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This archived information is dated to the 2009-10 academic year only and may no longer be current.

For currently applicable policies and information, see the current Stanford Bulletin.

East Asian Languages and Cultures

Emeriti: (Professors) Albert E. Dien, David S. Nivison, Makoto Ueda; (Associate Professor) Susan Matisoff; (Senior Lecturer) Yin Chuang*

Chair: Chao Fen Sun

Directors of Graduate Studies: James Reichert (Japanese), Ban Wang (Chinese)

Directors of Undergraduate Studies: Melinda Takeuchi (Japanese), Yiqun Zhou (Chinese)

Professors: Steven D. Carter, Mark E. Lewis (East Asian Languages and Cultures, History), Chao Fen Sun, Melinda Takeuchi (East Asian Languages and Cultures, Art and Art History), Ban Wang (East Asian Languages and Cultures, Comparative Literature), John C. Y. Wang

Associate Professors: Yoshiko Matsumoto, James Reichert

Assistant Professors: Haiyan Lee, Indra Levy, Yiqun Zhou

Consulting Professor: Richard Dasher

Visiting Professor: Stuart Sargent

Postdoctoral Fellow: Paul Festa

Chinese-Japanese Area Studies Faculty:

Professors: Carl W. Bielefeldt (Religious Studies), Gordon Chang (History), Richard Dasher (Center for Integrated Systems), Paul Harrison (Religious Studies), Jean Oi (Political Science), David Palumbo-Liu (Comparative Literature), Gi-Wook Shin (Sociology), Richard Vinograd (Art and Art History), Andrew Walder (Sociology), Kären Wigen (History), Arthur P. Wolf (Anthropology), Lee H. Yearley (Religious Studies), Xueguang Zhou (Sociology)

Associate Professors: Jindong Cai (Music), Matthew Sommer (History), Miyako Inoue (Anthropology), Matthew Kohrman (Anthropology)

Assistant Professors: Jennifer Adams (Education), Melissa Brown (Anthropology), Phillip Lipscy (Political Science), Jean Ma (Art and Art History), Yumi Moon (History), Thomas Mullaney (History), Jun Uchida (History)

* Recalled to active duty.

Department Office: Building 250, Room 106

Mail Code: 94305-2000

Phone: (650) 725-2742

Email: asianlanguages@stanford.edu

Web Site: http://asianlanguages.stanford.edu

Courses offered by the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures are listed on the Stanford Bulletin's Explore Courses web site under the subject codes CHINGEN (Chinese General), CHINLIT (Chinese Literature), JAPANGEN (Japanese General), and JAPANLIT (Japanese Literature). Courses with the suffix -GEN do not require reading knowledge of an Asian language. Language courses are listed on the Stanford Bulletin's Explore Courses web site under CHINLANG (Chinese Language), JAPANLNG (Japanese Language), and KORLANG (Korean Language).

The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures offers programs for students who wish to engage with the cultures of China, Japan, and Korea as articulated in language, linguistics, literature, film, cultural studies, and visual arts. Students emerge with a sophisticated understanding of culture as a dynamic process embodied in language and other representational media, especially the verbal and visual forms that are central to humanistic study. Department faculty represent a broad range of research interests and specialties, and visiting scholars and postdoctoral fellows from the Stanford Humanities Center, the Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship of Scholars in the Humanities, the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and the Center for East Asian Studies add to the intellectual vitality of the department.

East Asian Languages and Cultures offers a full range of courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Undergraduate courses concentrate on language, literature, and other cultural forms from the earliest times to the present, covering traditional and contemporary topics from Confucian conceptions of self and society to inflections of gender in the twentieth century. Emphasis in classes is on developing powers of critical thinking and expression that will serve students well no matter what their ultimate career goals. Graduate programs offer courses of study involving advanced language training, engagement with primary texts and other materials, literary history, and training in research methodologies and critical approaches.

East Asian language skills provide a foundation for advanced academic training and professional careers in fields such as business, diplomacy, education, and law. The department also offers opportunities for students who choose to double-major or minor in other academic disciplines, including anthropology, art history, economics, education, history, linguistics, philosophy, political science, religious studies, and sociology.

The department accepts candidates for the degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and Doctor of Philosophy in Chinese and Japanese, and Bachelor of Arts in East Asian Studies. It also offers undergraduate minors and the Ph.D. minor in Chinese or Japanese language and literature.

For information concerning other opportunities for study about Asian history, societies, and cultures, see the following departments and programs: Anthropology, Art and Art History, Business, Comparative Literature, East Asian Studies, Economics, History, Law, Linguistics, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, and Sociology. Courses in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean language instruction are listed in the "Language Center" section of this bulletin. Students interested in Asian languages not listed should contact the Special Language Program at the Language Center.

