Asian Civilizations

[Najee Laboy]

ContactsProgram of Study Program Requirements Language Requirement Junior Tutorial Electives in the Major and Distribution Requirements Summary of Requirements for the Major Grading Bachelor's Thesis and Honors Minor Program in East Asian Languages and Civilizations Courses

The Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations (EALC) offers a BA program in East Asian studies that introduces students to the traditional and modern civilizations of China, Japan, and Korea, and provides them with the opportunity to achieve a basic reading and speaking knowledge of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. This program is interdisciplinary, and students may take relevant courses in both the humanities and the social sciences.

To graduate with an EALC major, students must demonstrate competency in a primary East Asian language that is equivalent to the intermediate (second-year) level of the language. Language credit toward the major will be awarded ONLY for courses taken and successfully completed either at the University of Chicago or through a study abroad or summer program pre-approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies. To demonstrate extant competency, students have the following options: (1) place into and complete a higher-level language course (20300 or higher), including Literary Chinese or Literary Japanese; or (2) successfully complete an EALC content course that requires the use of texts in the original language. For this second option, students are required to meet with the Director of Undergraduate Studies to find a suitable course and to get permission to count the course in advance.

All majors are required to take EALC 28989 Junior Tutorial in East Asian Studies. While it is expected that majors take this course in their junior year, exceptions can be made in consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Studies to take the course earlier or later in the program of study.

Students are required to complete an additional nine courses in the major. Out of these courses, one course must be on content from before 1900, one course must be on content from after 1900, and one course must be on an East Asian country/region outside of the student's country/region of focus (as determined by the language used to fulfill the language requirement). All courses used to fulfill the distribution requirements must be EALC courses; one course can be used to fulfill up to two of these requirements.

Of the remaining elective courses, up to six of may be for language credit. Many students will take an additional year of their primary East Asian language or a year of a secondary East Asian language. A beginning language sequence in the primary East Asian language cannot be counted toward the major; beginning sequences are acceptable for secondary languages. Up to three quarters of Literary Chinese or Literary Japanese may count either as language or as content courses.

Students who have demonstrated competency through course work, placement, or extensive prior experience/exposure to a language may substitute these courses with additional electives as approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Up to three of which may be a further year of the primary language or a year of a second East Asian language. Electives must include one course on pre-1900 content, one course on post-1900 content, and one course on a country/region outside of the student's country/region of focus (as determined by the language used to fulfill the language requirement).

To be eligible for honors, students must enroll in Autumn and Winter Quarters of EALC 29500-29600 Senior Thesis Tutorial I-II. EALC 29500 Senior Thesis Tutorial I may count as one credit (100 units) toward the major; EALC 29600 Senior Thesis Tutorial II may count only as general elective credit. Registration in the second quarter of the BA thesis seminar and continuation of the BA thesis is contingent on satisfactory performance in the first quarter of the BA thesis seminar. The BA paper must be substantially complete by the end of Winter Quarter. The BA paper may draw on material from other courses in the major; however, to receive credit for the Senior Thesis Tutorial and to be considered for honors, the student must write a paper that represents significant additional work. The BA paper is read by two members of the department and, if judged to be of A quality, the student is recommended for graduation with honors. Length and scope of the project should be agreed upon in consultation with the adviser. Use of original language material is desirable but not required.

Students may not use the BA project or paper from another program for the optional BA paper in EALC. Students who wish to discuss an exception to this policy should consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies before the end of their third year. Consent to use a single paper or project requires the approval of both program chairs on a form available from the College adviser.

Students in other fields of study may complete a minor in EALC. There are two options for a minor in EALC: a content-focused minor and a language-focused minor. Both minors require a total of seven courses chosen in consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Studies. For the content-focused minor, up to three of these courses may be in an East Asian language. For the language-focused minor, one content course and six language courses are required; at least three of the language courses must be taken at the second-year level or above. For both minors, language courses do not need to be in the same language, and both literary and modern language courses can count. Credit by petition may not be used for the language courses. Courses in the minor must be taken for quality grades, and more than half of the requirements for the minor must be met by registering for courses bearing University of Chicago course numbers.

Students who plan to pursue an EALC minor are encouraged to take EALC 15411-15412-15413 East Asian Civilization I-II-III (HIST 15411-15412-15413 East Asian Civilization I-II-III) to meet the general education requirement in civilization studies. Students who elect the minor program in EALC must meet with the Director of Undergraduate Studies before the end of Spring Quarter of their third year to declare their intention to complete the minor and submit the Consent to Complete a Minor Program form. Students choose courses in consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Studies. The director's approval should be submitted to the student's College adviser. Courses in the minor (1) may not be double counted with the student's major(s) or with other minors and (2) may not be counted toward general education requirements.

Contacts Program of Study Forms Grading Honors Timeline Major Program Requirements Summary of Requirements for the Major in South Asian Languages and Civilizations Sample Major Programs Minor Program Requirements Summary of Requirements for the Minor in South Asian Languages and Civilizations SALC Sample Minors Pune Program: SOSC 19016-19017-19018 South Asian Civilizations in India I-II-III SALC Language Courses Graduate-Level Language Courses Courses

The Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations (SALC) offers an undergraduate major leading to a BA in the Humanities Collegiate Division. The social sciences are integrated into our program through the civilization sequence, and courses in the social sciences and religious studies are usually included in a student's program of study. Students majoring in SALC will gain a broad knowledge of the literature and history of the South Asian subcontinent (i.e., Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka), and proficiency in at least one South Asian language that is equivalent to one year of study or more. Students currently can study Bangla (Bengali), Hindi, Marathi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Tibetan, or Urdu. As part of their course of study, students are encouraged to participate in a study abroad program in South Asia, such as the South Asian Civilizations in India sequence (Pune program). The SALC curriculum will develop the student's skills in formulating analyses of various types of texts (i.e., historical, literary, filmic), and students will also engage with social scientific approaches to South Asian cultures. The thorough area knowledge of South Asian arts, culture, history, and politics, and the critical and linguistic skills developed through the SALC degree may prepare a student for any number of careers.

Students who intend to join the SALC undergraduate program should fill out the appropriate form below and schedule a meeting with the SALC Director of Undergraduate Studies. Additional information about the timeline for completing these forms can be found in the corresponding section below.

Students pursuing a major or minor in South Asian Languages and Civilizations must take a quality grade in all courses used to meet department requirements. More than half of the requirements must be met by courses bearing University of Chicago course numbers.

In order to be eligible to write a BA thesis in SALC, students must meet the civilization studies sequence and language requirements by the end of their third year. By then, they must also have completed the honors form and returned it to the SALC Director of Undergraduate Studies. In Winter Quarter of the third year, the student will arrange to work with a SALC faculty member for the Autumn and Winter Quarters of the following year. It is the student's responsibility to find and make an arrangement with an appropriate faculty member who will be in residence during the student's fourth year. In consultation with the BA thesis adviser, the student must also suggest the name of a faculty member who will act as a second reader.

Students will research, discuss, and write the BA thesis in the context of SALC 29800 BA Paper I and SALC 29801 BA Paper II, for which they will register in the Autumn and Winter Quarters of their fourth year. Students may use SALC 29801 as one of their six content courses in the major. SALC 29800 will be for general elective credit only.

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