Major concentration
East Asian Studies Major Concentration (B.A.) (36 credits)
Offered by: East Asian Studies (Faculty of Arts)
Degree: Bachelor of Arts; Bachelor of Arts and Science
Program credit weight: 36
Program Description
The Major Concentration in East Asian Studies provides in-depth training in the humanistic studies of East Asia (including language, society, literature, history, media, religion, politics, and art). The program includes core survey on China, Japan, and Korea.
Degree Requirements — B.A. students
To be eligible for a B.A. degree, a student must fulfil all Faculty and program requirements as indicated in Degree Requirements for the Faculty of Arts.
We recommend that students consult an Arts OASIS advisor for degree planning.
Complementary Courses (36 credits)
Introduction to East Asian Culture
3-6 credits from the following courses:
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| EAST 211 | Introduction: East Asian Culture: China. | 3 |
Introduction: East Asian Culture: China. Terms offered: Winter 2027 This course provides a critical introduction to central themes in Chinese culture. The course will also examine the changing representations of the Chinese cultural tradition in the West. Readings will include original sources in translation from the fields of literature, philosophy, religion, and cultural history. See course page for more information |
| EAST 212 | Introduction: East Asian Culture: Japan. | 3 |
Introduction: East Asian Culture: Japan. Terms offered: Winter 2027 An introduction to Japan which presents various aspects of Japanese literature, culture, history, religions, philosophy and society. See course page for more information |
| EAST 213 | Introduction: East Asian Culture: Korea. | 3 |
Introduction: East Asian Culture: Korea. Terms offered: Fall 2026 This course provides a critical introduction to central themes in Korean culture, including Korean literature, religions, philosophy, and socio-economic formations. See course page for more information |
0-3 credits from the following:
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| EAST 215 | Introduction to East Asian Art. | 3 |
Introduction to East Asian Art. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Introductory survey of some of the major developments in the visual arts of Japan, China, and Korea. Emphasis will be placed on the diversity of artistic traditions in East Asia and the intersections among these traditions. See course page for more information |
| EAST 216 | Introduction to Global Asia | 3 |
Introduction to Global Asia Terms offered: Fall 2026 Explores Asia as a global force shaped by migration, exchange, and transnational networks. Traces movements of people, ideas, and media—from Buddhist pilgrims and overseas students to diasporas and pop culture—revealing Asia’s central role in world history and contemporary globalization. Examines themes of nation, identity, race, gender, and translation through literature, history, theory, and film, highlighting how Asia has both shaped and been shaped by global interactions. See course page for more information |
| EAST 250 | Introduction to Asian Media Studies. | 3 |
Introduction to Asian Media Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The course explores core methods and theoretical approaches to media in Asia and beyond: material culture, technicity, media infrastructures, intermediality, circulation, platforms, regionalism, and institutional history. See course page for more information |
East Asian Language
6-9 credits of East Asian language courses selected from the list below.
Note: Admission to language courses is subject to placement tests.
