East Asian Studies

The MacMillan Center
320 Luce Hall, 203.432.3426
https://macmillan.yale.edu/eastasia
M.A.

Professors Daniel Botsman (History), Fabian Drixler (History), Aaron Gerow (East Asian Languages and Literatures; Film and Media Studies), Valerie Hansen (History), Hwansoo Kim (Religious Studies), Tina Lu (East Asian Languages and Literatures), Helen Siu (Anthropology), Chloë Starr (Divinity School), Jing Tsu (East Asian Languages and Literatures; Comparative Literature), Anne Underhill (Anthropology), Arne Westad (Global Affairs; History), Mimi Yiengpruksawan (History of Art)

Associate Professors Lucas Bender (East Asian Languages and Literatures), Eric Greene (Religious Studies), William Honeychurch (Anthropology), Michael Hunter (East Asian Languages and Literatures), Yukiko Koga (Anthropology), Daniel Mattingly (Political Science)

Assistant Professors Jinyi Chu (Slavic Languages and Literatures), Maura Dykstra (History), Kyunghee Eo (East Asian Languages and Literatures), Bo kyung Blenda Im (Sacred Music; Divinity), Charles McClean (Political Science), Quincy Ngan (History of Art), Marta Sanvido (Religious Studies), Hannah Shepherd (History), Rosa van Hensbergen (East Asian Languages and Literatures), Yoshitaka Yamamoto (East Asian Languages and Literatures), Emma Zang (Sociology)

Senior Lecturer Pauline Lin (East Asian Languages and Literatures)

Lecturers Usmon Boron, Ugyan Choedup, Hyemin Lee, Wonseok Lee, Sheng Long, J. Scott Lyons, Maddalena Poli, Luciana Sanga, Tulku Ngawang Sonam, Catherine Tsai, Yingxue Wang

Senior Lectors II Angela Lee-Smith, Rongzhen Li, Ninghui Liang, Hiroyo Nishimura, Peisong Xu

Senior Lectors Hsiu-hsien Chan, Min Chen, Boo Kyung Jung, Fan Liu, Jianhua Shen, Wei Su, Chuanmei Sun, Haiwen Wang, Yu-lin Wang Saussy, Mika Yamaguchi, Yongtao Zhang, William Zhou

Lectors Jingjing Ao, Seunghee Back, Hye Seong Kim, Hyun Sung Lim, Saori Nozaki, Yuki Sakomura

Fields of Study

The Master of Arts (M.A.) program in East Asian studies is a multidisciplinary program offering a concentrated course of study designed to provide a broad understanding of the people, history, culture, contemporary society, politics, and economy of China, Japan, Korea, or a transnational region within East Asia. This program is designed for students preparing to go on to the doctorate in one of the disciplines of East Asian studies (e.g., anthropology; history; history of art; languages and literatures, including comparative literature and film studies; political science; religious studies; sociology; etc.), as well as for those students seeking a terminal M.A. degree before entering the business world, the media, government service, or a professional school.

Course of Study for the M.A. Degree

The East Asian studies graduate program is designed to be completed in either a one-year or a two-year track. The two-year track requires the preparation of a master’s thesis and is therefore ideal for students who are keen to pursue focused, independent research under the guidance of a faculty member. It also provides students with an opportunity to pursue additional disciplinary and language training. Students who enter the two-year track with a strong command of one East Asian language will be encouraged to consider beginning a second (or third) language.

In general, students focus their course work on the study of China, Japan, Korea, or transnational East Asia. Some students may prefer to focus their course work on one or two disciplines, in addition to language study and courses focused on East Asia. Others may create a highly interdisciplinary program, taking courses in traditional disciplines such as history, literature, political science, religious studies, art history, or anthropology, as well as in Yale’s professional schools.

Applicants to the East Asian studies graduate program must indicate on their application whether they are applying to the one-year or the two-year track.

Requirements for the M.A. Degree: One-Year Track

Language Proficiency Students must demonstrate proficiency in one’s primary East Asian research language equivalent to Yale’s third-year level, demonstrated by: 

  1. native fluency;
  2. completion of the language placement and proficiency exam (https://eall.yale.edu/academics/language-programs) offered by the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures; or 
  3. completion of two terms of language courses at the third-year level at Yale. 

Eight Courses With the exception of East Asian language classes, all classes must be at the graduate level (either a code 5000 or above class, or an undergraduate class approved for graduate credit). If approved by the DGS, one graduate course taken for a grade of Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory in other departments or programs in which these courses are counted toward that department/program’s requirements will be counted toward the eight-course requirement.

