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Asian Studies

Located on the Pacific Rim in a city with one of the largest and most diverse Asian populations in the US, Occidental’s Asian Studies Department offers three majors: Asian Studies, Chinese Studies, and Japanese Studies. With faculty who teach courses across nine departments, the Asian Studies Department is interdisciplinary, offering courses on Asian societies and cultures from various perspectives, including American studies, art history, history, international relations, language and literature, media and film studies, politics, and religious studies. All three majors require the study of language and encourage significant study abroad in Asia with strong programs in China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. The deep interdisciplinary dive into Asian societies and cultures that the majors offer embodies the essence of the liberal arts tradition at º£½ÇÉçÇø and provides students with a strong foundation to pursue international and multicultural careers in an increasingly connected, globalized world.

Asian Studies

The Asian Studies major is intended for students who wish to engage in the study of societies and cultures from the Asian region. Building upon an interdisciplinary and transnational foundation, the Asian Studies major encourages students to pursue one or more disciplinary approaches to the study of Asia, such as art history, diplomacy and world affairs, history, Chinese language and culture, Japanese language and culture, literature, film and media, arts and culture, politics, and religious studies. Students may also explore particular issues of Asia across boundaries and disciplines.

Major

A minimum of 10 courses (to be selected from a pre-approved list of Asia-related courses, and not including the 2 units of senior comps work).

Survey Course

Students must select one course from the list below:

AMST 280/DWA 246	The United States and East Asia	4 units
ARTH 160	Introduction to East Asian Art	4 units
ASN 221	Asian Feminisms	4 units
DWA 253	Security in Asia	4 units
HIST 141	East Asian Survey	4 units
POLS 227	East Asian Politics: China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan	4 units
RELS 160	How to Live and Die Well in Buddhist Traditions	4 units

Language

At least two semesters of Chinese or Japanese numbered 201 or above.

Seminar

The following courses may count toward the one-course seminar requirement. Students are encouraged to take the seminar by the end of their junior year and to select from the list below in consultation with their major advisor.

ARTH 360	Women in Art in East Asia	4 units
ARTH 365	Gender and Art in Japan	4 units
HIST 245/DWA 245	China and the World	4 units
HIST 344	Contemporary China: Reform, Rise, and Crisis	4 units
HIST 346	The Transformation of Urban and Rural China	4 units
HIST 348	The Chinese Cultural Revolution and the Global Sixties	4 units
RELS 261	Between Empire and Appropriation: Buddhism in the Modern World	4 units
RELS 276	·¡³¾±è¾±°ù±ðÌý²¹²Ô»åÌý¸é±ð±ô¾±²µ¾±´Ç²ÔÌý¾±²ÔÌý´¡²õ¾±²¹Ìý²¹²Ô»åÌý³Ù³ó±ðÌý±Ê²¹³¦¾±´Ú¾±³¦	4 units
RELS 335	Downloading Deities, Mediating Meditation, Streaming Spirits: Religion and Media in Asia	4 units

Electives

Students must select six additional courses. In addition to CHIN and JAPN courses (numbered 201 and above) and any 4-unit ASN course, students may select additional electives from the surveys and seminars listed above or from the list below:

AMST 270	Asian American Literature	4 units
AMST 272/ASN 272	Asian Immigrants in American Society	4 units
AMST 280/DWA 246	The United States and East Asia	4 units
ARTH 160	Introduction to East Asian Art	4 units
ARTH 268	The Japanese Woodblock Print	4 units
ARTH 360	Women in Art in East Asia	4 units
ARTH 365	Gender and Art in Japan	4 units
ASN 130	Introduction to Korean Society and Culture	4 units
ASN 131	Korean Pop Culture	4 units
ASN 150/CSLC 150	The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons: Masterpieces of Classical Chinese Literature	4 units
ASN 161/CSLC 161	Modern Japanese Literature	4 units
ASN 193	Directed Research	2 or 4 units
ASN 221	Asian Feminisms	4 units
ASN 252/CSLC 252	To Dwell or to Wander: Reading Confucius and Zhuangzi	4 units
ASN 253/CSLC 253	The Golden Era: Literature of China's Tang and Song Dynasty	4 units
ASN 260/CSLC 260	Popular Culture and Literary Traditions of Early Modern Japan	4 units
ASN 293	Directed Research	2 or 4 units
ASN 295/CSLC 295	Topics in Asian Studies	4 units
ASN 393	Directed Research	2 or 4 units
CSLC 150/ASN 150	The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons: Masterpieces of Classical Chinese Literature	4 units
CSLC 252/ASN 252	To Dwell or to Wander: Reading Confucius and Zhuangzi	4 units
CSLC 253/ASN 253	The Golden Era: Literature of China's Tang and Song Dynasty	4 units
DWA 237	Cuba, Vietnam, China: Communism in a Post-Communist World	4 units
DWA 238	Identity and Citizenship: The South Asian Diaspora	4 units
DWA 245/HIST 245	China and the World	4 units
DWA 253	Security in Asia	4 units
EDUC 211	Asian American Education in K-16 Contexts	4 units
HIST 141	East Asian Survey	4 units
HIST 169/RELS 169	Transpacific Movements and Activisms: Asian and Asian American Connections Across the Pacific	4-units
HIST 242	Imperial China	4 units
HIST 243	Modern China: Colonialism, Nationalism, and Revolution	4 units
HIST 245/DWA 245	China and the World	4 units
HIST 248	Modern Japan	4 units
HIST 249	Modern Korea	4 units
HIST 344	Contemporary China: Reform, Rise, and Crisis	4 units
HIST 346	The Transformation of Urban and Rural China	4 units
HIST 348	The Chinese Cultural Revolution and the Global Sixties	4 units
MUSC 103	Music of Asia and the Pacific Islands	4 units
PHIL 213	Medieval Arabic-Islamic Philosophy	4 units
POLS 226	Contemporary Chinese Politics	4 units
POLS 227	East Asian Politics: China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan	4 units
RELS 120	How to Live in the Midst of Dying: Religion and Climate Change	4 units
RELS 150	Introduction to Islam	4 units
RELS 160	How to Live and Die Well in Buddhist Traditions	4 units
RELS 215	Shamans, Sages, and Spirits in East Asia	4 units
RELS 252	Islam and Capitalism	4 units
RELS 255	What is the Shari’a? Justice, Law, and Ethics in Islam	4 units
RELS 256	Borderland Buddhisms: Religion in Tibet and the Himalayas	4 units
RELS 258	Magic, Morality, and Modernity in China	4 units
RELS 261	Between Empire and Appropriation: Buddhism in the Modern World	4 units
RELS 266	Sexuality and Gender in Buddhism	4 units
RELS 276	·¡³¾±è¾±°ù±ðÌý²¹²Ô»åÌý¸é±ð±ô¾±²µ¾±´Ç²ÔÌý¾±²ÔÌý´¡²õ¾±²¹Ìý²¹²Ô»åÌý³Ù³ó±ðÌý±Ê²¹³¦¾±´Ú¾±³¦	4 units
RELS 335	Downloading Deities, Mediating Meditation, Streaming Spirits: Religion and Media in Asia	4 units

Honors in the Major

Students with an overall GPA of 3.25 and a major GPA of 3.50 may submit an honors research proposal at the end of the fall semester of the senior year. If the proposal is supported by two faculty advisors, the student will enroll in a 2-unit Directed Research in the spring to expand the fall semester senior comprehensive paper into a 40-page paper that will be evaluated to determine whether the student has achieved Honors.

Minor

Five courses (20 units) from the Asian Studies course list. CHIN 201 and JAPN 201 or above may be counted toward the minor. At least two of these courses must be taken at Occidental.