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| EAST 220D1 | First Level Korean. | 4.5 |
First Level Korean. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Introduction to the basic structures of the standard Korean language. The aim of this course is to give students a basic knowledge of the Korean language. Special emphasis is put on handling everyday conversation, reading and writing short texts, and mastering basic grammar rules. See course page for more information |
| EAST 220D2 | First Level Korean. | 4.5 |
|
| EAST 230D1 | First Level Chinese. | 4.5 |
First Level Chinese. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Introduction to the basic structures of Mandarin Chinese, Pin-yin romanization and 750 characters for reading and writing. Emphasis on developing aural and oral skills through communication games and interaction activities. Animated films are used as part of teaching materials. See course page for more information |
| EAST 230D2 | First Level Chinese. | 4.5 |
|
| EAST 240D1 | First Level Japanese. | 4.5 |
First Level Japanese. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Introduction to the basic grammar and sentence patterns of the Japanese language in both oral and written forms. In reading and writing skills students will be introduced to katakana, hiragana and kanji. See course page for more information |
| EAST 240D2 | First Level Japanese. | 4.5 |
|
| EAST 241 | Japanese Writing Beginners 1. | 3 |
|
| EAST 242 | Japanese Writing Beginners 2. | 3 |
|
| EAST 320D1 | Second Level Korean. | 4.5 |
Second Level Korean. Terms offered: Fall 2026 The aim of this course is to give students a fluent speaking ability in daily conversation, advanced grammar knowledge, improved reading and writing skills. Special emphasis is put on the efficient use of grammar, enrichment of vocabulary, and mastering useful expressions encountered in everyday life. See course page for more information |
| EAST 320D2 | Second Level Korean. | 4.5 |
|
| EAST 330D1 | Second Level Chinese. | 4.5 |
Second Level Chinese. Terms offered: Fall 2026 The same communicative approach as in EAST 230 is used to develop aural and oral skills on daily topics. In addition to textbooks, Chinese films on videotapes will be incorporated as teaching materials. See course page for more information |
| EAST 330D2 | Second Level Chinese. | 4.5 |
|
| EAST 340D1 | Second Level Japanese. | 4.5 |
|
| EAST 340D2 | Second Level Japanese. | 4.5 |
|
| EAST 341 | Japanese Writing Intermediate 1. | 3 |
Japanese Writing Intermediate 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Intermediate grammar, vocabulary and kanji,focusing on writing skills and reading comprehension. See course page for more information |
| EAST 342 | Japanese Writing Intermediate 2. | 3 |
Japanese Writing Intermediate 2. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Intermediate grammar, vocabulary and kanji, focusing on writing skills and reading comprehension. See course page for more information |
| EAST 420 | Third Level Korean 1. | 3 |
Third Level Korean 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. grammar, enhancing written and oral comprehension and improving writing and speaking skills. See course page for more information |
| EAST 430D1 | Third Level Chinese. | 3 |
Third Level Chinese. Terms offered: Fall 2026 A communicative approach will be used to provide students with skills to communicate in various situations, express their ideas and feelings, and discuss various aspects of culture and life in China and in Canada. Teaching materials include Chinese movies on videotape and slides depicting Chinese life and culture. See course page for more information |
| EAST 430D2 | Third Level Chinese. | 3 |
|
| EAST 440D1 | Third Level Japanese. | 3 |
|
| EAST 440D2 | Third Level Japanese. | 3 |
|
| EAST 530D1 | Fourth Level Chinese. | 3 |
Fourth Level Chinese. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Development of skills required to conduct academic discussions in oral as well as in written forms. Teaching materials include original texts from Chinese newspapers, Chinese literature and videos. See course page for more information |
| EAST 530D2 | Fourth Level Chinese. | 3 |
|
| EAST 533 | Classical Chinese 1. | 3 |
Classical Chinese 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the grammar and syntax of classical Chinese. Readings are selected from well-known Confucian and Taoist classics, and philosophical and historical writings from premodern China. See course page for more information |
| EAST 535 | Chinese for Business 1. | 3 |
Chinese for Business 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course aims to provide advanced students of Chinese with training in the terminology and syntax necessary for business communications. Topics will include many different aspects of business negotiations, such as price negotiation, methods of payment, etc. See course page for more information |
| EAST 536 | Chinese for Business 2. | 3 |
Chinese for Business 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course is a continuation of EAST 535. It is designed to further develop students' linguistic competence for business communication, and to provide students with some knowledge on China's trade policies as well as on different methods of trading with China. See course page for more information |
| EAST 540D1 | Fourth Level Japanese. | 3 |
Fourth Level Japanese. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Advanced study of Japanese, with emphasis on reading Japanese newspapers. Classes will be conducted entirely in Japanese. See course page for more information |
| EAST 540D2 | Fourth Level Japanese. | 3 |
|
East Asian Literature, Culture and Society (21-24 credits)
21-24 credits of courses in East Asian Literature, Culture and Society selected from the list below. At least 6 credits must be taken at the 400 or 500 level.
