East Asian Languages and Cultures Major

Goals for all students taking East Asian Languages and Cultures courses

• Comprehend literary works, newspaper reports, historical accounts, social media, audiovisual materials, and other authentic materials in the target language at the intermediate advanced level
• Present ideas in the target language and master levels of formality appropriate to specific social and professional settings
• Deepen understanding of East Asian socio-cultural practices through classroom work and study abroad experience
• Demonstrate knowledge of East Asian classical traditions as well as modern contemporary East Asian national literatures and cultures
• Identify salient marks of East Asian national cultures and draw connections among them
• Assemble research materials in both English and primary language sources
• Demonstrate analytic ability by employing methodologies that pertain to the subject of study

The department reserves the right to place a student in the language course for which she is best prepared regardless of the number of units she has offered for admission.

East Asian Languages and Cultures Major

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, CHIN 302

   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 relevant 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, 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 must be an advanced 300-level seminar in English with a 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 relevant 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, 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 relevant to the student’s program of study.

7. Only one independent study (350) can count toward the major.

 Sample China-track major:

CHIN 103 & CHIN 104	Advanced Beginning Chinese
CHIN 203 & CHIN 204	Advanced Intermediate Chinese
CHIN 306	Advanced Readings in Twentieth-Century Literature and Culture
CHIN 220 or CHIN 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
EALC 221	Gateways to East Asia

 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)
JPN 280	Japanese Popular Culture
JPN 309	Japanese Social Science Readings (in Japanese)
JPN 352	Postwar Japanese Literary and Visual Culture (in English)
EALC 221	Gateways to East Asia
EALC 236	The Girl in Modern East Asian Culture(in English)

Sample Korea-track major:

KOR 101 & KOR 102	Beginning Korean
KOR 201 & KOR 202	Intermediate Korean
KOR 206	An Introduction to Korean Language and Culture(In English)
KOR 231 & KOR 232	Advanced Intermediate Korean
KOR 256	Gender and Language in Modern Korean Culture
KOR 309	Professional Korean Through contemporary Texts and Multimedia
EALC 221	Gateways to East Asia
EALC 345	Seminar: Language, Nationalism, and Identity in East Asia

Honors in East Asian Languages and Cultures

The only route to honors in the Chinese Language and Culture and Japanese Language and Culture majors requires writing a thesis and passing an oral examination. To be admitted to the thesis program, a student must have a grade point average of at least 3.5 in all work in the major field above the 100 level; the department may petition on her behalf if her GPA in the major is between 3.0 and 3.5. See Academic Distinctions.

Teacher Certification in East Asian Languages and Cultures

Students interested in seeking certification in teaching Chinese or Japanese should speak with the chairs of the EALC department and the Education department early in their college career.

Transfer Credits in East Asian Languages and Cultures

The transfer of credit (either from another American institution or from a program abroad) is not automatic. Students wishing to transfer credit from another institution must present proof of course content and performance to the EALC chair in the form of syllabi, written work, exams, and transcripts, as well as establish which EALC requirements are replaced by the transferred credits. Students wishing to transfer credit for language courses may additionally be required to take a placement test administered by the department upon their return to Wellesley. Relevant coursework at MIT (usually under the 21F or 21H designation) may be counted as Wellesley courses with the permission of the chair.

For students wishing to count transfer credit toward a major or minor in the department, the following restrictions apply:

• A minimum of four units of coursework for the major or a minimum of two units of coursework for the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean minors must be completed within EALC at Wellesley
• A maximum of three units towards the major and two units toward the minor may be transferred from another institution
• Non-language courses at the 300 level must be taken within the department for credit toward the major in Chinese and Japanese.

Advanced Placement Policies and Language Requirement in East Asian Languages and Cultures

A student entering Wellesley must have an Advanced Placement score of 5 or SAT II score of 690 to satisfy the foreign language requirement. AP courses will not be counted toward majors or minors offered by the EALC department. All students who wish to register for a Chinese, Japanese, or Korean class must take the appropriate placement examination. The department reserves the right to place a new student in the language course for which she seems best prepared regardless of her AP or SAT II score.

International Study in East Asian Languages and Cultures

In order to obtain credit for international study, students must obtain prior consent from the Office of International Study and the EALC department chair, as well as satisfy the requirements for transferring credit listed above.

East Asian Languages and Cultures-Chinese Related Courses

CPLT 236 / EALC 236	The Girl in Modern East Asian Culture(In English)	1.0
EALC 221	Gateways to East Asia (in English)	1.0
EALC 225	Traditional Romances of East Asia(In English)	1.0
EALC 325	Traditional Romances of East Asia (in English)	1.0
EALC 345	Seminar: Languages, Nationalism, and Identity in East Asia(in English)	1.0

East Asian Languages and Cultures-Japanese Related Courses

CPLT 236 / EALC 236	The Girl in Modern East Asian Culture(In English)	1.0
EALC 221	Gateways to East Asia (in English)	1.0
EALC 225	Traditional Romances of East Asia (in English)	1.0
EALC 325	Traditional Romances of East Asia (In English)	1.0
EALC 345	Seminar: Languages, Nationalism, and Identity in East Asia(in English)	1.0

East Asian Languages and Cultures-Korean Related Courses

AMST 212	Korean American Literature and Culture(In English)	1.0
CPLT 236 / EALC 236	The Girl in Modern East Asian Culture(In English)	1.0
EALC 221	Gateways to East Asia (in English)	1.0
EALC 225	Traditional Romances of East Asia (in English)	1.0
EALC 325	Traditional Romances of East Asia (in English)	1.0
EALC 345	Seminar: Languages, Nationalism, and Identity in East Asia(In English)	1.0