Chinese Studies

The Chinese Studies major enables students to delve into the study of Chinese culture through the lens of language, literature, and other disciplinary offerings on campus.

Major

Total of nine courses minimum.

Language Component

Four Chinese language courses, at the level of CHIN 201 and above.

CHIN 201	Intermediate Chinese I	5 units
CHIN 202	Intermediate Chinese II	5 units
CHIN 301	Expository Essays and Short Narratives I	4 units
CHIN 310	Expository Essays and Short Narratives II	4 units
CHIN 330	Topics in Fiction and Film	4 units
CHIN 338	Literature of China's Tang and Song Dynasty	5 units
CHIN 350	Classical Chinese Texts	4 units
CHIN 460	Translating Chinese I	4 units

Literature in Translation and Theory

Students must complete two courses from the list below:

ASN 150/CSLC 150	The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons: Masterpieces of Classical Chinese Literature	4 units
ASN 252/CSLC 252	To Dwell or to Wander: Reading Confucius and Zhuangzi	4 units
ASN 253/CSLC 253	The Golden Era: Literature of China's Tang and Song Dynasty	4 units
CHIN 338	Literature of China's Tang and Song Dynasty	5 units
CHIN 460	Translating Chinese I	4 units
LING 301	Introduction to Linguistics	4 units

East Asian Electives

The remainder of the nine total required courses are chosen from the below list of East Asia-related elective courses and can include up to two 201 and above CHIN courses.

AMST 270	Asian American Literature	4 units
AMST 272/ASN 272	Asian Immigrants in American Society	4 units
AMST 280/DWA 246	The United States and East Asia	4 units
ARTH 160	Introduction to East Asian Art	4 units
ARTH 360	Women in Art in East Asia	4 units
ASN 150/CSLC 150	The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons: Masterpieces of Classical Chinese Literature	4 units
ASN 252/CSLC 252	To Dwell or to Wander: Reading Confucius and Zhuangzi	4 units
ASN 253/CSLC 253	The Golden Era: Literature of China's Tang and Song Dynasty	4 units
ASN 260/CSLC 260	Popular Culture and Literary Traditions of Early Modern Japan	4 units
ASN 272/AMST 272	Asian Immigrants in American Society	4 units
CSLC 150/ASN 150	The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons: Masterpieces of Classical Chinese Literature	4 units
CSLC 252/ASN 252	To Dwell or to Wander: Reading Confucius and Zhuangzi	4 units
CSLC 253/ASN 253	The Golden Era: Literature of China's Tang and Song Dynasty	4 units
DWA 237	Cuba, Vietnam, China: Communism in a Post-Communist World	4 units
DWA 245/HIST 245	China and the World	4 units
HIST 141	East Asian Survey	4 units
HIST 242	Imperial China	4 units
HIST 243	Modern China: Colonialism, Nationalism, and Revolution	4 units
HIST 245/DWA 245	China and the World	4 units
HIST 344	Contemporary China: Reform, Rise, and Crisis	4 units
HIST 346	The Transformation of Urban and Rural China	4 units
HIST 348	The Chinese Cultural Revolution and the Global Sixties	4 units
MUSC 103	Music of Asia and the Pacific Islands	4 units
POLS 226	Contemporary Chinese Politics	4 units
POLS 227	East Asian Politics: China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan	4 units
RELS 160	How to Live and Die Well in Buddhist Traditions	4 units
RELS 215	Shamans, Sages, and Spirits in East Asia	4 units
RELS 256	Borderland Buddhisms: Religion in Tibet and the Himalayas	4 units
RELS 258	Magic, Morality, and Modernity in China	4 units
RELS 261	Between Empire and Appropriation: Buddhism in the Modern World	4 units
RELS 266	Sexuality and Gender in Buddhism	4 units
RELS 276	·¡³¾±è¾±°ù±ðÌý²¹²Ô»åÌý¸é±ð±ô¾±²µ¾±´Ç²ÔÌý¾±²ÔÌý´¡²õ¾±²¹Ìý²¹²Ô»åÌý³Ù³ó±ðÌý±Ê²¹³¦¾±´Ú¾±³¦	4 units
RELS 335	Downloading Deities, Mediating Meditation, Streaming Spirits: Religion and Media in Asia	4 units