East Asian Studies (EAST)
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| EAST 215 | Introduction to East Asian Art. | 3 |
Introduction to East Asian Art. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Introductory survey of some of the major developments in the visual arts of Japan, China, and Korea. Emphasis will be placed on the diversity of artistic traditions in East Asia and the intersections among these traditions. See course page for more information |
| EAST 250 | Introduction to Asian Media Studies. | 3 |
Introduction to Asian Media Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The course explores core methods and theoretical approaches to media in Asia and beyond: material culture, technicity, media infrastructures, intermediality, circulation, platforms, regionalism, and institutional history. See course page for more information |
| EAST 279 | Introduction to Film
History. | 3 |
Introduction to Film
History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to representative periods, movements and styles in the history of cinema, as well as questions of film historiography. See course page for more information |
| EAST 303 | Current Topics: Chinese Studies 1. | 3 |
Current Topics: Chinese Studies 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Consideration of important issues in Chinese Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 304 | Current Topics: Chinese Studies 2. | 3 |
Current Topics: Chinese Studies 2. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Consideration of important issues in Chinese Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 305 | Current Topics: Japanese Studies 1. | 3 |
Current Topics: Japanese Studies 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Consideration of important issues in Japanese studies. The content of the course will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 306 | Current Topics: Japanese Studies 2. | 3 |
Current Topics: Japanese Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of important issues in Japanese studies. The content of the course will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 307 | Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 1. | 3 |
Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Consideration of selected topics and aspects of East Asian literature and/or language. See course page for more information |
| EAST 308 | Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 2. | 3 |
Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of East Asian literature and/or language. See course page for more information |
| EAST 313 | Current Topics: Korean Studies 1. | 3 |
Current Topics: Korean Studies 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of important issues in Korean Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 314 | Current Topics: Korean Studies 2. | 3 |
Current Topics: Korean Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of important issues in Korean Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 328 | Archaeology East Asian Empires. | 3 |
Archaeology East Asian Empires. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of utilitarian and elite objects, art, architecture, cities and tombs from the early to medieval period dynastic states (ca. 221 BCE1-279 CE) to gain
understandings of developments and changes in economic organization, art, religion, political orgranization, internal interactions, and external connections, along with both elite and commoner life based on recent archaeological discoveries and research. Issues in archaeological practices and theories, and the use of received texts to understand the past will also be examined. See course page for more information |
| EAST 350 | Gender and Sexuality in Chinese Literature. | 3 |
Gender and Sexuality in Chinese Literature. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Gender and sexuality in modern and/or premodern Chinese literature with emphasis on representation of gender relations, notions of masculinity and femininity, morality and sexuality. Readings from fiction, drama, poetry, and/or other genres are approached from a variety of critical perspectives. See course page for more information |
| EAST 351 | Women Writers of China. | 3 |
Women Writers of China. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of fiction, drama, and poetry by women writers in imperial, modern, and/or contemporary China. See course page for more information |
| EAST 352 | Critical Approaches to Chinese Literature. | 3 |
Critical Approaches to Chinese Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course will examine traditional and/or modern genres of Chinese literature with a focus on different forms of Chinese and Western literary analysis. See course page for more information |
| EAST 353 | Approaches to Chinese Cinema. | 3 |
Approaches to Chinese Cinema. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Development of Chinese film in the 20th century, with an emphasis on both critical approaches to film as well as film history. See course page for more information |
| EAST 361 | Animation and New Media. | 3 |
Animation and New Media. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Animation and new media in East Asia, with an emphasis on postwar developments. See course page for more information |
| EAST 362 | Japanese Cinema. | 3 |
Japanese Cinema. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course will study the development of film in Japan during the 20th century with a particular focus on the analysis of film form, genres and history. See course page for more information |
| EAST 363 | Early and Medieval Japan. | 3 |
