East Asian Studies


239 Cowell College
(831)459-2054
http://lang.ucsc.edu/

Students of East Asian studies at UC Santa Cruz may select from among the following programs:

• A minor in Chinese or Japanese studies, with a major in any discipline in any division. The student is expected to acquire a speaking and reading ability in Chinese or Japanese sufficient to pursue advanced studies in China or Japan and use Chinese or Japanese source material for research. A student who wishes to complete the East Asian studies program should enroll in beginning Japanese or Chinese no later than the sophomore year. Requirements for the minor are outlined below. Students seeking further information about the minor should call the Language Program Office.
• A major or minor in the Chinese or Japanese concentration of language studies. Requirements for this major are found at the Language Prorgam web site.
• An individual major in East Asian studies is currently available in Chinese studies only. It is designed for students who want to center their study of China on intensive study of the Chinese language, if possible including study abroad, with accompanying courses to provide historical and cultural context.

Major Requirements

1. Permission from the chair of the East Asian studies faculty when declaring the major. The chair and the student’s major adviser will verify a study plan of courses intended to satisfy major requirements.
2. Courses as specified below (a Chinese area course is defined as one in which half or more of the time is spent on China).
3. Either a senior thesis (translations with critical introduction and interpretation are encouraged) culminating in a one-hour exam on the subject of the thesis or an oral examination on an agreed panel of topics in fulfillment of the campus comprehensive requirement.

Lower-Division Courses

Chinese language through Chinese 50 (or equivalent, to be certified by Chinese language or literature faculty) and a lower-division survey course in East Asian history, literature, or history of art and visual culture.

Upper-Division Courses

A minimum of eight upper-division courses meeting breadth requirements below. Note that a single course may fulfill more than one breadth requirement.

• Two courses in Chinese historyTwo courses in Chinese language (three strongly encouraged)
• Three courses in pre-twentieth-century subject matter (Upper-division language courses in classical Chinese may be counted in this category.)
• Five courses in twentieth-century subject matter
  (Upper-division language courses in modern Chinese may be counted in this category.)
• One explicitly comparative course
  Comparative is defined as a course that fulfills one or more of the following conditions: treats China as one among two or more cultures or treats the Asian American experience or treats the student’s primary thematic area of interest in a cultural context other than that of China or of China alone. Other Asian area courses would fulfill this requirement, as would some courses in literary theory, women’s studies, or other disciplines.

Many courses satisfy the requirement for eight upper-division courses. Check with the East Asian studies adviser if you are unsure about the categories as described above.

Study Abroad

Study abroad, though not a requirement, is strongly encouraged. At present there are UC Education Abroad Programs in China, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Prior to beginning study abroad, students should present a plan showing how they propose to complete the major requirements.

Students may apply to the Volunteers in Asia program to teach English in China; contact the Kresge College Office for more information on this program.

Senior Thesis

Students who elect to write a senior thesis normally do so as part of an independent study course (195 or 199) under supervision of their major adviser.

Requirements for the Minor

Language: nine courses of Chinese or Japanese language or equivalent.

Required course: History 40, The Making of Modern East Asia (East Asian studies core course). History 80G, Popular Movements in China, may be substituted for History 40 by those minoring in Chinese studies.

Three additional upper-division courses in the chosen area of China or Japan, one of which may be an individual study (course 199). These three courses must be in fields outside the student’s major.

The following are among the courses that meet the upper-division course requirement. (Check the Schedule of Classes or consult with the program coordinator for courses added during the academic year that meet the requirement.)

Chinese Studies
Chinese, all upper-division courses
History 150B-C, History of China
History 151, Classical Chinese Culture and Literature, Tenth-Century b.c.e. through Sixth-Century c.e.
History 152, Classical Chinese Culture and Literature, Sixth Century c.e. through Sixteenth Century
History 194J, Comparative Studies in Modern Asian History
History of Art and Visual Culture 114, Buddhist Visual Worlds
History of Art and Visual Culture 121C, Later Chinese History
History of Art and Visual Culture 190D, The World of the Lotus Sutra
History of Art and Visual Culture 190G, Word and Image in Chinese Culture
World Literature and Cultural Studies 123, The 1960s
Women’s Studies 154, Revolutionary Tales: Women in Modern China

Japanese Studies
History 159A, Ancient Japan
History 159B, Tokugawa Japan
History 159C, Modern Japan
History 194J, Comparative Studies in Modern Asian History