POSC 381 Beijing Program: Politics of Economic Development (not offered in 2007-08)

POSC 382 Beijing Program: Chinese Economy in Transition (not offered in 2007-08)

RELG 350 Emptiness (not offered in 2007-08)

Capstone Course: For 2007-2008, the designated capstone course is: HIST 353: Intellectuals and the State Power in East Asia (spring)