Honors in the Major

Students with an overall GPA of 3.25 and a major GPA of 3.50 may submit an honors research proposal at the end of the fall semester of the senior year. If the proposal is supported by two faculty advisers, the student will enroll in a 2-unit directed research course in the spring to expand the fall semester senior comprehensive paper into a distinguished 40-page paper.

Minor

Five courses (20 units). At least four Chinese language classes, 201 and above; can include one Chinese literature in translation course or LING 301. Three of the five courses must be completed as Occidental courses (one of the three MUST be taken at the Eagle Rock campus. The other two may be taken at an Occidental-in-China campus).

Japanese Studies

The Japanese Studies major enables students to delve into the study of Japanese culture through the lens of language, literature, and other disciplinary offerings on campus.

Major

Total of nine courses minimum.

Language Component

Four Japanese language courses, at the level of JAPN 201 and above.

JAPN 201	Intermediate Japanese I	5 units
JAPN 202	Intermediate Japanese II	5 units
JAPN 301	Advanced Japanese I	4 units
JAPN 302	Advanced Japanese II	4 units
JAPN 303	Advanced Japanese Readings	4 units
JAPN 340	Language in News Media and Advertising	4 units
JAPN 350	Tales of the Supernatural	4 units
JAPN 460	Translating Texts	4 units
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Literature in Translation and Theory

Two courses out of the list below:

ASN 161/CSLC 161	Modern Japanese Literature	4 units
ASN 260/CSLC 260	Popular Culture and Literary Traditions of Early Modern Japan	4 units
ASN 295/CSLC 295	Topics in Asian Studies	4 units
CSLC 161/ASN 161	Modern Japanese Literature	4 units
JAPN 271	Fiction in Japanese Literature and Film	4 units
JAPN 460	Translating Texts	4 units
LING 301	Introduction to Linguistics	4 units

East Asian Electives

The remainder of the nine total required courses are chosen from the below list of East Asia-related elective courses and can include up to two 201 and above JAPN courses.

AMST 270	Asian American Literature	4 units
AMST 272/ASN 272	Asian Immigrants in American Society	4 units
AMST 280/DWA 246	The United States and East Asia	4 units
ARTH 160	Introduction to East Asian Art	4 units
ARTH 268	The Japanese Woodblock Print	4 units
ARTH 360	Women in Art in East Asia	4 units
ARTH 365	Gender and Art in Japan	4 units
ARTH 368	Japanese Painting	4 units
ASN 150/CSLC 150	The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons: Masterpieces of Classical Chinese Literature	4 units
ASN 252/CSLC 252	To Dwell or to Wander: Reading Confucius and Zhuangzi	4 units
ASN 253/CSLC 253	The Golden Era: Literature of China's Tang and Song Dynasty	4 units
ASN 272/AMST 272	Asian Immigrants in American Society	4 units
CSLC 150/ASN 150	The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons: Masterpieces of Classical Chinese Literature	4 units
CSLC 252/ASN 252	To Dwell or to Wander: Reading Confucius and Zhuangzi	4 units
CSLC 253/ASN 253	The Golden Era: Literature of China's Tang and Song Dynasty	4 units
HIST 141	East Asian Survey	4 units
HIST 248	Modern Japan	4 units
POLS 227	East Asian Politics: China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan	4 units
RELS 160	How to Live and Die Well in Buddhist Traditions	4 units
RELS 215	Shamans, Sages, and Spirits in East Asia	4 units
RELS 261	Between Empire and Appropriation: Buddhism in the Modern World	4 units
RELS 266	Sexuality and Gender in Buddhism	4 units
RELS 276	·¡³¾±è¾±°ù±ðÌý²¹²Ô»åÌý¸é±ð±ô¾±²µ¾±´Ç²ÔÌý¾±²ÔÌý´¡²õ¾±²¹Ìý²¹²Ô»åÌý³Ù³ó±ðÌý±Ê²¹³¦¾±´Ú¾±³¦	4 units
RELS 335	Downloading Deities, Mediating Meditation, Streaming Spirits: Religion and Media in Asia	4 units

