Welcome

EAST ASIAN STUDIES is an interdisciplinary program offering opportunities to draw on the expertise of several OWU departments and off-campus programs located in East Asia. The purpose of the East Asian Studies program is to provide students with (1) substantial language training in Chinese and/or Japanese (2) a broad background in the past and present of East Asia from the perspective of at least three academic disciplines and (3) a specialization in a specific East Asian country. Students interested in pursuing a major or minor in East Asian Studies are advised to contact the director of the program by the end of their sophomore year. East Asian Studies Advisory Committee members include: John Boos (Economics), Ji Young Choi (Politics and Government), Xiaoming Chen (History), Joy He (Beeghly Library), R. Blake Michael (Religion), James Peoples (Sociology/Anthropology), Anne Sokolsky (Humanities/Classics), and Ching-Hsuan Wu (Chinese).

The East Asian Studies MAJOR
(minimum of seven courses plus language courses)

East Asian Studies is now a stand-alone major. A second major is no longer necessary. Requirements include:

• Language: Minimum of six semesters of college study in a language appropriate to the country chosen for study abroad. At present, courses on campus are available in both Japanese and Chinese. Up to two language courses may be taken during the mandatory study abroad experience.
• Study abroad: Participation in an approved study abroad program in East Asia (either a semester/year abroad or a substantial summer program). Pre-approved abroad programs offered through the Off-campus Programs office are preferred, but other programs are possible with advance approval by the EAS Program Director.
• Other courses:
  • HIST 116, plus one history and one religion course from Category I below.
  • Four additional elective courses, of which at least three must be upper level. At least two must be drawn from Category I. The remainder may be from either Category II or an Independent Study course related to East Asia. With approval from the Director, credit in the major will be awarded for courses focusing on East Asia taken during study abroad.
  • A Senior Thesis (research-based paper) written as an independent study project or as an extension of a course requirement. The thesis, generally about 30 pages, must be approved in advance by the EAS Advisory Board. If written as part of a regular course, the EAS Director will judge its adequacy for the Senior Thesis credit, but the grade will be assigned by the course instructor.

The East Asian Studies MINOR
(minimum of four courses plus language courses)

The East Asian Studies minor requires:

• Language: Minimum of four semesters of college language study in Chinese or Japanese.
• Other courses:
  • Four courses, of which at least three must be from Category I below. An Independent Study or Directed Readings may substitute for one of the Category I courses.

Courses in East Asian Studies

Category I: Courses focusing primarily on East Asia
ECON/EMAN 345, HIST 322, HIST 323, HIST 324, HIST 325, HMCL 124 (only if taught by Dr. Sokolsky), HMCL 355, HMCL 356, HMCL 499, PG 349, REL 104, REL 346, SOAN 293, THEA 331.

Category II: Courses not focusing specifically on East Asia, but including substantial East Asian content
ART 348, HMCL 127, HMCL 265, HMCL 375, MUS 348, PG 360. Students who wish to apply Category II courses for credit in either the major or minor must complete a research paper or project dealing with East Asia. Approval of the paper or project must be granted by the instructor and the Director of EAS.

Additional courses dealing with East Asia are offered on an occasional or temporary basis. Contact the EAS Program Director about whether such courses count for major credit in either Category I or Category II.

Study Abroad Programs

Ohio Wesleyan students may participate in study abroad programs through OWU exchange agreements with Asian universities or through Great Lakes Colleges Association programs. At this point there are four programs in China and three in Japan. In addition, OWU students have the option of enrolling in various other non-GLCA programs. Refer to the OWU Catalog for a description of off-campus study programs and speak with the off-campus program coordinator for more information.

• GLCA Japan Study – two-semester program at Waseda University, Tokyo
• Kansai Gaidai University – one- or two-semester program near Osaka and Kyoto