East Asian Languages and Cultures at WashU

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East Asian Languages and Cultures at WashU

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Welcome to the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. EALC explores the complexity and richness of human experience as expressed in the languages

About East Asian Languages & Cultures

Welcome to the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. EALC explores the complexity and richness of human experience as expressed in the languages, histories, cultures, and literatures of China, Japan, and Korea. Not only are the civilizations of East Asia among the world's most ancient, these three cultural and linguistic areas have also come to play a vital role in today's global economy. EALC offers a wide-ranging and diverse curriculum by means of which students may acquire knowledge and understanding of the literary, historical and cultural expressions of East Asia from ancient times up to the present. Our language programs also foster the ability to negotiate meaning in a culturally and contextually appropriate manner through the development of high levels of proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The emphasis in the East Asian Language and Culture programs (with concentrations on Chinese, Japanese or Korean), is on achieving and high competency in the relevant language and learning how to read texts from the target culture—literary, philosophical, cultural, historical, or even visual—with an informed appreciation of the contexts in which they were produced. The emphasis in the East Asian Studies programs is on achieving a somewhat broader interdisciplinary background on one or more East Asian culture areas, which includes basic language study, and an understanding of the cultural and historical heritage as well as issues and challenges these cultures face today. The shared goal of all of these studies -- language, textual and interdisciplinary -- is to acquire the cultural sensitivities needed to become sophisticated scholars and educated global citizens, as well as to provide a deeper appreciation of our common cultural experience and the intrinsic value of humanistic study. We offer courses in the languages, literatures, and cultures of China, Japan, and Korea leading to the following degrees:

Undergraduate Bachelor of Arts Programs:

Chinese Language and Literature (major and minor)
Japanese Language and Literature (major and minor)
Korean Language and Literature (minor)
East Asian Studies (major and minor)
Graduate Programs:

M.A. in Chinese Language and Literature
M.A. in Japanese Language and Literature
M.A. in East Asian Studies
Ph.D. in Chinese Language and Literature
Ph.D. in Japanese Language and Literature
Ph.D. in Chinese and Comparative Literature
Ph.D. in Japanese and Comparative Literature
Each of our language sections has established study abroad programs and institutional connections in East Asia that facilitate research for our graduate students as well as study and work experience for our undergraduates.

10/15/2022

Zhao Ma discusses a Qing era bed with students on the quad Saturday.

05/19/2022

Congrats to our 2022 graduates!

05/06/2022

Congrats to Ginger Marcus on an illustrious career at WashU!

Marcus, professor of the practice of Japanese language, retires this spring after 36 years. She joined WashU when EALC was still known as the Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages and Literatures. Marcus has taught Japanese language for 71 semesters and made a lasting impact on thousands of students of Japanese.

Rebecca Copeland, Ginger Marcus, Krystel Mowery Ginger Marcus, professor of the practice of Japanese language, retires at the end of spring 2022. Marcus, who joined WashU when EALC was still known as the department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages and Literatures, has taught Japanese language for...

04/20/2022

Congrats to Ran Wei, Japanese Language and Literature PhD student, on receiving a Center for the Humanities Divided City Grant for her proposal, “Constructing a Connected Flow—Literary Representation of Neighborhood
Network in the Divided Osaka (1920s-1930s)"!

Ran Wei, Japanese Language and Literature PhD , receives a Center for the Humanities Divided City Grant for her proposal, “Constructing a Connected Flow—Literary Representation of Neighborhood Network in the Divided Osaka (1920s-1930s).” Echoing the Divided City initiative, Ran Wei's project e...

03/21/2022

Who are the folks that work with us, and how did they get here? Read about the journey of Mitsutaka Nakamura (Japanese & Korean Studies Librarian Washington University Libraries) to librarianship, his recent initiatives with a Japanese lit reading group, & more! 📖 https://guides.nccjapan.org/homepage/news/news/Specialist-Spotlight-Mitsutaka-Nakamura

In addition to work at his home institution, Nakamura is part of our Digital Resources Committee (DRC), which collaborates to enhance digital & electronic access to Japanese information and tools for your research and teaching! Learn more on our website! https://guides.nccjapan.org/jpn-db-directory

11/22/2021

10/28/2021

10/18/2021

"Deep in the Japanese mountains where the cryptomeria are thick and time is forgotten, you may encounter a woman. She lives alone in a modest hut spinning thread. Content to watch the wheel turn round and round, to let the moon and sun spin past, she asks for nothing and bothers no one..."

Check out Rebecca Copeland's delightfully spooky essay about the yamamba, or Japan’s mountain witch, just in time for Halloween: https://ealc.wustl.edu/news/witch%E2%80%99s-challenge

10/07/2021

Address

1 Brookings Drive
St. Louis, MO
63130

Telephone

+13149354448

Website

https://ealc.wustl.edu/

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