East Asian Languages and Literatures
Overview:
The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures presents a wide range of courses in several programs, from introductory courses in the languages, literatures, and cultures of East Asia (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) to advanced graduate-level study. Undergraduate degrees include a bachelor of arts (BA) degree in Chinese or Japanese and minors in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. The department also offers master’s (MA) and doctoral (PhD) degrees in East Asian languages, literatures, and cultures. The program is flexible enough that students can take classes that fit their interests and help them achieve long-term goals.
Faculty members are strongly committed to promoting a rich immersion in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages, literatures, and cultures. Undergraduates and graduate students alike are encouraged to study abroad and conduct research throughout East Asia.
Students with an undergraduate degree in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean are well prepared for graduate-level study in the humanities, social sciences, and professions (e.g., law or business). They are also suited to a range of jobs in many different sectors, including business, education, and journalism as well as government agencies and nonprofit organizations. Recent graduates have found jobs in all of these areas.
History:
The UO Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures dates back to the early 1940s, when Japanese courses first began to be taught. By 1947, Japanese and Chinese courses were offered in a larger Department of Foreign Languages, with both languages taught by Donald S. Willis. In 1963, William Naff and Angela Jung Palandri taught Japanese and Chinese language, respectively, as well as courses in literature. The 1970s saw further growth and increased interest in East Asian Studies, such that by 1979 all faculty in Japanese and Chinese were housed in a separate department, the newly established Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures. New MA and PhD programs were created in the 1980s and 1990s, followed in 2011 by the addition of a minor in Korean.
Faculty
Roy Chan, associate professor (modern Chinese and Russian literature). BA, 2002, Washington (Seattle); PhD, 2009, California, Berkeley. (2013)
Rachel DiNitto, professor (modern Japanese literature, cultural studies). BA, 1988, Pennsylvania; MA, 1996, PhD, 2000, Washington (Seattle). (2015)
Maram Epstein, professor (Ming-Qing vernacular fiction). BA, 1983, MA, 1987, PhD, 1992, Princeton. (1994)
Alisa D. Freedman, professor (modern Japanese literature and film). BA, 1991, Wesleyan; MA, 1995, PhD, 2002, Chicago. (2005)
Yukari Furikado-Koranda, associate teaching professor (Japanese). BA, 2002, Kobe College; MA, 2010, Oregon. (2010)
Denise Gigliotti, associate teaching professor (Chinese). BA, 1995, National Taiwan; MA, 1998, California, Los Angeles. (2002)
Alison Groppe, associate professor (Chinese culture). BA, 1989, Wellesley College; MA, 1995, PhD, 2006, Harvard. (2008)
Luke Habberstad, associate professor (early Chinese literature). BA, 2003, Yale; MA, 2007, PhD, 2014, California, Berkeley. (2014)
Reiko Hashimoto, associate teaching professor (Japanese). BA, 1982, Chukyo; MA, 1992, Minnesota State, Mankato; PhD, 2000, Indiana, Bloomington. (2000)
Kaori Idemaru, professor (linguistics). BA, 1990, Osaka; MA, 1992, Northern Iowa; PhD, 2005, Oregon. (2008)
Rika Ikei, associate teaching professor (Japanese). BA, 1992, Kyoto University of Foreign Studies; MA, 1998, West Chester. (2003)
Zhuo Jing-Schmidt, professor (Chinese linguistics). BA, 1992, MA, 1995, Peking; MA, 1997, California, Los Angeles; PhD, 2005, Cologne. (2010)
Jina Kim, associate professor (Korean literature). BA, 1993, University of Chicago; MA, 2002, University of Washington; MA, 2009, Cornell; PhD, 2006, University of Washington. (2018)
Nayoung Kwon, associate professor (Korean linguistics). BA, 1997, Korea; MA, 1999, Korea; MA, 2003, California (San Diego); PhD, 2008, California (San Diego). (2020)
Naoko Nakadate, associate teaching professor (Japanese). BA, 1988, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies; MA, 1992, Oregon. (1993)
Thomas Glynne Walley, associate professor (early modern Japanese literature). BA, 1996, Brigham Young; MA, 2001, Washington (St. Louis); PhD, 2009, Harvard. (2012)
Yugen Wang, professor (classical Chinese poetry and poetics). BA, 1992, Anhui Normal; MA, 1995, Peking; PhD, 2005, Harvard. (2005)
Jean Yuanpeng Wu, associate teaching professor (Chinese). BA, 1982, China University of Geosciences; MA, 1990, West Virginia; PhD, 1998, Michigan State. (1996)
Emeriti
Stephen W. Durrant, professor emeritus. BA, 1968, Brigham Young; PhD, 1975, Washington (Seattle). (1990)
Michael B. Fishlen, associate professor emeritus. BA, 1965, Knox College; MA, 1968, PhD, 1973, Indiana; JD, 1987, Oregon. (1970)
Angela Jung-Palandri, professor emerita. BA, 1946, Catholic University, Peking; MA, 1949, MLS, 1954, PhD, 1955, Washington (Seattle). (1962)
Stephen W. Kohl, associate professor emeritus. BA, 1967, PhD, 1974, Washington (Seattle). (1972)
Wendy Larson, professor emerita. BA, 1974, Oregon; MA, 1978, PhD, 1984, California, Berkley. (1985)
The date in parentheses at the end of each entry is the first year on the University of Oregon faculty.