A maximum of four East Asian language classes can be counted toward degree requirements. Four of the eight courses must be East Asian studies classes. These four classes may include:

  • a maximum of one independent study class on an East Asian studies topic
  • graduate-level courses that appear on the East Asian studies course list (https://ceas.yale.edu/academics/courses)
  • with DGS approval, one non-East Asian studies class for which a final paper or project is written on an East Asian studies topic. The final paper must be submitted to the DGS at the end of the term. In exceptional cases the DGS may approve, in consultation with the academic mentor, additional non-EA classes (with a final EA paper/project).

The course of study must be approved by the DGS.

Special Requirements

Students must earn two Honors grades (“H”) over the course of their two terms at Yale. Honors grades earned in any language course cannot be counted toward satisfying this requirement, except with the permission of the DGS.

Requirements for the M.A. Degree: Two-Year Track

Language Proficiency Students must demonstrate proficiency in one’s primary East Asian research language equivalent to Yale’s fourth-year level, demonstrated by:

  1. native fluency;
  2. completion of the language placement and proficiency exam (https://eall.yale.edu/academics/language-programs) offered by the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures; or
  3. completion of two terms of language courses at the fourth-year level at Yale. 

Sixteen Courses With the exception of East Asian language classes, all classes must be at the graduate level (either a code 500 or above class, or an undergraduate class approved for graduate credit). If approved by the director of graduate studies (DGS), up to two graduate courses taken for a grade of Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory in other departments or programs in which these courses are counted toward that department/program’s requirements will be counted toward the sixteen-course requirement.

A maximum of eight East Asian language classes can be counted toward degree requirements. One of the sixteen courses is EAST 9900, Master's Thesis. Eight of the sixteen courses must be East Asian studies classes. These eight classes may include:

  • a maximum of two independent study class on an East Asian studies topic 
  • graduate-level courses that appear on the East Asian studies course list (https://ceas.yale.edu/academics/courses)
  • with DGS approval, two non-East Asian studies classes for which a final paper or project is written on an East Asian studies topic. The final paper must be submitted to the DGS at the end of the semester. In exceptional cases the DGS may approve, in consultation with the academic mentor, additional non-EA classes (with a final EA paper/project).

The course of study must be approved by the DGS.

Special Requirements

Students must earn four Honors grades (“H”) over the course of their four terms at Yale. Honors grades earned in any language course cannot be counted toward satisfying this requirement, except with the permission of the DGS. A master’s thesis is also required.

Master’s Thesis

A master’s thesis is required of students enrolled in the two-year degree program. The master’s thesis is based on research in a topic approved by the DGS and advised by a faculty member with specialized competence in the chosen topic. M.A. students must register for EAST 9900, which may count toward the sixteen required courses. EAST 9900 may not be taken for audit. Students may register for an additional independent study to prepare topics and begin research. The master’s thesis must be prepared according to CEAS guidelines and is due in the student’s second year on a mid-December date (if completed in the fall term) or an early-May date (if completed in the spring term) as specified by CEAS.

Joint-Degree Programs

The Council on East Asian Studies (CEAS) collaborates with three of Yale’s professional schools—Environment, Law, and Public Health—and has developed joint-degree programs that offer a strong connection between two demanding courses of study while also fulfilling the requirements of each separate school. Only students enrolled in the two-year track of the East Asian studies M.A. degree program are eligible for a joint degree.

Each joint program leads to the simultaneous award of two graduate professional degrees: the M.A. in East Asian studies from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and an M.F., M.E.M., M.E.Sc., M.F.S., J.D., or M.P.H. from the relevant professional school. Students can earn the two degrees simultaneously in less time than if they were pursued sequentially.

With the exception of the joint M.A./J.D. program, which requires four years, completion of all requirements takes three years. Typically candidates spend the first year in one program and the second year in the partner program. During the third and final year of study, students register in one program each term. Joint-degree students are guided in this process by a committee composed of the DGS and a faculty member of the relevant professional school.

Candidates must submit formal applications to both the graduate school and the relevant professional school and be admitted separately to each school, i.e., each school makes its decision independently. It is highly recommended that students apply to and enter a joint-degree program from the outset, although it is possible to apply to the second program once matriculated at Yale.


Program materials are available upon request to the Council on East Asian Studies, Yale University, PO Box 208206, New Haven CT 06520-8206; e-mail, eastasian.studies@yale.edu; Applications are available online at http://gsas.yale.edu/admission; email, graduate.admissions@yale.edu.

Courses

Please consult the course information available online at http://ceas.yale.edu/academics/courses and https://courses.yale.edu for a complete list of East Asian-related courses offered at Yale University.

