About

The East Asian Studies concentration focuses on China, Japan, and Korea, with attention to Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim. It provides a broad interdisciplinary and comparative perspective in an effort to deepen understanding of how, over time, these societies have dealt with problems common to all humanity, and how they view the world and themselves. The program can combine courses in anthropology, art history, economics, geography and environment, history, international relations, political science, religion, sociology, as well as language and literature. Students are encouraged to establish a firm basis in a specific discipline as well as to achieve a broad understanding of the East Asian experience.

Major Concentration Requirements (Registrar code: 0312)

Ten separate and distinct courses with a grade of C or higher are required for a concentration in East Asian Studies: one required principal course, two core courses, and seven principal courses. In addition to these ten courses, students are required to take at least two years of an Asian language and a complementary minor concentration. These five components of a major concentration in East Asian Studies are described below. Courses marked with a (*) will satisfy the humanities divisional studies requirement.

1. Required Course  All students concentrating in East Asian Studies are required to take CAS IR 275/PO 365 The Pacific Challenge.

2. Core East Asian Courses  The core requirement consists of one course on the pre-modern East Asian heritage and one course on its modern transformation. The courses should be selected from the list below, one from each group. Note that courses on this list not taken to fulfill the core requirement may be taken to fulfill the principal course requirement (item 3 below).

Premodern Heritage
*CAS AH 225 The Arts of Asia
CAS LC 250 Masterpieces of Chinese Literature (in English translation)
CAS LC 283 Chinese Civilization (in English translation)
CAS HI 389 Introduction to Early Chinese History
*CAS LJ 250 Masterpieces of Japanese Literature (in English translation)
CAS LJ281 Japanese Civilization
CAS LJ 282 The Culture of the Samurai (in English translation)
CAS PH 247 Introduction to Chinese Philosophy
*CAS RN 103 Religions of the World: Eastern
CAS RN 215 Japanese Religion

Modern Transformation
CAS AN 318 Southeast Asia: Tradition and Development
CAS AN 344 Modern Japanese Society: Family, School, and Workplace
CAS AN 379 China: Tradition and Transformation
CAS GE 381 Geography of Asia
CAS HI 390 Introduction to Modern Chinese History
CAS HI 391 Introduction to Modern Japanese History
CAS IR 368 Contemporary East Asian Economics (meets with CAS EC 368)
CAS IR 370 China: From Revolution to Reform (meets with CAS PO 369)
CAS LJ 283 Modern Japanese Culture in Cinema (in English translation)
*CAS LJ 350 Self and Society in Modern Japanese Literature

3. Principal Courses Seven principal courses are required. This requirement can be met by selecting from any East Asian humanities or social science courses offered at the University, including core courses not used to fulfill the core requirement. At least three courses must be taken in the humanities and three in the social sciences. Courses offered by the Art History, Modern Languages and Comparative Literature, and Religion Departments are considered humanities.  Courses offered by the Anthropology, Archeology, Economics, Geography and Environment, History, International Relations, and Political Science departments are considered social sciences. At least three courses must be taken at the 400 level or above (however, RN courses at the 300 level fulfill this requirement). One advanced East Asian language course at the 300 level or above may be used as a principal course. Click here to jump to the list of principal courses.

4. Required Related Language Courses  Knowledge of written and spoken Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese (or, where appropriate, another Asian language) through at least the 212 level, or its equivalent as demonstrated through testing, is required of all concentrators. Students interested in graduate study in an East Asian field or employment in the region are advised to pursue the language beyond this level, through either advanced language classes at Boston University or study abroad.

5. Required Complementary Minor Concentration  In order to ensure a sound disciplinary foundation, students concentrating in East Asian Studies are required to pursue a complementary minor or major concentration in one of the following departments or programs: Anthropology, Art History, Classics, Economics, Environmental Analysis and Policy/Environmental Science, History, International Relations, Linguistics, Modern Languages and Comparative Literature, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religion, Sociology, and Women's Studies. Students will earn credit for this minor or major concentration as well as for the major concentration in East Asian Studies. CAS permits dual counting of no more than two courses between a major concentration and a minor concentration, and no more than five courses between two major concentrations.

Students are strongly urged to spend a summer, semester, or academic year studying in East Asia. Language courses and up to five core and principal courses taken at other universities, and accepted for Boston University credit, may be counted toward the concentration.

Minor Concentration Requirements (Registrar code: B-0312)

The East Asian Studies minor concentration consists of (1) knowledge of written and spoken Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese (or, where appropriate, another Asian language) through the 212 level, and (2) six courses in East Asian Studies, including the two core courses. At least three of the non-language courses must be taken at Boston University.