Honors in the Major

Students with an overall GPA of 3.25 and a major GPA of 3.50 may submit an honors research proposal at the end of the fall semester of the senior year. If the proposal is supported by two faculty advisors, the student will enroll in a 2-unit directed research course in the spring to expand the fall semester senior comprehensive paper into a 40-page paper that will be evaluated to determine whether the student has achieved Honors.

Minor

Five courses (20 units). At least four Japanese language classes, 201 and above. Can include one Japanese literature in translation course or LING 301. Three of the five courses must be completed as Occidental courses (one of the three MUST be taken at the Eagle Rock campus. The other two may be taken at an Occidental-in-Japan campus).

Second-Stage Writing

Asian Studies

Students will satisfy the Second-Stage Writing Requirement by submitting a paper in English from a 300-level or seminar course (in any subject) in the fall semester of the senior year, which will be evaluated by the appropriate program chair.

Chinese Studies

Students will satisfy the Second-Stage Writing requirement by submitting a paper in English from a 300-level or seminar course (in any subject) in the fall semester of the senior year, which will be evaluated by the appropriate major coordinator.

Japanese Studies

Students will satisfy the Second-Stage Writing requirement by submitting a paper in English from a 300-level or seminar course (in any subject) in the fall semester of the senior year, which will be evaluated by the appropriate major coordinator.

Comprehensive Requirement

Asian Studies

Students will produce a 20-page paper written in English on East Asian comparative/transnational topic, typically by completing a seminar course or a 2-unit Directed Research in the fall semester of the senior year. In the spring semester, the student will make any required revisions and prepare an oral presentation to be given in English.

Chinese Studies

This requirement is fulfilled through either a seminar course (CSLC 252, or CHIN 460) or a 2-unit Directed Research in the fall semester of the senior year, in which the student will produce: either (1) a 20-page paper written in English on Chinese language or literature, including source texts written in Chinese; or (2) an annotated translation, with commentary, of a Chinese language text into English. In the spring semester, the student will make any required revisions and prepare an oral presentation to be given in English.

Japanese Studies

Students will fulfill this requirement by completing a seminar course or a 2-unit Directed Research in the fall semester of the senior year, in which the student will produce: either (1) a 20-page paper written in English on Japanese language or literature, including source texts written in Japanese; or (2) an annotated translation, with commentary, of a Japanese language text into English. In the spring semester, the student will make any required revisions and prepare an oral presentation to be given in English.

Transfer Credit Policies

The East Asian Studies Program does not accept online courses for transfer.

Students who earn a score of 4 on the AP Chinese Language examination will earn four units of credit and be placed into CHIN 201 while those who earn a score of 5 will earn four units of credit and be placed in to CHIN 202. Students who earn a score of 4 on the AP Japanese Language examination will earn four units of credit and be placed into JAPN 201 while those who earn a score of 5 will earn four units of credit and be placed into JAPN 202. The department does not award credit or placement for IB or A-level examinations.

At most four courses will be accepted in transfer toward the major. At most two courses will be accepted toward in transfer toward the minor.

For students transferring from another institution or students who have taken a leave of absence for at least one semester at most six courses will be accepted toward the major in transfer, while at most three courses will be accepted toward the minor in transfer.

Students should reference the Transfer Credit section for more details.