East Asian Languages and Literatures (MA)

The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures offers programs of study leading to the degrees of master of arts (MA) in East Asian Languages and Literatures. Students may choose to specialize in Chinese Studies, Japanese Studies, Korean Studies, or Linguistics.

In addition to departmental requirements, graduate students must fulfill the general requirements of the Division of Graduate Studies listed in that section of this catalog.

The Chinese, Japanese, and Korean studies programs, which prepare students to work in a variety of professional and academic fields, provide intensive training in linguistic and textual analysis and an extensive exposure to literary theory, film studies, and comparative and cultural studies. The department encourages students to develop their specialization in East Asian literatures and films in broader, more comparative, and more interdisciplinary and transnational perspectives than has been the case in traditional programs. The faculty’s research and teaching interests cover the major fields, genres, and chronological divisions of Chinese, Japanese and Korean literature and film. They encourage creative connections and challenges to conventional disciplinary boundaries by exploring the relationships between literature-cinema and such areas as history, law, linguistics, politics, religion, philosophy, sociology, theater and the performing arts, and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

Coursework: Demonstrate mastery of subject content knowledge.
Coursework: Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills.
Thesis/Project/Exam: Demonstrate mastery of subject content knowledge.
Thesis: Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills.
Thesis: Conduct independent research and analysis in their discipline and contribute substantive work in their field.

Chinese Studies
Japanese Studies
Korean Studies
Linguistics and Language Pedagogy

Master of Arts in East Asian Languages and Literatures, Chinese Studies: Option One

This is the usual option for students seeking the MA degree in East Asian languages and literatures with a specialization in Chinese studies. It prepares students for study at the doctoral level.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
CHN 623	Early Chinese Literature	5
CHN 624	Medieval and Late Imperial Chinese Literature	5
CHN 625	Modern Chinese Literature	5
EALL 611	Critical Approaches	2
Five seminars on Chinese subject matter (at least three with the CHN subject code)		20
Two graduate courses in linguistics, literary theory, or another literature (advisor approved); as appropriate, these courses may count toward the five Chinese seminars
One course in language pedagogy, Asian history, or another field relevant to student’s career objectives (advisor approved); as appropriate, may count as one of the five Chinese seminars ¹
CHN 503	Thesis ²	9
Total Credits		46

¹: Reading and Conference: [Topic] (CHN 605) may be counted toward the fourteen required courses, with advisor approval.
²: Students who elect to write a thesis must register for this course.

Students must pass a comprehensive written examination at the end of study or write a master of arts thesis.

Master of Arts in East Asian Languages and Literatures, Chinese Studies: Option Two

A master’s student may, in consultation with the student’s advisor, apply for early entry to the PhD program. Such applications are typically made spring term but, in any event, after at least two terms at the university. Applications must include transcripts, three recommendations, and a statement of the student’s prospective course of study. Students who elect this option are awarded the master’s degree upon completion of the course work for the PhD degree. Students must pass a comprehensive oral examination that covers the student’s primary areas of study.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
CHN 623	Early Chinese Literature	5
CHN 624	Medieval and Late Imperial Chinese Literature	5
CHN 625	Modern Chinese Literature	5
EALL 611	Critical Approaches	2
Five seminars on Chinese subject matter (at least three with the CHN subject code)		20
Two graduate courses in linguistics, literary theory, or another literature (advisor approved); as appropriate, may count toward the five Chinese seminars
One course in language pedagogy, Asian history, or another field relevant to student’s career objectives (advisor approved); as appropriate, may count as one of the five Chinese seminars ¹
Total Credits		37

¹: Reading and Conference: [Topic] (CHN 605) may be counted toward the twelve required courses, with advisor approval.

Master of Arts in East Asian Languages and Literatures, Japanese Studies

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
EALL 611	Critical Approaches	2
One course on modern Japan (with JPN prefix)		4
One course on premodern Japan (with JPN prefix)		4
Two courses on methodology/theory (any prefix)		8
Three further Japan-related courses (with JPN prefix)		12
Two further Japan-related courses (with any prefix)		8
Thesis or examination		9
Total Credits		47

Period distribution requirement:

Student must take at least 1 JPN-prefix course on modern Japan and at least 1 JPN-prefix course on premodern Japan. For the purposes of this requirement “modern Japan” is considered to begin in 1868. To count, over 50% of a course’s content must focus on the requisite period; advisor approval required.

Methodology/theory requirement:

Student must take at least 2 courses substantially focused on methodology or theory. They may be from any department (any prefix); advisor approval required.

Japan-related courses:

Students are required to take 5 Japan-related courses beyond the period distribution and methodology/theory requirements. At least 3 of these must be JPN-prefix courses. Up to 2 of them may be courses with any prefix, provided they have at least 30% Japan-related content; advisor approval required.

Language proficiency requirement:

Nonnative speakers are required to demonstrate 4^th-year-level Japanese language proficiency by either passing a course at that level or testing into the 4^th-year level in a placement exam. Up to 3 4^th-year-level (or beyond) language courses can be counted toward the MA requirements.

Thesis or written examination:

Typically students are required to write an MA thesis; the Graduate School requires thesis writers to take 9 credits of JPN 503 Thesis. In some circumstances, a student in consultation with the advisor may decide to take a written examination in lieu of writing a thesis; the student will then be required to take a number of JPN 605 Reading and Conference credits sufficient to bring the total number of credits earned toward the MA to 47.

Master of Arts in East Asian Languages and Literatures, Korean Studies

The MA degree in East Asian Languages and Literatures with a specialization in Korean literature, film, and culture requires successful completion of a minimum of 12 graduate-level courses (at least 4 credits each). These courses must be chosen in consultation with the student's advisor.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Three courses in the Korean sector		12
Four Korea-related courses, which may be taught outside the department		16
Five advisor-approved electives with the subject code EALL		20
Total Credits		48

In addition to completion of the required courses, students must pass a comprehensive examination at the end of study or write and defend a MA thesis.

Option 1: MA Comprehensive Exam

Students who choose to take a comprehensive exam must successfully pass a two-part written examination based on the following reading list:

Approximately 20 works of Korean literature and/or film, which should provide comprehensive coverage of major periods, writers, and genres of Korean literature and/or film. The student's advisor will provide a model reading list.
Approximately 10 works of general theory and criticism, based on the student's specialized area, which can be outside of the area of Korean studies.
Approximately 10 works of a specialized area of the student's own choosing.

The first part of the exam shall include questions pertaining to broad issues in the field of Korean literature and/or film deriving from section one of the students' reading list. The second part of the exam, to be administered a week later, shall cover more specialized questions deriving from sections two and three of the student's reading list. The student shall have 48 hours for each part to produce the final typed, double-spaced exams of approximately 10 to 12 pages each.

Option 2: MA Thesis

Students who elect to write a thesis must register for 9 credits of Thesis (KRN 503).

Two terms before graduation, the student meets with the advisor during the first week of the term to set up a two-member committee and a schedule for submitting thesis or project drafts (e.g., the first week of winter term if planning to graduate spring term).

At least six weeks before the date of the thesis or project defense, the student submits a draft to the main advisor for approval. The advisor is expected to return comments within two weeks. Then, a continuing dialogue ensues between the student and advisor until the manuscript is considered complete. If approval is not obtained at this point, there is no guarantee that the student will be able to graduate that term.

The student submits a clean copy of the thesis or project to the advisor and committee members either two weeks before defense or four weeks before the filing date for an approved thesis as published by the Graduate School.