EAST 5301a, Advanced Readings in Tokugawa Documents  Masato Takenouchi

The holdings of the Yale University Library include numerous collections of invaluable pre-modern Japanese documents, including many, such as the “Kyoto Komonjo” collection, which make it possible to delve deep into the history of Tokugawa period (1600–1868) Japan. In the last two years, moreover, the Council on East Asian Studies has been able to acquire a variety of fascinating new collections of Tokugawa period documents to augment the library’s existing holdings. As a result, students at Yale now have the opportunity to use unpublished primary sources to study various aspects of Tokugawa period history in a way that is rarely possible outside of Japan. This course is intended to help graduate students and properly qualified undergraduates build the advanced skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to engage these kinds of materials independently and use them to pursue a variety of historical research topics. Students participating in this course should have a high level of competency in Japanese. Prerequisite: HIST 304J, Japanese Historical Documents, or instructor's permission.
F 1:30pm-3:20pm

EAST 5520b / PLSC 6850b, Chinese Thinking on International Relations  Feng Zhang

How have the Chinese thought about international relations and their country’s role in the world? How has such thinking influenced China’s foreign relations past and present? This advanced seminar canvasses Chinese thinking on international relations from the imperial epoch to the present, focusing on the post-1949 era of the People’s Republic of China. It is structured around three core engagements: the historical background of Chinese thinking; policy thinking of the successive PRC leaderships; and new strands of thinking at present. It examines both the evolutionary process of thinking and a body of prominent ideas and doctrines. Throughout the course, students have the opportunity to place China’s foreign policy in a broader and deeper intellectual context than is often the case.
HTBA

EAST 5521a / PLSC 6840a, China’s International Relations  Feng Zhang

This course examines China’s international relations with a focus on both historical context and contemporary developments. Beginning with imperial China’s traditional foreign relations and the “century of humiliation,” the course traces the evolution of Chinese foreign policy through the Cold War period to the present day. Students analyze China’s relationships with major powers and regions, including the United States, Russia, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and India, while exploring critical issues such as the Taiwan question, territorial disputes in the South China Sea, and China’s growing role in global governance. Special attention is paid to understanding the drivers of China’s recent assertive turn in foreign policy under Xi Jinping, theories of international relations as applied to China’s rise, and the implications of China’s increasing power for the international order. Through engagement with scholarly works and contemporary policy debates, the course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of China’s foreign relations and its emergence as a global power.
T 3:30pm-5:20pm

EAST 6222a / EALL 6000a, Sinological Methods  Pauline Lin

A research course in Chinese studies, designed for students with background in modern and literary Chinese. Students explore and evaluate the wealth of primary sources and research tools available in China and in the West. For native speakers of Chinese, introduction to the secondary literature in English and instruction in writing professionally in English on topics about China. Topics include Chinese bibliographies; bibliophiles’ notes; specialized dictionaries; maps and geographical gazetteers; textual editions, variations, and reliability of texts; genealogies and biographical sources; archaeological and visual materials; and major Chinese encyclopedias, compendia, and databases.
F 9:25am-11:15am

EAST 6423a / HSAR 6594a, Chinese Paintings at the YUAG  Quincy Ngan

This seminar explores the issue of authenticity in thirteenth through twentieth century Chinese paintings at the Yale University Art Gallery. Students become familiar with the different schools of connoisseurship and the major debates surrounding authenticity in the field of Chinese painting. Students learn about the methods for authenticating an attribution, as well as the rationale behind the dating provided by the gallery. Calligraphical inscriptions and seals on the works, as well as their physical condition, related conservation reports, and provenance are consulted as well. This class makes frequent visits to the gallery. Reading ability of Chinese is not required.
Th 1:30pm-3:20pm

EAST 8220a / CPLT 9053a / EALL 8230a, Topics in Sinophone and Chinese Studies  Jing Tsu

This recurring graduate research seminar and symposium examines different areas, periods, genres, and conceptual frameworks in Chinese and Sinophone studies. The topic this year is 1950s–2020. Prerequisite: reading fluency in modern and semi-classical Chinese. Enrollment is restricted; no auditors.
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

EAST 9100a or b, Independent Study  Staff

By arrangement with faculty and with approval of the DGS.
HTBA

EAST 9900a or b, Master’s Thesis  Mimi Yiengpruksawan

Directed reading and research on a topic approved by the DGS and advised by a faculty member (by arrangement) with expertise or specialized competence in the chosen field. Readings and research are done in preparation for the required master’s thesis.
HTBA