Master of Arts in East Asian Languages and Cultures
Why study East Asian languages and cultures?
The areas of East Asia covered represent 3 of the oldest continuous civilizations of the world. The great historical contributions of China, Japan, and Korea in literature, philosophy, and art are widely recognized and studied throughout the world. Today, the highly advanced industries of Japan, the enormous human resources of China, and the rapidly growing economies of Korea and Taiwan have contributed to the development of extremely valuable socio-political and economic ties between these areas and the United States.
M.A. Program Overview
The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures (EALC) is the only department in Kansas offering a regular program of instruction in the languages, literatures, and cultures of East Asia.
The EALC M.A. program trains students who will devote themselves to becoming effective links between the Far East and the United States. Students concentrate in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or East Asian Cultures, usually entering the program with at least two years of college-level language. The program typically takes two years to complete, including the defense of a Master's thesis or portfolio.
More information can be found in our Graduate Handbook.
FLAS Fellowships
Students in the M.A. program may also be eligible for a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship through the Center for East Asian Studies. FLAS fellowships include:
- Summer award - up to $5,000 for tuition and a stipend of $3,500 for living expenses for summer language study equivalent to one full year of language study
- Academic Year award - up to $18,000 for tuition and a stipend of $20,000 for living expenses for academic year study that includes two semesters of language and six credits or more of East Asian culture courses.
Students in the joint J.D./M.A. or who are also admitted to other programs are strongly encouraged to apply for this funding.
Admission to Graduate Studies
Admission Requirements
- All applicants must meet the requirements outlined in the Admission to Graduate Study policy.
- Bachelor’s degree: A copy of official transcripts showing proof of a bachelor's degree (and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees) from a regionally accredited institution, or a foreign university with equivalent bachelor's degree requirements is required.
- English proficiency: Proof of English proficiency for non-native or non-native-like English speakers is required. There are two bands of English proficiency, including Admission and Full proficiency. For applicants to online programs, Full proficiency is required.
Admission to the M.A. program
Apply to the EALC M.A. program via the Office of Graduate Studies online application system. For additional information regarding departmental admissions requirements and the application process, please contact the EALC Department Graduate Program directly at ealc@ku.edu.
All United States citizens and permanent residents applying to the EALC graduate program are encouraged to apply for the FLAS Fellowship.
Application Materials
- A current C.V. (Curriculum Vitae) or resume.
- A Statement of Purpose explaining your academic objectives. Please describe the research interests and goals that you intend to pursue in light of specific strengths that can be found among the faculty at KU.
- A writing sample that demonstrates your writing skills and basic research capacity. A research paper from a previous upper-level undergraduate course will suffice.
- The names and emails of three references. These references will be contacted directly by KU for letters of recommendation. Please alert your references in advance.
- Copies of official transcripts from all institutions from which a degree was obtained and from all institutions attended post-bachelor's. *
- Official GRE scores (strongly recommended)
*International applicants who obtained degrees from the People's Republic of China must also provide an official copy of his or her Degree Certificate or "Xuewei Zheng." A Graduate Certificate only, or "Biye Zheng," will not be acceptable for admission to the program.
Master’s Program
At the time of admission, students must choose one of the following concentration options:
- Chinese language and literature
- Japanese language and literature
- Korean language and literature
- East Asian cultures
Students of Chinese, Japanese, or Korean language and literature gain in-depth knowledge of these ancient civilizations, which have produced some of the world’s greatest literature.
Students of East Asian cultures develop a broad interdisciplinary knowledge of East Asia. This concentration is for students pursuing professional or noncollege teaching careers, for students in the early stages of language training, or for students who have already acquired competence in an East Asian language.
While students may apply credit hours from study abroad toward their degree, at least 18 credit hours must be taken in residence at KU.
At least 50% of coursework for the master’s degree must be taken at the 700 level or above.
Admission prerequisites
Entrance requirements for a concentration in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean language and literature include
- 3 years of the modern language and, for Chinese language students, one year of classical Chinese or the demonstrated equivalent. Students not meeting this prerequisite may be admitted with deficiencies provided they achieve this level of proficiency outside the minimum of 30 graduate credit hours required for the degree.*
- 2 lecture courses dealing with East Asia.
Entrance requirements for a concentration in East Asian cultures are
- At least 2 years of an East Asian language. Students not meeting this prerequisite may be admitted with deficiencies provided they achieve this level of proficiency outside the minimum of 30 graduate credit hours required for the degree.*
- 2 lecture courses dealing with East Asia.
