This list has been updated for the 2020/21 academic year. Old requirements remain available to students who declared in 2019/20 or earlier.

Requirements for the Major

Number of Units

8 units; not including SIP or language classes through CHIN 203 or JAPN 203.

Required Courses

Required courses develop language skills and expertise related to specific countries and familiarize students with the history and culture of the region as a whole. With approval of the director, courses with relevant East Asian content not currently listed here (e.g., one-time offerings by visiting faculty) can be applied to the relevant categories.

A. Language courses:

CHIN 201, 202, 203 (or demonstrated equivalent competence at CHIN 203 or higher)

                                     OR

JAPN 201, 202, 203 (or demonstrated equivalent competence at JAPN 203 or higher)

B. HIST 103 Introduction to East Asian Civilizations (1 unit)

C. One history course taken on campus (1 unit)

From among HIST 280, HIST 282, HIST 283, HIST 285

D. One literature course taken on campus (1 unit)

From among CHIN 225, CHIN 235, JAPN 236, JAPN 237, JAPN 238, or JAPN 239

E. One culture and society course taken on campus (1 unit)

From among CHIN 222, CHIN 245, CHIN 260, JAPN 240, JAPN 245, JAPN 250

F. Senior Seminar (1 unit)

EAST 490 East Asian Studies Senior Seminar

Electives (3 units)

Elective courses offer students the opportunity to explore East Asia through a variety of disciplinary approaches. Majors will take three courses from at least two categories listed below. Students who wish to count on-campus courses related to East Asia that are not on the list below should consult the director. With approval of the director, students may count as an elective one non-language course from a long-term (six-unit) study abroad program or two non-language courses from an extended term (nine-unit) program.

Advanced Language: CHIN 300, JAPN 301, JAPN 302, JAPN 401
Literature: CHIN 225, CHIN 235, JAPN 236, JAPN 237, JAPN 238, JAPN 239
Culture and Society: CHIN 222, CHIN 245, CHIN 260, JAPN 240, JAPN 245, JAPN 250
History: HIST 280, HIST 282, HIST 283, HIST 285, HIST 288, HIST 289, HIST 397
Religion: RELG 273
Theater: THEA 397
Social Sciences: ANSO 288

Study Abroad

Students must complete at least a long-term (six-unit) study abroad in China, Japan, or Korea.

Requirements for the SIP

Doing a SIP in EAS offers students the opportunity to study independently a topic of interest in the multi-disciplinary area of EAS. Customarily, SIPs in EAS, Chinese, or Japanese have taken either the form of translations, combined with a critical essay contextualizing the translation, or an original research project, based on library research or some combination of such research with surveys, interviews, site visits, etc. Any SIPs that fall outside one of these more general categories must have the prior written approval of an advisor before it can be pursued. The final SIP product should consist of roughly 25 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font. Those working in another medium should consult with their advisor concerning the length of their SIP. Except in extraordinary circumstances, EAS SIPs will be conducted in the Fall term only and will be for one credit.

Students undertaking SIPs that involve human subjects, including interviews, must first obtain approval from the College’s Institutional Review Board. Please see the following website and follow the instructions given there:https://reason.kzoo.edu/irb/steps

Students are encouraged to look at prior SIPs, which are cached on the K website.

Tentative SIP Schedule

SPRING OF JUNIOR YEAR: By mid-term, students should have chosen an area of interest and begun consulting with a faculty member in the program. Those still on study abroad will have to do this via email. After discussion and finding the most appropriate SIP advisor, students will work up a SIP proposal, outlining the contours of study and, as far as can be known at the time, the research question to be addressed. By the end of the term, after discussion with the advisor, a proposal should be in a form acceptable to both. The student must submit a document that will constitute a SIP proposal of at least a page in length, before being permitted to register for the SIP course. Keep in mind that this is a provisional plan; the research question is still a bit tentative. [The program reserves the right to assign SIP advisors to even out faculty workload.]

Students who are on campus in spring should complete a SIP contract and register for a SIP during course pre-registration for Fall. Students who are on study abroad in the Spring term should, nonetheless, do all of the above, submitting their SIP proposals by the end of Spring term via email, although actual SIP registration may occur at the beginning of Fall term.

SUMMER: Once the proposal has been approved, students should begin to compile an annotated bibliography of sources. As the student consults and finds sources, they should be refining their research question as well. It is highly recommended that students maintain periodic email contact with the SIP advisor during the Summer.

FALL OF SENIOR YEAR: If the student has not been on campus in the Spring and registered for a SIP at that time, they should register for a SIP with the regulation SIP Contract Form by the end of First week.

All SIP students must submit to the advisor, their annotated bibliography (literature review) and refined research question by the end of First week.

Students should meet regularly with their advisor during the term.

A full draft of the SIP should be submitted by the Tenth week of Fall term. Students should expect to do multiple and at times extensive rewriting and editing during the Winter break

The final version of the SIP is due the Friday of the First week of Winter term.

Useful Websites for Researching, Writing, and Completing a SIP

Kalamazoo College SIP Information

How to prepare an annotated bibliography

Writing a research paper (Purdue Online Writing Lab)
(This site is extensive and includes information on annotated bibliographies and doing research.)

Writing a research paper (The Writer’s Handbook)

How to write an A+ research paper
(This site has useful and easy-to-use checklists for the paper.)