The Major

Students interested in the EALC Major or Minor must meet with the Major/Minor Advisor before submitting a Major/Minor declaration request.

Language: 6 c.u.

Students will be required to take six semesters worth of coursework in one language: Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. Students who test out of lower levels will fulfill the requirement by taking courses at higher levels, as deemed appropriate by the Language Program Coordinators. Students whose level is so high that it is impossible to find enough offerings to satisfy the 6 c.u. requirement, will be allowed to select alternative content courses in coordination with the Major Advisor. 

Content Courses: 6 c.u.

1 c.u.: Gateway Course. Choose one among EALC 0020 / EALC 0040 / EALC 0060

2 c.u.: Seminars. Students must take two seminars taught by core EALC faculty (any two courses with the attribute AEAM). Students will take one of the two seminars as a capstone course in which they will produce a research paper of at least 5000 words. When selecting a seminar to serve as their capstone course, students must a) reach out to the instructor at the time of enrollment and receive permission to take the course to fulfill the capstone requirement; and b) contact the Major Advisor to confirm that said permission was granted. 

3 c.u.: Electives. Students must take any three EALC courses. 

Additional Requirements and Options

1 c.u.: Breadth. Students may create a concentration by taking up to five (5) courses on the same country (China & Inner Asia, Japan, or Korea). At least one (1) course—either a seminar or an elective—must be taken on a second country as a breadth requirement. 

1 c.u.: Optionally, students may take one of their electives as a seventh language c.u. to complete a language certificate. This course must be in the same language selected for the language portion of the major. This course may not take the place of the breadth requirement. Students availing themselves of this option must take up to four (4) courses in one concentration, at least one (1) course for breadth, and one (1) language course.

This interdisciplinary degree is intended to offer undergraduates a course of study that focuses on East Asia as a region of the world and human experience, and provides an integrated curriculum drawing on the approaches of the social sciences, humanities, and legal studies. The program requires relevant courses in a number of departments and programs—History, International Relations, Political Science, Sociology, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Law—while maintaining high standards in language study. The degree is administered by the Center for East Asian Studies, an interdisciplinary institution that also facilitates interdepartmental initiatives and outreach programs.

At least 12 c.u. on East Asia are required, to be chosen from the published lists of relevant courses, and including the following:

Language: 4 c.u.

Four (4) c.u. in one East Asian language (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian or Vietnamese).

Content Courses: 8 c.u.

Three Gateway Courses (Any three courses out of EALC0020, EALC0040, EALC0060, EALC0080) - 3 c.u.

Two "Seminar" courses requiring significant research papers (any two courses with the attribute AEAA) - 2 c.u.

Three Electives: three additional EALC courses (see requirements below) - 3 c.u.

Additional Requirements and Options

Disciplinary distribution: Among the two seminars and three electives, at least one course in EACH of the following three categories: History, the Social Sciences, and Humanities. 

Regional coverage: Among the two seminars and three electives, at least one course centered on EACH of China/Inner Asia, Japan, and Korea. One or two of these may also be courses about the East Asian region in general.

Students interested in an EALC Major or Minor must meet with the Major/Minor Advisor before submitting a Major/Minor declaration request.

Languages: 12 c.u.

6 c.u.: Language 1

6 c.u.: Language 2

Content Courses: 6 c.u.

2 c.u.: Gateway Courses

2 c.u.: Seminars (see rules for 12 c.u. Major)

2 c.u.: Electives (see rules for 12 c.u. Major)

Content Courses Breakdown

2 c.u.: Gateway Courses. Choose two among EALC 0020 / EALC 0040 / EALC 0060, depending on the two languages selected.

2 c.u.: Seminars. Students must take two seminars taught by core EALC faculty (any two courses with the attribute AEAM).  Students will take one of the two seminars as a capstone course in which they will produce a research paper. When selecting a seminar to serve as their capstone course, students must a) reach out to the instructor at the time of enrollment and receive permission to take the course to fulfill the capstone requirement; and b) contact the Major Advisor to confirm that said permission was granted.

2 c.u.: Electives. Students must take any two EALC courses. 

Additional Requirements and Options

1 c.u.: Breadth. Students may take up to five (5) courses on the same country (China & Inner Asia, Japan, or Korea). At least one (1) course—either a seminar or an elective—must be taken on a second country as a breadth requirement. 

1 c.u.: Optionally, students may take one of their electives as a seventh language c.u. in either or both of the selected languages to complete a language certificate. This course must be in the same languages selected for the language portion of the major. This course may not take the place of the breadth requirement. Students availing themselves of this option must take up to four (4) courses in one concentration, at least one (1) course for breadth, and one (1) language course.

Students who have a 3.5 GPA in the major and who wish to receive honors must apply for admission to the honors program no later than the end of their junior year. Consult the major advisor for the application process. Students must find an EALC faculty member to serve as their honors thesis supervisor. The additional requirements for the major with honors include: 1) two additional electives in the student’s chosen concentration, one of which can be an independent study with the thesis supervisor. 2) enroll and complete EALC 4950 Honors Thesis with the thesis supervisor.

Students wishing to apply for the honors track must take their capstone seminar by the fall of their senior year, in order to be able to produce an honors thesis the following spring.

An undergraduate student may wish to undertake an intensified major program leading to the awarding of both a BA and MA degree. Such a program of study must be approved by the Undergraduate Advisor, the Undergraduate Chair, and the Dean of the student's undergraduate school. Students should first consult their College Contact (listed on Path@Penn).

Students wishing to sub-matriculate as majors in EALC may apply at pre-registration time in the second semester of the junior year. The application must be approved prior to the beginning of the fall semester of their senior year. Students must also apply to the Graduate School. Only graduate courses will count for both graduate and undergraduate credit. The student must fulfill the graduate requirements in a course and receive a grade of A- or above before the course can be counted for graduate credit. Courses required for fulfillment of the undergraduate major cannot be counted for graduate credit. Students who sub-matriculate can usually complete the MA degree in one year after receiving the BA degree. However, students with financial aid only have financial aid up to the end of the senior year.