Early and Medieval Japan. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course examines cultural production in early and medieval Japan, focusing on calligraphy, painting, picture scrolls, gestures and their relation to textual production. Readings explore various classic texts, taboos against seeing and narrative modes of cognition. See course page for more information |
| EAST 364 | Mass Culture and Postwar Japan. | 3 |
Mass Culture and Postwar Japan. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course addresses a number of analytic approaches to mass culture in order to examine the culture industry of post-war Japan. Emphasis on narrative strategies in popular or consumer fiction and on the problems of marginalized writers. See course page for more information |
| EAST 369 | Gender and Sexuality in Asian Media. | 3 |
Gender and Sexuality in Asian Media. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. In this course, we examine contesting notions of gender, sexuality, femininity, and masculinity in Asian cinema and media. We study how individual works negotiate the social discourses on gender and sexual representation, identities, and performance, and how we may borrow conceptual frameworks from queer theories and histories at large to discuss them. See course page for more information |
| EAST 370 | History of Sexuality in Japan. | 3 |
History of Sexuality in Japan. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Social and cultural history of sexuality in Japan. Possible topics include pre-modern sexuality and relations to court, religion and anthropology; pre-modern sex and gender relations; modern sexuality and gender identities; sexuality and the rise of science; relation to nationalism; feminism and queer movements. See course page for more information |
| EAST 372 | Topics in Television: Asia. | 3 |
Topics in Television: Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course approaches television and televisuality historically, in regional, transnational, and global perspectives. See course page for more information |
| EAST 375 | Korean Media and Popular Culture. | 3 |
Korean Media and Popular Culture. Terms offered: Winter 2027 This course approaches popular culture and mass media in postwar Korea from historical and theoretical perspectives, with a focus on the connections between activism, mass media, and commodity culture. See course page for more information |
| EAST 377 | Topics: Transnational Asian Culture. | 3 |
Topics: Transnational Asian Culture. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Investigation of cinema's border-crossing modes of cultural production, reception, and circulation, to uncover the ways that the study of culture enriches current theories and approaches to the transnational. See course page for more information |
| EAST 388 | Asian Migrations and Diasporas. | 3 |
Asian Migrations and Diasporas. Terms offered: Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Introduction to the interdisciplinary study of Asian migrations and diasporas. Topics include colonialism and diaspora, transnationalism, globalization, citizenship, migration and the state, gender and migration, human trafficking, and forced migration. See course page for more information |
| EAST 410 | Martial Tradition in Chinese Literature and Culture | 3 |
Martial Tradition in Chinese Literature and Culture Terms offered: Fall 2026 China's martial tradition; themes such as war, revenge, justice, and the use of violence, alongside martial arts. Topics include: philosophical discourses on war, literary nationalism, and representations of these themes in literature, film, digital media, and games. Spanning from the 6th century BCE to the 20th century, the key periods and genres of Chinese literature and martial traditions beyond popular media. See course page for more information |
| EAST 453 | Topics: Chinese Literature. | 3 |
Topics: Chinese Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced seminar in selected genres, themes and issues in Chinese literature. See course page for more information |
| EAST 445 | Late Imperial China | 3 |
Late Imperial China Terms offered: Winter 2027 Examination of Chinese society in the Ming and Qing eras (1368-1912) through the exploration of themes like gender and sexuality, family, law, ethnicity and borderlands, education, literary production, and political organization. See course page for more information |
| EAST 454 | Topics: Chinese Cinema. | 3 |
|
| EAST 461 | Inventing Modern Japanese Novel. | 3 |
Inventing Modern Japanese Novel. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of the modern Japanese novel as a form which both affirms and resists the form of the European novel. Readings explore the particular problems of the Japanese novel in the context of modernization, westernization, and colonialism. See course page for more information |
| EAST 462 | Japan in Asia. | 3 |
Japan in Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course introduces theories of cultural interaction, interpellation, and intertexuality in order to reconsider Japanese modes of reception and selection of Chinese texts and technologies. Readings range from early Japanese to 20th century texts. Readings in translation. See course page for more information |
| EAST 464 | Image, Text, Performance. | 3 |
Image, Text, Performance. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Drawing on theoretical approaches from a variety of cultural and media studies, including cinema, performance and performativity, and elsewhere, this course addresses cultural production in premodern and/or modern East Asia. Topics to be addressed range from calligraphy and writing, to theatre, and film. See course page for more information |
| EAST 467 | Topics: Japanese Cinema. | 3 |