Principal Courses

Consult departmental listings for complete description of courses.

Regional Courses
*CAS AH 225 The Arts of Asia
CAS AH 425 Seminar: Topics in Asian Art (either China or Japan)
CAS AH 530 Chinese and Japanese Calligraphy: History, Theory, and Practice
CAS AH 531 Modern Asian Art in Global Context
CAS AN 305 Comparative Family Systems in Asia
CAS AN 308 Food, Culture, and Society
CAS AN 350 Asians in America
CAS AN 505 Asian Development: The Case of Women
CAS AR 261 Heritage of Asia
CAS AR 262 Asian Gods and Goddesses
CAS GE 381 Geography of Asia
CAS IR 275 The Pacific Challenge (meets with CAS PO 365)
CAS IR 368 Contemporary East Asian Economics (meets with CAS EC 368)
CAS IR 520 The State and Public Purpose in Asia (meets with CAS PO 562)
*CAS RN 103 Religions of the World: Eastern

Chinese History and Politics
CAS AH 327 Arts of China
CAS AN 379 China: Tradition and Transformation
CAS AR 240 Archaeology of Ancient China
CAS LC 283 Chinese Civilization (in English translation)
CAS HI 389 Introduction to Early Chinese History
CAS HI 390 Introduction to Modern Chinese History
CAS HI 487 Continuity and Change in Late Imperial and Modern China
CAS IR 370 China: From Revolution to Reform (meets with CAS PO 369)
CAS IR 577 Foreign Policy of the People's Republic of China (meets with CAS PO 578)
CAS IR 585 Problems and Issues in Post-Mao China (meets with CAS PO 558)

Japanese Society and Politics
CAS AH 326 Arts of Japan
CAS AH 328 Modern Japanese Architecture
CAS AN 344 Modern Japanese Society: Family, School, and Workplace
CAS AN 505 Asian Development: The Case of Women
CAS HI 391 Modern Japanese History
CAS HI 489 Causes and Consequences of the Pacific War
CAS IR 570 Politics and Social Change in Postwar Japan (meets with CAS PO 569)
CAS IR 579 Japan in International Politics (meets with CAS PO 579)
CAS LJ 281 Japanese Civilization (in English translation)
CAS LJ 282 The Culture of the Samurai (in English translation)
CAS LJ410 History of the Japanese Language
CAS LJ 441 Japanese Press
CAS LJ 510 The Structure of the Japanese Language

Religion and Philosophy
CAS AN 375 Culture, Society, and Religion in South Asia (meets with CAS RN 375)
CAS PH 247 Introduction to Chinese Philosophy
*CAS RN 103 Religions of the World: Eastern
CAS RN 210 Buddhism
CAS RN 213 Hinduism
CAS RN 215 Japanese Religion
CAS RN 360 Taoist Religion
CAS RN 362 Chinese Medicine
CAS RN 363 Zen Buddhism
CAS RN 430 Topics in East Asian Religions: Meditation

Art and Literature
*CAS AH 225 The Arts of Asia
CAS AH 326 Arts of Japan
CAS AH 327 Arts of China
CAS AH 328 Modern Japanese Architecture
CAS AH 425 Seminar: Topics in Asian Art
*CAS LC 250 Masterpieces of Chinese Fiction (in English translation)
CAS LC 281 Post-Mao China in Film and Fiction (in English translation)
CAS LC 283 Chinese Civilization (in English translation)
CAS LC 284 Introduction to Chinese Women's Writing (in English translation)
CAS LC 286 Topics in Chinese Culture
*CAS LJ 250 Masterpieces of Japanese Literature (in English translation)
CAS LJ 281 Japanese Civilizatiin English translation)
CAS LJ 282 The Culture of the Samurai (in English translation)
CAS LJ 283 Modern Japanese Culture in Cinema (in English translation)
*CAS LJ 350 Self and Society in Modern Japanese Literature
CAS LJ 451 Topics in Japanese Literature
CAS LJ 480 Japanese Women Writers (in English translation)
CAS LJ 481 Rise of the Modern and Encounter with the West: Japanese Literature 1864-1945 (in English translation)

South and Southeast Asia
CAS AN 318 Southeast Asia: Tradition and Development
CAS AR 560 Archaeology of South Asia
CAS IR 369 Southeast Asia in World Politics
CAS IR 586 Islam in South Asian Politics
CAS RN 425 Topics in South Asian Religions