Study civilizations, cultures and the contemporary importance of East Asia.

Explore the rich cultural heritage and the political and economic significance of the region through courses in anthropology, history, government, art history, literature and religious studies. Prepare intellectually, linguistically, and personally for further graduate work or professional careers as East Asian specialists.

  • Uncovering the history of ancient civilizations
  • Discovering the literary and cinematic traditions of other cultures
  • Assessing Western perceptions and misperceptions of China and Japan
  • Studying the role of women and feminism in other cultures
  • Exploring the geography of other nations from a religious, political, and cultural perspective

 

Life After Lawrence

Lawrentians can enjoy careers in...

Education, business and finance, diplomacy, global health and development, translation, information technology, study abroad programming, community and social services, entrepreneurship

Recent employers include...

Healthy Step Technologies Japan Co., Ltd., MISUMI USA, Google, BYG Advantage, V-cube Inc., The Field Museum, Institute of International Education, Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET), CIEE Teach in Korea

Lawrentians can earn advanced degrees in...

East Asian studies, Chinese and Japanese, public policy, business, law, multicultural teaching and learning, international affairs, philosophy, ecology and evolutionary biology, social work, marketing and international management, traditional East Asian medicine

At places like...

Columbia University, Stanford University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Minnesota, Marquette University, Pacific College of Oriental Medicine

Examine East Asian cultures through six lenses

Unlike at other colleges, East Asian Studies courses are not bound by a single department. Instead, you have the unique opportunity to engage your subject matter through anthropology, art history, government, history, literature, and religious studies, allowing you to more deeply comprehend the complexities of East Asian cultures.

Enhance your analytical skills with a new language

Achieve in-depth and critical understanding of East Asia, not only through coursework taught in English, but also with deep study of two languages essential to the region: Chinese or Japanese.

Experience China and Japan firsthand

Strengthen your Chinese or Japanese language skills in the streets and classrooms of Beijing, Shanghai or Tokyo through rich off-campus study programs and opportunities.

Explore the world's most rapidly expanding economies and cultures

Beginning with a foundation in traditional and modern East Asian history, you will be prepared to analyze how political and cultural traditions have evolved with modernization, and examine contemporary areas of social change, preparing you for further graduate or professional work as an East Asian specialist.

Components of the Major

  • At least one Chinese or Japanese language course at the advanced intermediate level or higher 
  • One course that situates East-Asian culture in a broader academic or international context
  •  
  • Traditional East Asian Civilization
  • Modern East Asian Civilization
  • Three elective courses from (e.g.):
  • Cross-Cultural Interactions Along the Silk Road, 200 BCE - 1400 CE;
  • The Transformation of the East Asian Metropole: Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai (1860-1945)
  • Half the Sky: Chinese Women's History
  • The Arts of East Asia
  • Chinese Contemporary Film
  • Theorizing the Female Body in East Asian Art
  • Introduction to East Asian Linguistics
  • Ethnography of Japan
  • The Art of Healing: A History of Chinese Medicine

Course descriptions and more courses.

The Chandler Senior Experience

Senior Seminar in East Asian Studies is a senior level workshop culminating in the completion of a substantial paper or project derived from previous coursework in the discipline or related fields or field experience in consultation with department faculty.

 

Mandarin and Martians: A Reevaluation of Chinese Representation in Hollywood Cinema

The Fujoshi Resistance: Subversion in Boy's Love Manga and Fandom Culture

Evolving Patterns: Conflicting Perceptions of Cultural Preservation and the State of Batik's Cultural Inheritance among Women Artisans in Guizhou, China

Tus Kws Kho Hniav: The Hmong Dentist, a Study on Hmong Herbal Medicine

Examining the Transmission of Korean Cultural Nationalism in Popular South Korean Media

Faculty

Chair(s)
Brenda Jenike (chair)
  • Ameya S. Balsekar
    Ameya S. Balsekar Profile Picture
    Associate Professor of Government
    Campus Phone: 920-832-6930
    Education: Brown University, B.A.; Cornell University, M.A., Ph.D.
    Interests: Political participation, identity politics and ethnic conflict, politics of Asia, comparative democratization, politics of human rights, multiculturalism
    Campus Address: Briggs Hall Room 213 Government
    Years at Lawrence: 2009-
  • Brenda Jenike
    Brenda Jenike Profile Picture
    Edward F. Mielke Professor of Medicine, Health and Society and Associate Professor of Anthropology
    Campus Phone: 920-832-6686
    Education: Pomona College, B.A.; University of California-Los Angeles, M.A., Ph.D.
    Interests: medical anthropology, disability and culture, culture and aging, family, gender, Japan and East Asia
    Campus Address: Briggs Hall Room 310 Anthropology
    Years at Lawrence: 2004-
  • Constance Kassor
    Constance Kassor Profile Picture
    Assistant Professor of Religious Studies
    Campus Phone: 920-832-7177
    Education: Smith College, B.A.; Emory University, Ph.D.
    Interests: Asian Religions, Buddhist Philosophy, Tibetan Buddhism
    Campus Address: Main Hall 411 Religious Studies
    Website: http://constancekassor.net
    Years at Lawrence: 2016-
  • Nancy Lin
    Nancy Lin Profile Picture
    Assistant Professor of Art History
    Campus Phone: 920-832-7302
    Education: Bryn Mawr College, B.A.; Columbia University, M.A.; University of Chicago, Ph.D.
    Interests: East Asian Art History and Visual Culture
    Campus Address: Wriston Art Center 220 Studio Art
    Years at Lawrence: 2016-
  • Kuo-ming Sung
     
    Associate Professor of Chinese and Linguistics
    Campus Phone: 920-832-6709
    Education: National Taiwan University, B.A.; University of California-Los Angeles, M.A., C. Phil., Ph.D.
    Interests: generative linguistics, comparative syntax, language pedagogy
    Campus Address: Main Hall Room 323 Chinese and Japanese
    Years at Lawrence: 1994-
  • Brigid E. Vance
    Brigid E. Vance Profile Picture
    Assistant Professor of History
    Campus Phone: 920-832-7482
    Education: Carleton College, B.A.; Stanford University, M.A.; Princeton University, Ph.D.
    Interests: East Asian history (especially early modern China and Japan), history of science and medicine, and dreams
    Campus Address: Main Hall Room 409 History
    Years at Lawrence: 2015-
  • Matty Wegehaupt
    Matty Wegehaupt Profile Picture
    Instructor of Gender Studies
    Campus Phone: 920-832-7181
    Education: University of Wisconsin, B.A.; University of California, M.A.; University of Michigan, M.A.
    Interests: East Asian ancient and contemporary history, literature, and religion - with a focus on China and the Koreas. Ruism, Buddhism, Daoism, and other thought/practice in ancient East Asia. Anti-imperialism
    Campus Address: Memorial Hall Room 102 Dean of Faculty Office
    Years at Lawrence: 2008-