East Asian Studies Concentration

Note: These are the old requirements for the EALAC concentration. Please visit this page for the new requirements.

For students already committed to another major discipline, the East Asia Studies concentration offers students an excellent way to gain valuable historical understanding of the East Asia region, as well as ‘located knowledge’ about specific countries in their cultural and social formations. Students choosing the concentration will, like our majors, devote three years to language study, but are required to take fewer foundational and elective courses.

Prerequisite

Students must meet the following prerequisite prior to declaring the EALAC concentration: Two years of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Tibetan, or the proficiency equivalent (to be demonstrated by placement examination).

Language Requirement

Third-year Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Tibetan (completion of the UN3005-UN3006 level in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean; TIBT UN3611-UN3612 level in Tibetan), or the proficiency equivalent (to be demonstrated by placement examination). Students of Chinese may also complete UN3003-UN3004 to meet the third year requirement.

Students who test out of three years or more of a language must take an additional year of that language or another East Asian language at Columbia in order to satisfy the language requirement.

Introductory Courses

AHUM UN1400 (4 points) and one of the following four 4-point survey courses: ASCE UN1359, ASCE UN1361, ASCE UN1363, ASCE UN1365.

Electives

Two East Asia-related courses in EALAC or any other department at Columbia or Barnard at the 3000- or 4000-level, subject to approval by the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Concentrators may count Classical Chinese, Classical Japanese or Classical Tibetan as one of the electives for this requirement.

Concentrators are not eligible for the Senior Thesis Program or for Departmental Honors.