Learning Goals

By majoring in East Asian Studies, students should:

• Develop proficiency in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. By "proficiency" we mean the ability to:
  • Read newspapers, magazines, and popular literature.
  • Converse with a native speaker on non-technical subjects.
  • Write coherent paragraphs on non-technical subjects.
• Develop knowledge of the history of premodern and modern East Asia.
• Develop knowledge of the arts, literature, religions, and philosophies of East Asia.
• Develop knowledge of the geography, politics, economics, and societies of East Asia.

Faculty

This area of study is administered by the Asian Studies Committee:

Calvin Chen, Carol Hoffmann Collins '63 Professor of International Studies and Professor of Politics

Satyananda Gabriel, Professor of Economics, Teaching Spring Only

Sohail Hashmi, Professor of International Relations on the Alumnae Foundation and Professor of Politics

Kavita Khory, Ruth Lawson Professor of Politics, Teaching Fall Only

Susanne Mrozik, Professor of Religion, Teaching Fall Only

Naoko Nemoto, Professor of Asian Studies

Joshua Roth, Professor of Anthropology

Ajay Sinha, Julie '73 and Helene '49 Herzig Professor of Art History

Ying Wang, Felicia Gressitt Bock Professor of Asian Studies, Teaching Fall Only

Elif Babul, Associate Professor of Anthropology, On Leave 2024-2025

Amina Steinfels, Associate Professor of Religion

Lan Wu, Associate Professor of History

Kyae-Sung Park, Five College Senior Lecturer in Korean, Teaching Spring Only

Lisha Xu, Senior Lecturer in Asian Studies

Jinhwa Chang, Lecturer in Japanese

Shin-Yi Kao, Language Instructor in Asian Studies

Minhee Kang, Visiting Instructor in Korean; UMass Teaching Associate

Jumee Lee, Visiting Instructor in Korean; UMass Teaching Associate

Alice Kao, Instructor of Chinese

Requirements for the Major

A minimum of 40 credits:

¹

Japanese, Chinese, and Korean are taught at Mount Holyoke and elsewhere in the Five Colleges. A maximum of 16 lower-level language credits and a total of 24 language credits can be counted toward the major.

²

A full list of the approved courses for the major appears at the end of the East Asian Studies Courses section.

³

Language courses are not included in this group

⁴

In order to count toward the major, Studio Art or performance courses must be supplemented with analytical written work

⁵

A course that is taught outside of Mount Holyoke College must be approved by the chair of the Asian Studies program to count as a 300-level course.

Additional Specifications

• Any course that devotes 50 percent or more of its substance to East Asian countries, peoples, or issues may be included in the major.
• One course on East Asian diasporas (e.g., Asian American studies) may count toward the major.
• Students who declare an East Asian studies major automatically fulfill the College's "outside the major" requirement.

Related Courses Counting toward the East Asian Studies Major

Most East Asian studies courses at Mount Holyoke are listed below, but students should also consult the catalog entries or websites of other departments, including art history, history, international relations, politics, and religion. East Asian Studies majors should also plan to use the rich resources of the Five College Consortium in selecting their courses (listings are available through the Five College Class Schedule or individual college websites).

Please consult the chair of Asian Studies for guidelines regarding Asian languages not taught in the Five Colleges.