East Asian Studies
Overview
The East Asian Studies major is intended for students who wish to focus on a particular disciplinary issue in East Asian Studies -- art history, history, politics, religion, sociology, or a transnational issue.
Major Requirements
Coursework
A minimum of 10 courses (to be selected from a pre-approved list of East Asia related courses, and not including the 2 units of senior comps work).
Survey Course
Students must select one course from the list below:
| AMST 280/DWA 246 | The United States and East Asia | 4 units |
| ARTH 160 | Introduction to East Asian Art | 4 units |
| DWA 253 | Security in Asia | 4 units |
| HIST 141 | East Asian Survey | 4 units |
| POLS 227 | East Asian Politics: China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan | 4 units |
| RELS 160 | How to Live and Die Well in Buddhist Traditions | 4 units |
Language
At least two semesters of Chinese or Japanese numbered 201 or above.
Seminar
The following courses may count toward the one-course seminar requirement. Students are encouraged to take the seminar by the end of their junior year and to select from the list below in consultation with their major advisor.
| ARTH 360 | Women in Art in East Asia | 4 units |
| ARTH 365 | Gender and Art in Japan | 4 units |
| HIST 245/DWA 245 | China and the World | 4 units |
| HIST 344 | Contemporary China: Reform, Rise, and Crisis | 4 units |
| HIST 346 | The Transformation of Urban and Rural China | 4 units |
| HIST 348 | The Chinese Cultural Revolution and the Global Sixties | 4 units |
| RELS 261 | Between Empire and Appropriation: Buddhism in the Modern World | 4 units |
| RELS 276 | Empire and Religion in Asia and the Pacific | 4 units |
| RELS 335 | Downloading Deities, Mediating Meditation, Streaming Spirits: Religion and Media in Asia | 4 units |
| SOC 340/UEP 340 | China's Environmental Challenges: A Sociological Perspective | 4 units |
Electives
Students must select six additional courses. In addition to CHIN and JAPN courses numbered 201 and above, students may select electives from the list below:
| AMST 270 | Asian American Literature | 4 units |
| AMST 272/EASN 272 | Asian Immigrants in American Society | 4 units |
| AMST 280/DWA 246 | The United States and East Asia | 4 units |
| ARTH 160 | Introduction to East Asian Art | 4 units |
| ARTH 266 | The Arts of Japan | 4 units |
| ARTH 268 | The Japanese Woodblock Print | 4 units |
| ARTH 360 | Women in Art in East Asia | 4 units |
| ARTH 365 | Gender and Art in Japan | 4 units |
| CSLC 150 | The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons: Masterpieces of Classical Chinese Literature | 4 units |
| CSLC 252 | To Dwell or to Wander: Reading Confucius and Zhuangzi | 4 units |
| DWA 237 | Cuba, Vietnam, China: Communism in a Post-Communist World | 4 units |
| DWA 245/HIST 245 | China and the World | 4 units |
| DWA 246/AMST 280 | The United States and East Asia | 4 units |
| DWA 253 | Security in Asia | 4 units |
| EASN 272/AMST 272 | Asian Immigrants in American Society | 4 units |
| EASN 295 | Topics in East Asian Studies | 4 units |
| HIST 141 | East Asian Survey | 4 units |
| HIST 242 | Imperial China | 4 units |
| HIST 243 | Modern China: Colonialism, Nationalism, and Revolution | 4 units |
| HIST 245/DWA 245 | China and the World | 4 units |
| HIST 248 | Modern Japan | 4 units |
| HIST 249 | Modern Korea | 4 units |
| HIST 344 | Contemporary China: Reform, Rise, and Crisis | 4 units |
| HIST 346 | The Transformation of Urban and Rural China | 4 units |
| HIST 348 | The Chinese Cultural Revolution and the Global Sixties | 4 units |
| POLS 226 | Contemporary Chinese Politics | 4 units |
| POLS 227 | East Asian Politics: China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan | 4 units |
| RELS 160 | How to Live and Die Well in Buddhist Traditions | 4 units |
| RELS 215 | Shamans, Sages, and Spirits in East Asia | 4 units |
| RELS 256 | Borderland Buddhisms: Religion in Tibet and the Himalayas | 4 units |
| RELS 258 | Magic, Morality, and Modernity in China | 4 units |
| RELS 261 | Between Empire and Appropriation: Buddhism in the Modern World | 4 units |
| RELS 266 | Sexuality and Gender in Buddhism | 4 units |
| RELS 276 | Empire and Religion in Asia and the Pacific | 4 units |
| RELS 335 | Downloading Deities, Mediating Meditation, Streaming Spirits: Religion and Media in Asia | 4 units |
| SOC 340 | China's Environmental Challenges: A Sociological Perspective | 4 units |
Second-Stage Writing Requirement
Students will satisfy the Second-Stage Writing Requirement by submitting a paper in English from a 300-level or seminar course (in any subject) in the fall semester of the senior year, which will be evaluated by the appropriate program chair.
Comprehensive Requirement
Students will produce a 20-page paper written in English on East Asian comparative/transnational topic, typically by completing a seminar course or a 2-unit Independent Study in the fall semester of the senior year. In the spring semester, the student will make any required revisions and prepare an oral presentation to be given in English.
College Honors
Students with an overall GPA of 3.25 and a major GPA of 3.50 may submit an honors research proposal at the end of the fall semester of the senior year. If the proposal is supported by two faculty advisors, the student will enroll in a 2-unit Independent Study in the spring to expand the fall semester senior comprehensive paper into a 40 page paper that will be evaluated to determine whether the student has achieved Honors.
Minor Requirements
Five courses (20 units) from the East Asian Studies course list. CHIN 201 and JAPN 201 or above may be counted toward the minor. At least two of these courses must be taken at Occidental.
Transfer Credit Policies
The East Asian Studies Program does not accept online courses for transfer.
Students who earn a score of 4 on the AP Chinese Language examination will earn four units of credit and be placed into CHIN 201 while those who earn a score of 5 will earn four units of credit and be placed in to CHIN 202. Students who earn a score of 4 on the AP Japanese Language examination will earn four units of credit and be placed into JAPN 201 while those who earn a score of 5 will earn four units of credit and be placed into JAPN 202. The department does not award credit or placement for IB or A-level examinations.
At most four courses will be accepted in transfer toward the major. At most two courses will be accepted toward in transfer toward the minor.
For students transferring from another institution or students who have taken a leave of absence for at least one semester at most six courses will be accepted toward the major in transfer, while at most three courses will be accepted toward the minor in transfer.
Students should reference the Transfer Credit section for more details.
Courses
East Asian Studies Courses
Faculty
Affiliated Faculty
Alexander F. Day, chair
Associate Professor, History
B.A., Colby College; M.A., Ph.D., University of California, Santa Cruz
Tsung Chi
Professor, Politics
B.A., National Chengchi University; M.A., Ph.D., Michigan State University
Xiao-huang Yin
Professor, American Studies
Affiliated Faculty, History
B.A., Nanjing University; M.A., Ph.D., Harvard University