Major/Minor Requirements

East Asian Languages and Cultures Major

Requirements of the Major in East Asian Languages and Cultures

The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures trains students to achieve fluency in Chinese, Japanese, and/or Korean language; attain familiarity with the cultural, literary, and linguistic traditions of East Asia; and become sophisticated readers of East Asian texts. EALC majors generally choose to focus on one area of East Asia: China, Japan or Korea.  At the same time, the Department recommends that students take one or more courses with the EALC designation. (These courses cover China, Japan and Korea in one semester.) Students are strongly encouraged to begin their study of an East Asian language during their first year at Wellesley. Students with intermediate or advanced language proficiency are required to take a placement test to determine their proper course level. All students will choose an advisor from faculty within the department and will design their major in consultation with their advisor. Additionally, the Department strongly recommends that students spend a summer, semester, or full year studying at an approved program in the country where their language is spoken.

 

The EALC-Chinese major consists of a minimum of 8 units distributed as follows:

  1. Gateways to East Asia (EALC 221)
  2. Three core language courses to be fulfilled by either Track One (CHIN 202, CHIN 301, and CHIN 302) or Track Two (CHIN 203, CHIN 204, and CHIN 306).
  3. Two non-language courses, of which one must be a 200-level survey course.
  4. Two 300-level courses taken at Wellesley. One of these courses must be an advanced seminar in English with the CHIN designation. Only one may have the EALC designation.
  5. Students who wish to study two East Asian languages must finish 202 in one language before beginning the second one.
  6. One unit from another department at Wellesley may count toward the major provided the course is relavant to the student's program of study.
  7. Only one independent study (350) can count toward the major. 

 

The EALC-Japanese major consists of a minimum of 8 units distributed as follows:

  1. Gateways to East Asia (EALC 221)
  2. Three core language courses to be fulfilled by JPN 202, JPN 231, and JPN 232.
  3. Two non-language courses, of which one must be a 200-level survey course.
  4. Two 300-level courses taken at Wellesley. One of these courses must be an advanced seminar in English with the JPN designation. Only one may have the EALC designation.
  5. Students who wish to study two East Asian languages must finish 202 in one language before beginning the second one.
  6. One unit from another department at Wellesley may count toward the major provided the course is relavant to the student's program of study.
  7. Only one independent study (350) can count toward the major. 

 

The EALC-Korean major consists of a minimum of 8 units distributed as follows:

  1. Gateways to East Asia (EALC 221)
  2. Three core language courses to be fulfilled by KOR 202, KOR 231, and KOR 232.
  3. Two non-language courses, of which one must be a 200-level survey course.
  4. Two 300-level courses taken at Wellesley. EALC courses at the 300-level satisfy the requirement. Students on the Korea track may also take one 300-level from the China and Japan tracks.
  5. Students who wish to study two East Asian languages must finish 202 in one language before beginning the second one.
  6. One unit from another department at Wellesley may count toward the major provided the course is relavant to the student's program of study.
  7. Only one independent study (350) can count toward the major. 

 

Sample China-track major:

  • CHIN 103/104 Advanced Beginning Chinese
  • CHIN 203/204 Advanced Intermediate Chinese
  • CHIN 306 Advanced Readings in Twentieth-Century Literature and Culture
  • EALC 221 Gateways to East Asia
  • CHIN 220/320 The Fall of the Ming
  • CHIN 208 Modern Chinese Literature
  • CHIN 311 Dream of the Red Chamber (in English)
  • CHIN 382 Science Fiction and the Future of China

 

Sample Japan-track major:

 

  • JPN 101/JPN 102 Beginning Japanese

  • JPN 201/JPN 202 Intermediate Japanese

  • JPN 231/JPN 232 Selected Readings in Advanced Japanese (3rd-year)

  • EALC 221 Gateways to East Asia

  • CHIN 245 Chinese Women in a Century of Revolution

  • JPN 280 Japanese Popular Culture

  • JPN 309  Japanese Social Science Readings (in Japanese)

  • JPN 352  Postwar Japanese Literary and Visual Culture (in English)

 

Sample Korea-track major:

 

  • KOR 101/KOR 102 Beginning Korean
  • KOR 201/KOR 202 Intermediate Korean
  • KOR 231/KOR 232 Advanced Intermediate Korean
  • KOR 256 Gender and Language in Modern Korean Culture
  • KOR 309 Professional Korean
  • EALC 221 Gateways to East Asia
  • EALC 345 Seminar: Language, Nationalism and Identity in East Asia
  • CHIN 345 Chinese Women in a Century of Revolution
 
 
East Asian Languages and Cultures - Chinese Related Courses

CPLT 236/EALC 236 The Girl in Modern East Asian Culture (in English)
EALC 221 Gateways to East Asia (in English)
EALC 225 Traditional Romances of East Asia (in English)
EALC 253/THST 253 Telling Stories in China, Japan, and Korea: The Performing Tradition in East Asia
EALC 325 Traditional Romances of East Asia (in English)

 

East Asian Languages and Cultures - Japanese Related Courses
CPLT 236/EALC 236 The Girl in Modern East Asian Culture (in English)
EALC 221 Gateways to East Asia (in English)
EALC 225 Traditional Romances of East Asia (in English)
EALC 253/THST 253 Telling Stories in China, Japan, and Korea: The Performing Tradition in East Asia
EALC 325 Traditional Romances of East Asia (in English)

 

East Asian Languages and Cultures - Korean Related Courses
AMST 212 Korean American Literature and Culture
CPLT 236/EALC 236 The Girl in Modern East Asian Culture (in English)
EALC 221 Gateways to East Asia (in English)
EALC 225 Traditional Romances of East Asia (in English)
EALC 253/THST 253 Telling Stories in China, Japan, and Korea: The Performing Tradition in East Asia
EALC 325 Traditional Romances of East Asia (in English)