|
| EAST 468 | Science and Technology: Asia. | 3 |
Science and Technology: Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. History of science and technology in Asia with an emphasis on social and cultural impact and the legacy non-Western traditions. See course page for more information |
| EAST 477 | Media and Environment in Asia. | 3 |
Media and Environment in Asia. Terms offered: Winter 2027 The course explores the intersection between media and "environment" in Asia and beyond; topics range from media ecology, cybernetics, environmental art and activism, urban planning, and the history of communications networks in Asia in the modern period. See course page for more information |
| EAST 478 | Topics: Korean Film and Media. | 3 |
|
| EAST 491 | Tutorial: East Asian Languages and Literatures 1. | 3 |
Tutorial: East Asian Languages and Literatures 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced reading course in language or literature. See course page for more information |
| EAST 492 | Tutorial: East Asian Languages and Literatures 2. | 3 |
Tutorial: East Asian Languages and Literatures 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced reading course in language or literature. See course page for more information |
| EAST 493 | Special Topics: East Asian Studies 1. | 3 |
Special Topics: East Asian Studies 1. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Advanced reading course under supervision of instructor on certain aspects of East Asian Studies. Topics will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 494 | Special Topics: East Asian Studies 2. | 3 |
Special Topics: East Asian Studies 2. Terms offered: Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Advanced reading course under supervision of instructor on certain aspects of East Asian Studies. Topics will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 501 | Advanced Topics in Japanese Studies 1. | 3 |
|
| EAST 502 | Advanced Topics in Japanese Studies 2. | 3 |
Advanced Topics in Japanese Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Japanese culture and society. See course page for more information |
| EAST 503 | Advanced Topics in Chinese Studies 1. | 3 |
|
| EAST 504 | Advanced Topics in Chinese Studies 2. | 3 |
Advanced Topics in Chinese Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Chinese culture and society. See course page for more information |
| EAST 505 | Advanced Topics in Korean Studies. | 3 |
Advanced Topics in Korean Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Korean culture and society. Taught in English. See course page for more information |
| EAST 515 | Seminar: Beyond Orientalism. | 3 |
Seminar: Beyond Orientalism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examines the cultural stakes and ethical implications of applying Western European models of understanding to East Asian societies. Provides background on interdisciplinary debates around "otherness", "cultural appropriation", and "postcolonialism", focusing on their history within East Asian Studies and their impact on that field's methodological assumptions, self-definition, and institutional practices. See course page for more information |
| EAST 525 | Critical Area Studies in Asia. | 3 |
Critical Area Studies in Asia. Terms offered: Winter 2027 The course introduces students to foundational concepts, key debates, recent research areas, theoretical methods, and critical approached in area studies. See course page for more information |
| EAST 550 | Classical Chinese Poetry Themes and Genres. | 3 |
Classical Chinese Poetry Themes and Genres. Terms offered: Winter 2027 A study of major themes and genres of classical Chinese poetry from its beginnings to the Yuan dynasty (14th century), with emphasis on critical analysis of text and context. Readings of poems in the original. See course page for more information |
| EAST 551 | Technologies of Self in Early China. | 3 |
Technologies of Self in Early China. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Readings on self-cultivation drawn from Confucian, Legalist, and Taoist philosophic texts of early China (5th-2nd centuries B.C.) in translation will be compared with historical and archaeological materials on the evolving construction of the "individual'' in Chinese social structure, military organization, political and ritual codes. See course page for more information |
| EAST 559 | Advanced Topics: Chinese Literature. | 3 |
Advanced Topics: Chinese Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Chinese literature. The content of the course may vary from year to year, ranging from contemporary to modern to pre-modern literature. See course page for more information |
| EAST 564 | Structures of Modernity: Asia. | 3 |
Structures of Modernity: Asia. Terms offered: Fall 2026 This course explores relations between some of the principal sites which structure the experience of "modernity" in Asia (and elsewhere) - from bodies and cities, to the urban context in general. Along with general approaches (e.g. the idea of everyday life; questions of time), specific topics may include speed, music, architecture, crime, etc. See course page for more information |
| EAST 569 | Advanced Topics: Japanese Literature. | 3 |
Advanced Topics: Japanese Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Japanese literature. The content of the course may vary from year to year from contemporary to modern to pre-modern literature. See course page for more information |
| LLCU 279 | Introduction to Film History. | 3 |
Introduction to Film History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to representative periods, movements and styles in the history of cinema, as well as questions of film historiography.
