The East Asian Studies Center administers the East Asian Area Studies (EAAS) interdisciplinary major. This major is appropriate for students with a broad interest in East Asia, particularly China, Japan and Korea. In addition to being an excellent "first major," EAAS is a very attractive "double major" for students in other programs and in professional schools (Business, Cinema, Communications, Engineering, etc.).

How does an EAAS major differ from a major in East Asian Languages and Cultures? If your interests are in historical or contemporary political, economic, social and cultural changes in East Asia, you probably belong in the EAAS major. However, if your interests are primarily in language, literature and culture, you should strongly consider the EALC major.

Major / Minor

Major in East Asian Area Studies

Degree Requirements

Language:
Majors must complete four semesters (16 units) of coursework in Chinese, Japanese or Korean language.

Lower Division Courses
Majors are required to take "East Asian Humanities: the Great Tradition" (EALC 110g) and "East Asian Societies" (EASC 150g) as introductory courses.

Upper Division Courses
Majors must complete seven upper division courses (28 units). Undergraduates choose from a catalog of courses approved for the degree (catalog available on this website) that offer a primary or significant focus on East Asia in general, or China, Japan, or Korea in particular. Because this is an interdisciplinary degree program, upper division courses must be taken in at least three different departments or schools, including one course in the history department. A third lower division course may be taken as one of the seven upper division required courses while advanced languages courses can also count toward the upper division course requirement.

Minor in East Asian Area Studies

A minor in East Asian Area Studies is a good complementary focus to a number of College and University majors. Students who have minored in EAAS have majored in a range of disciplines, including economics, religion, business, and public policy.

Requirements

Six courses (24 units) are required for this minor. All minors must take "East Asian Humanities: the Great Tradition" (EALC 110g) and "East Asian Societies" (EASC 150g). Four upper division courses must come from the East Asian Area Studies catalog of courses (available on this website).  One upper division course must be from the history department and one course from the humanities area. Minors must also take courses on at least two of the three East Asian countries (China, Japan, and Korea).

There is no language requirement for the minor in East Asian Area Studies.