UNDERGRADUATE MISSION STATEMENTS FOR EAST ASIAN LANGUAGES AND CULTURES

CHINESE MAJOR

The mission of the undergraduate program in Chinese is to expose students to a variety of perspectives in Chinese language, culture, and history by providing them with training in writing and communication, literature, and civilization. Emphasis in courses is on developing powers of critical thinking and expression that serve students well no matter what their ultimate career goals are. The program prepares students for diverse professions and enterprises, including business, government service, and academia.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The department expects undergraduate majors in the program to be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes. These learning outcomes are used in evaluating students and the department's undergraduate program. Students are expected to demonstrate:

  1. effective and nuanced skills interpreting primary and secondary source materials.
  2. in their own work a good grasp of the course material and methodologies in the studies of Chinese.
  3. analytical writing skills and close reading skills.
  4. effective oral communication skills.

JAPANESE MAJOR

The mission of the undergraduate program in Japanese is to expose students to a variety of perspectives in Japanese language, culture, and history by providing students with training in writing and communication, literature, and civilization. Emphasis in classes is on developing powers of critical thinking and expression that will serve students well no matter what their ultimate career goals are. The program prepares students for diverse professions and enterprises, including business, government service, and academia.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The department expects undergraduate majors in the program to be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes. These learning outcomes are used in evaluating students and the department's undergraduate program. Students are expected to demonstrate:

  1. effective and nuanced skills interpreting primary and secondary source materials.
  2. in their own work a good grasp of the course material and methodologies in the studies of Japanese.
  3. analytical writing skills and close reading skills.
  4. effective oral communication skills.

EAST ASIAN STUDIES MAJOR

The mission of the program in East Asian Studies is to enable students to obtain a comprehensive understanding of East Asia broadly conceived, which is the area stretching from Japan through Korea and China to the contiguous areas of the Central Asian land mass. Majors are expected to have a good mastery of an East Asian language, and focus on a particular sub-region or a substantive issue involving the region as a whole. Emphasis in classes is on developing powers of critical thinking and expression to serve students well no matter what their ultimate career goals in business, government service, academia, or the professions.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The department expects undergraduate majors in the program to be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes. These learning outcomes are used in evaluating students and the department's undergraduate program. Students are expected to demonstrate:

  1. effective and nuanced skills interpreting primary and secondary source materials.
  2. in their own work a good grasp of the course material and methodologies in East Asian studies.
  3. analytical writing skills and close reading skills.
  4. effective oral communication skills.

OVERSEAS STUDIES

Courses approved for the Asian Languages major and taught overseas can be found in the "Overseas Studies" section of this bulletin, or in the Overseas Studies office, Sweet Hall.

STUDY ABROAD

Students interested in Japanese language, history, culture, and social organization are encouraged to apply to the Kyoto Center for Japanese Studies (KCJS), a two-semester academic program primarily for undergraduates wishing to do advanced work in the Japanese language and in Japanese studies.

In Spring Quarter, the Stanford Center for Technology and Innovation (SCTI), also in Kyoto, focuses on Japanese organizations and the political economy of research, development, and production of high technology and advanced industries, followed by an optional two-to-three month internship in an agency, firm, or laboratory in Japan. For information about either program in Kyoto, students should contact the Bing Overseas Studies Program office in Sweet Hall.

Undergraduates interested in studying Chinese language, history, culture, and society are encouraged to apply to the Stanford Program in Beijing also offered through the Bing Overseas Studies Program in Sweet Hall. This program is located at Peking University and is open Autumn and Spring quarters.

Students should take note of the Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies (IUP) at Tsinghua University (http://ieas.berkeley.edu/iup; iub@socrates.berkeley.edu; 510-642-3873) and the Inter-University Center (IUC) for Japanese Language Studies in Yokohama (http://stanford.edu/dept/IUC; stacey.campbell@stanford.edu; 650-725-1490). Stanford is a member of these consortia.

Students interested in the graduate exchange program with the Department of Chinese at Peking University in Beijing should consult the chair of the department early in the academic year.

EAST ASIAN STUDIES THEME HOUSE

EAST House, located at Governor's Corner, is an undergraduate residence that houses 60 students and offers them opportunities to expand their knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of East Asia. Assignment is made through the regular undergraduate housing draw.

SUMMER PROGRAM

A nine-week summer program of intensive instruction is offered in both Chinese and Japanese. The intensive courses provide the equivalent in instruction to regular academic-year courses. (See courses CHINLANG 5, 25, 105, and JAPANLNG 10, 20, 130, as described in the "Language Center" section of this bulletin.) For detailed information about these and other aspects of the summer program, inquire at the Language Center.

Graduate Programs in East Asian Languages and Cultures

ADMISSION

All students contemplating application for admission to graduate study must have a creditable undergraduate record. The applicant need not have majored in Chinese or Japanese as an undergraduate, but must have had the equivalent of at least three years of training in the language in which he or she intends to specialize, and must also demonstrate a command of English adequate for the pursuit of graduate study. Applicants should not wish merely to acquire or improve language skills, but to pursue study in one of the following fields: Chinese history (pre-modern), Chinese linguistics, Chinese literature, Chinese philosophy, Japanese cultural history, Japanese literature, Japanese linguistics, and Japanese visual culture.

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