See course page for more information |
Anthropology (ANTH)
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| ANTH 331 | Prehistory of East Asia. | 3 |
Prehistory of East Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Comparative study of prehistoric hunting and gathering cultures in China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia and Eastern Siberia; origins and dispersal of food production; cultural processes leading to the rise of literate civilizations in certain regions of East Asia. See course page for more information |
| ANTH 500 | Chinese Diversity and Diaspora. | 3 |
Chinese Diversity and Diaspora. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Explores ethnic diversity within mainland China, as well as the diversity of Chinese cultures of diaspora, living outside the mainland, often as minorities subject to other dominant cultures. See course page for more information |
Geography (GEOG)
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| GEOG 408 | Geography of Development. | 3 |
Geography of Development. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Examines the geographical dimensions of development policy, specifically the relationships between the process of development and human-induced environmental change. Focuses on environmental sustainability, struggles over resource control, population and poverty, and levels of governance (the role of the state, non-governmental organizations, and local communities). See course page for more information |
History (HIST)
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| HIST 208 | Introduction to East Asian History. | 3 |
Introduction to East Asian History. Terms offered: Fall 2026 An introduction to the history of East Asian civilization from earliest times to 1600, with emphasis on China and Japan, including social, intellectual, and economic developments as well as political history. See course page for more information |
| HIST 218 | Modern East Asian History. | 3 |
Modern East Asian History. Terms offered: Winter 2027 An introduction to the history of China and Japan from the seventeenth century to the present, including modernization, nationalism, and the interaction of the two countries. See course page for more information |
| HIST 308 | Formation of Chinese Tradition. | 3 |
Formation of Chinese Tradition. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of the multiple sources of the Chinese imperial system from the period of the neolithic culture interaction sphere to the fall of the Han dynasty in 220 C.E. Special attention is paid to socio-economic developments as well as to the evolution of philosophy, ideology, and social practice. The sequel to this course is HIST 358. See course page for more information |
| HIST 338 | Twentieth-Century China. | 3 |
Twentieth-Century China. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Examines 20th Century China from the fall of the Qing, through Republican China, the emergence of communism, war with Japan, revolution and civil war, the Cultural Revolution, and later economic reforms. See course page for more information |
| HIST 358 | China's Middle Empires. | 3 |
China's Middle Empires. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Developments of China's middle empires, ca. 600-1300 CE. Studies changing international relations, rapid commercialization, religious developments, the rise of the civil service examination system, and ensuing social change. See course page for more information |
| HIST 439 | History of Women in China. | 3 |
History of Women in China. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course examines the changing roles of women in traditional and modern China. Topics include political, social, and legal status, sexuality and medicine, religion and culture. See course page for more information |
| HIST 441 | Topics: Culture and Ritual in China. | 3 |
Topics: Culture and Ritual in China. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of selected aspects of the cultural and intellectual life of China. Topics vary from year to year, but include the history of popular religion, Chinese science and medicine, the esoteric arts including divination practices, law, and the influence of ideas in the production of Chinese culture. See course page for more information |
| HIST 442 | Asian Diaspora: Chinese Overseas. | 3 |
Asian Diaspora: Chinese Overseas. Terms offered: Fall 2026 The contexts and causes of Chinese emigration; historical patterns of migration; Overseas Chinese communities on five continents, with emphasis on Southeast Asia and North America; alienation and identity in Chinatown; relations between the Overseas Chinese and China. See course page for more information |
| HIST 443 | Topics: Modern Japan. | 3 |
Topics: Modern Japan. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An intensive study of selected aspects related to the history of modern Japan. See course page for more information |
| HIST 445 | Late Imperial China. | 3 |
Late Imperial China. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the social and economic history of Late Imperial China, focusing on the Ming and early to mid Qing Dynasties (1368 - 1800), and current interpretations thereof. Was this a discrete period in Chinese history? If so, why. See course page for more information |
| HIST 508 | The Art of War in China. | 3 |
