1. Asian Studies

What will I be able to do when I graduate with an Asian Studies Major?

• • You will be able to demonstrate advanced cross-disciplinary familiarity with one or more aspects of Asian cultures (literature, history, religion, art), both premodern and modern, by completing five Asia-focused elective courses.

  • You will have cultivated a strong regional awareness of greater Asia and be able to identify and analyze critical social and historical connections among various Asian cultures.

  • You will have developed a nuanced understanding of flows of privilege, power, colonialism, and ethnic conflict, within Asia, regionally, and globally, in both premodern and modern times.

  • You will advance your language skills in Japanese or Mandarin Chinese significantly by successfully completing at least four semesters of Chinese or Japanese language study (or their equivalent).

    • If you start the language at college, you will achieve intermediate proficiency.

      • You will be able to engage in conversations and give a short oral presentation about topics related to daily life .

      • You will be able to read and write short texts about familiar topics at an elementary level.

    • If you have studied the language prior to college, you will achieve advanced proficiency.

      • You will be able to engage in conversations on a wide range of topics from daily life to societal topics, in both informal and formal registers.

      • You will be able to read and discuss some literary works, journalistic writings and other non-literary texts.

      • You will be able to present your thoughts in written and spoken Mandarin Chinese or Japanese.

  • You will be able to demonstrate basic knowledge of Chinese or Japanese history and of the modern socio-political situation of East Asia.

  • You will gain facility with multidisciplinary research methods and put those skills into practice by completing a substantial senior research project exploring some aspect of Asian cultures or societies.

2.  Chinese

What will I be able to do when I graduate with a Chinese Major?

• You will achieve advanced proficiency in spoken and written Mandarin Chinese by successfully completing at least seven semesters of Chinese language study or their equivalent. 

  • You will be able to use Mandarin Chinese to engage in extended and nuanced conversations on a wide range of topics, from daily life to societal topics in Mandarin Chinese.
  • You will be able to read and discuss some Chinese literary works, journalistic writings, and other non-literary texts.

  • You will be able to present your thoughts in written and spoken Chinese.

• You will be able to appreciate and analyze one or more aspects of China’s cultures (literature, history, religion, art) with attention to historical, social, and cultural contexts.

• You will have developed a nuanced understanding of flows of privilege, power, colonialism, and ethnic conflict, within China, regionally, and globally, in both premodern and modern times.

• You will gain facility with multidisciplinary research methods and put those skills into practice by completing a substantial senior research project exploring some aspect of Chinese culture or society.

3.  Japanese

What will I be able to do when I graduate with a Japanese Major?

• You will achieve advanced proficiency in modern spoken and written Japanese by successfully completing at least seven semesters of Japanese language study or their equivalent.

  • You will be able to engage in extended and nuanced conversations on a wide range of topics from daily life to societal topics, in both informal and formal registers in Japanese.

  • You will be able to read and discuss some Japanese literary works, journalistic writings, and other non-literary texts.

  • You will be able to present your thoughts in written and spoken Japanese.

• You will be able to appreciate and analyze one or more aspects of Japan’s cultures (literature, history, religion, art) with attention to historical, social, and cultural contexts.

• You will have developed a nuanced understanding of flows of privilege, power, colonialism, and ethnic conflict, within Japan, regionally, and globally, in both premodern and modern times.

• You will gain facility with multidisciplinary research methods and put those skills into practice by completing a substantial senior research project exploring some aspect of Japanese culture or society.