Concentration in Chinese Language and Literature
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Two advanced modern language courses: | 10 | |
| Advanced Modern Chinese I | ||
| Advanced Modern Chinese II | ||
| Two language courses from selection below: | 6 | |
| Introduction to Classical Chinese | ||
| Readings in Classical Chinese: _____ | ||
| Modern Chinese Texts I | ||
| Modern Chinese Texts II | ||
| Readings in Classical Chinese: _____ | ||
| Modern Chinese Texts I | ||
| Modern Chinese Texts II | ||
| At least one course at the 500+ level in Chinese literature | 3 | |
| Modern Chinese Fiction & Film | ||
| Contemporary Chinese Fiction and Film | ||
| China's Cultural Legacy | ||
| Sexual Politics in Chinese Literature and Culture: Premodern Times | ||
| Readings in Modern Chinese Literature | ||
| Daily Life in China from the Opium War to 1911 | ||
| Ancient China | ||
| A minimum of one course outside target language | 3 | |
| A minimum of one course involving research methods, to be determined in consultation with the Thesis/Faculty Advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies | 3 | |
| One additional elective at the 500-level or above, which can be an EALC course or from another department | 3 | |
| Completion Option | 3 | |
| Students select one of the following culminating effort options for a total of 3 hours: | ||
Master's Thesis: EALC 899 - Master's Thesis | ||
OR | ||
Portfolio Option: One additional elective course; can be outside the department | ||
| Total Hours | 31 | |
Concentration in Japanese Language and Literature
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Two advanced modern language courses: | 10 | |
| Advanced Modern Japanese I | ||
| Advanced Modern Japanese II | ||
| Two language courses from selection below: | 6 | |
| Modern Japanese Texts I | ||
| Modern Japanese Texts II | ||
| Modern Japanese Texts I | ||
| Modern Japanese Texts II | ||
| At least one course at the 500+ level in Japanese literature: | 3 | |
| Religion in Japan | ||
| Manga: Histories and Theories | ||
| Fiction and Film in Japan | ||
| Survey of Japanese Film | ||
| Contemporary Japanese Literature in Translation: 1945-Present | ||
| Contemporary Japanese Film | ||
| A minimum of one course outside of target language | 3 | |
| A minimum of one course involving research methods, to be determined in consultation with the Thesis/Faculty Advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies | 3 | |
| One additional elective at the 500-level or above, which can be an EALC course or from another department | 3 | |
| Completion Option | 3 | |
| Students select one of the following degree culminating effort options for a total of 3 hours: | ||
Master's Thesis: EALC 899 - Master's Thesis | ||
OR | ||
Portfolio Option: One additional elective course; can be outside the department | ||
| Total Hours | 31 | |
Concentration in Korean Language and Literature
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Two advanced modern language courses: | 10 | |
| Advanced Modern Korean I | ||
| Advanced Modern Korean II | ||
| Two language courses from selection below: | 6 | |
| Modern Korean Texts I | ||
| Modern Korean Texts II | ||
| Modern Korean Texts I | ||
| Modern Korean Texts II | ||
| At least one course at the 500+ level in Korean literature: | 3 | |
| Colonial Korea | ||
| Post-Colonial Korea | ||
| Cultural History of Korea | ||
| A minimum of one course outside of target language | 3 | |
| A minimum of one course involving research methods, to be determined in consultation with the Thesis/Faculty Advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies | 3 | |
| One additional elective at the 500-level or above, which can be an EALC course or from another department | 3 | |
| Completion Option | 3 | |
| Students select one of the following culminating effort options for a total of 3 hours: | ||
Master's Thesis: EALC 899 - Master's Thesis | ||
OR | ||
Portfolio Option: One additional elective course; can be outside the department | ||
| Total Hours | 31 | |
Concentration in East Asian Cultures
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Two advanced modern language courses in one of the following langauges: | 10 | |
| Advanced Modern Chinese I | ||
| Advanced Modern Chinese II | ||
| Advanced Modern Japanese I | ||
| Advanced Modern Japanese II | ||
| Advanced Modern Korean I | ||
| Advanced Modern Korean II | ||
| One East Asian cultures course with focus on the advanced modern language region | 3 | |
| One 500+ level literature/culture course taught by EALC graduate faculty with focus on the advanced modern language region | 3 | |
| Modern Chinese Fiction & Film | ||
| Contemporary Chinese Fiction and Film | ||
| China's Cultural Legacy | ||
| Manga: Histories and Theories | ||
| Colonial Korea | ||
| Post-Colonial Korea | ||
| Cultural History of Korea | ||
| Sexual Politics in Chinese Literature and Culture: Premodern Times | ||
| Fiction and Film in Japan | ||
| Contemporary Japanese Literature in Translation: 1945-Present | ||
| Readings in Modern Chinese Literature | ||
| Daily Life in China from the Opium War to 1911 | ||
| Ancient China | ||
| A minimum of 2 courses on East Asian culture with focus outside of advanced modern language region or broadly on East Asia | 6 | |
| A minimum of one course involving research methods, to be determined in consultation with the Thesis/Faculty Advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies | 3 | |
| One additional elective at the 500-level or above, which can be an EALC course or from another department | 3 | |
| Completion Option | 3 | |
| Students select one of the following culminating effort options for a total of 3 hours: | ||
Master's Thesis: EALC 899 - Master's Thesis | ||
OR | ||
One additional elective | ||
| Total Hours | 31 | |
No more than 6 hours of directed readings courses may be included in the required 30 hours.