The Art of War in China. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of the historical development of military theory and practice from earliest times to 1911 from a variety of perspectives, technological, scientific, social, and cultural. See course page for more information |
| HIST 568D1 | Topics in Chinese History. | 3 |
Topics in Chinese History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A research seminar on aspects of Chinese history from early time to the present, with emphasis on social history. See course page for more information |
| HIST 568D2 | Topics in Chinese History. | 3 |
|
| HIST 578D1 | Seminar in Japanese History. | 3 |
Seminar in Japanese History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Particular attention will be paid to Japanese responses to the impact of Western culture from the sixteenth century, and to aspects of Japanese intellectual history. See course page for more information |
| HIST 578D2 | Seminar in Japanese History. | 3 |
|
Management (ORGB)
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| ORGB 380 | Cross Cultural Management. | 3 |
Cross Cultural Management. Terms offered: Summer 2026, Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Addresses dilemmas and opportunities that managers experience in international, multicultural environments. Development of conceptual knowledge and behavioural skills (e.g. bridging skills, communication, tolerance of ambiguity, cognitive complexity) relevant to the interaction of different cultures in business and organizational settings, using several methods including research, case studies and experiential learning. See course page for more information |
Political Science (POLI)
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| POLI 349 | Foreign Policy: Asia. | 3 |
Foreign Policy: Asia. Terms offered: Winter 2027 An overview of the foreign policies of two rising powers - China and India - in addition to Japan, covering the historical evolution, goals and determinants of their foreign policies, interactions with the rest of Asia and the world, and efforts at institutionalised cooperation in South and East Asia. See course page for more information |
Religious Studies (RELG)
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| RELG 253 | Religions of East Asia. | 3 |
Religions of East Asia. Terms offered: Fall 2026 This course introduces East Asia's major religions comparatively by addressing the continuous exchange of ideas and practices between traditions. Rather than adopting a mere chronological approach, Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism will be discussed thematically, taking in to account topics such as gender constructs, the secular and the sacred, material culture, and the apparent contrast between doctrine and practice. See course page for more information |
| RELG 264 | Introductory Tibetan 1. | 3 |
Introductory Tibetan 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the language of Classical Tibetan, specifically Tibetan script and basic grammar. See course page for more information |
| RELG 265 | Introductory Tibetan 2. | 3 |
Introductory Tibetan 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A continuation of the introduction to the language of Classical Tibetan, specifically Tibetan script and basic grammar. See course page for more information |
| RELG 344 | Mahayana Buddhism. | 3 |
Mahayana Buddhism. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Investigation of Mahayana schools of thought based on reading of key sutras and commentarial literature. See course page for more information |
| RELG 352 | Japanese Religions: History and Thought. | 3 |
Japanese Religions: History and Thought. Terms offered: Fall 2026 This course provides an in-depth introduction to the religious traditions of Japan from the emerging of the Japanese state to the role of religion in contemporary Japan. Kami worship, the Buddhist tradition, Yin Yang divination, Confucianism, and the modern construct of Shinto are addressed in an interdisciplinary approach, taking into account insights from the fields of History, Literature, and Art. See course page for more information |
| RELG 354 | Chinese Religions. | 3 |
Chinese Religions. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Introduction to the diverse religiosities in the Chinese cultural sphere. Examination of the everyday practice of ancestor worship, longevity practices, morality, rituals, and the veneration of deities and spirits. See course page for more information |
| RELG 364 | Intermediate Tibetan 1. | 3 |
|
| RELG 365 | Intermediate Tibetan 2. | 3 |
Intermediate Tibetan 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Continuation of advanced Tibetan grammar and translation of selected Tibetan texts. See course page for more information |
| RELG 451 | Zen Buddhism: Poetry
and Art. | 3 |
Zen Buddhism: Poetry
and Art. Terms offered: Fall 2026 A general overview of Japanese Zen Buddhism through the reading of poetry, diaries, sculpture and architecture. See course page for more information |
| RELG 464 | Advanced Tibetan 1. | 3 |
|
| RELG 465 | Advanced Tibetan 2. | 3 |
|
Major EAS credit form
major_concentration_in_eas.docx
Honours
East Asian Studies Honours (B.A.) (60 credits)
Offered by: East Asian Studies (Faculty of Arts)
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Program credit weight: 60
Program Description
The B.A.; Honours in East Asian Studies provides in-depth training in the humanistic studies of East Asia (including language, society, literature, history, media, religion, politics, and art). The program includes core survey on China, Japan, and Korea.