Students may, in consultation with the department graduate director, take other credit hours in a discipline or disciplines closely related to their studies. The balance between courses in EALC and related departments must be determined with the student's faculty advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies.
Completion Options:
Students select one of the following culminating effort options to complete the degree.
- Thesis Option
- A thesis that will demonstrate in-depth research on a topic in the area of concentration, typically completed over 1 or 2 semesters (EALC 899, 3 to 6 credit hours). Students in the Languages and Literatures concentration are expected to make significant use of primary and secondary sources in the language of concentration.
- In the final semester of study, the DGS, faculty advisor, and student will work together to assemble a committee of three graduate faculty and the student will be required to complete an oral defense of their thesis.
- Portfolio Option
- Must write three substantial research papers on East Asian topics (15-20 pages).
- At least one of the papers must be completed by the end of the second semester in the program.
- The papers will be evaluated and graded by the instructor of the class in which the paper is submitted. The grade must be A or B.
- The student will submit each paper to the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), plus an abstract (no more than 500 words) summarizing each. The student will submit the original copy with the instructor’s remarks and grade. The DGS may require revisions be made before final acceptance.
- With the permission of the DGS, students may include relevant courses in non-East Asian areas (such as linguistics, language pedagogy, anthropology, political science, and literary theory). A paper for such a course would generally not be used to fulfill the above requirements unless it was on an East Asian topic approved beforehand by the DGS.
- In the final semester of study, the DGS, faculty advisor, and student will work together to assemble an oral defense committee of three graduate faculty. The student will select one of the three papers to present and defend for their exam. The committee may also ask general questions about the two other research papers that were submitted to meet the portfolio requirements.
- Must write three substantial research papers on East Asian topics (15-20 pages).
*A language course result lower than 'B' may result in a departmental recommendation for probation status. If language course work performance does not improve after one semester, the student may be recommended for dismissal.
East Asian Courses in Other Departments
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Communication Studies | ||
| COMS 557 | East Asian Communication | 3 |
| Film and Media Studies | ||
| FMS 743 | Contemporary Japanese Film | 3 |
| History | ||
| HIST 510 | Topics in Non-Western History: _____ | 3 |
| HIST 584 | Modern China | 3 |
| HIST 696 | Seminar in: _____ | 3 |
| History of Art | ||
| HA 545 | Early Chinese Art | 3 |
| HA 788 | Proseminar in Japanese Art: _____ | 3 |
| HA 789 | Proseminar in Chinese Art: _____ | 3 |
| HA 980 | Seminar in Chinese Art: _____ | 3 |
| HA 990 | Seminar in Japanese Art: _____ | 3 |
| Political Science | ||
| POLS 668 | Politics and Society in China | 3 |
| POLS 678 | Chinese Foreign Policy | 3 |
| Religious Studies | ||
| REL 509 | Religion in Japan | 3 |
At the completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate mastery of relevant knowledge in the target culture, whether pre-modern or modern; and from such knowledge can explain literary, textual, cultural, socio-political, or linguistic topics using appropriate analytic and synthetic strategies.
- Demonstrate mastery of effective communication in academic language.