Degree Requirements — B.A. students
To be eligible for a B.A. degree, a student must fulfil all Faculty and program requirements as indicated in Degree Requirements for the Faculty of Arts.
We recommend that students consult an Arts OASIS advisor for degree planning.
Required Courses (6 credits)
Honours thesis:
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| EAST 498D1 | Honours Thesis: East Asian Studies. | 3 |
Honours Thesis: East Asian Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Supervised reading and preparation of an Honours thesis under the direction of a member of staff. See course page for more information |
| EAST 498D2 | Honours Thesis: East Asian Studies. | 3 |
|
Complementary Courses (54 credits)
Introduction to East Asian Culture
3-6 credits from:
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| EAST 211 | Introduction: East Asian Culture: China. | 3 |
Introduction: East Asian Culture: China. Terms offered: Winter 2027 This course provides a critical introduction to central themes in Chinese culture. The course will also examine the changing representations of the Chinese cultural tradition in the West. Readings will include original sources in translation from the fields of literature, philosophy, religion, and cultural history. See course page for more information |
| EAST 212 | Introduction: East Asian Culture: Japan. | 3 |
Introduction: East Asian Culture: Japan. Terms offered: Winter 2027 An introduction to Japan which presents various aspects of Japanese literature, culture, history, religions, philosophy and society. See course page for more information |
| EAST 213 | Introduction: East Asian Culture: Korea. | 3 |
Introduction: East Asian Culture: Korea. Terms offered: Fall 2026 This course provides a critical introduction to central themes in Korean culture, including Korean literature, religions, philosophy, and socio-economic formations. See course page for more information |
0-3 credits from:
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| EAST 215 | Introduction to East Asian Art. | 3 |
Introduction to East Asian Art. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Introductory survey of some of the major developments in the visual arts of Japan, China, and Korea. Emphasis will be placed on the diversity of artistic traditions in East Asia and the intersections among these traditions. See course page for more information |
| EAST 216 | Introduction to Global Asia | 3 |
Introduction to Global Asia Terms offered: Fall 2026 Explores Asia as a global force shaped by migration, exchange, and transnational networks. Traces movements of people, ideas, and media—from Buddhist pilgrims and overseas students to diasporas and pop culture—revealing Asia’s central role in world history and contemporary globalization. Examines themes of nation, identity, race, gender, and translation through literature, history, theory, and film, highlighting how Asia has both shaped and been shaped by global interactions. See course page for more information |
| EAST 250 | Introduction to Asian Media Studies. | 3 |
Introduction to Asian Media Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The course explores core methods and theoretical approaches to media in Asia and beyond: material culture, technicity, media infrastructures, intermediality, circulation, platforms, regionalism, and institutional history. See course page for more information |
East Asian Language
24 credits of an East Asian language selected from the list below.
Note: Admission to language courses is subject to placement tests.
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| EAST 220D1 | First Level Korean. | 4.5 |
First Level Korean. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Introduction to the basic structures of the standard Korean language. The aim of this course is to give students a basic knowledge of the Korean language. Special emphasis is put on handling everyday conversation, reading and writing short texts, and mastering basic grammar rules. See course page for more information |
| EAST 220D2 | First Level Korean. | 4.5 |
|
| EAST 230D1 | First Level Chinese. | 4.5 |
First Level Chinese. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Introduction to the basic structures of Mandarin Chinese, Pin-yin romanization and 750 characters for reading and writing. Emphasis on developing aural and oral skills through communication games and interaction activities. Animated films are used as part of teaching materials. See course page for more information |
| EAST 230D2 | First Level Chinese. | 4.5 |
|
| EAST 240D1 | First Level Japanese. | 4.5 |
First Level Japanese. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Introduction to the basic grammar and sentence patterns of the Japanese language in both oral and written forms. In reading and writing skills students will be introduced to katakana, hiragana and kanji. See course page for more information |
| EAST 240D2 | First Level Japanese. | 4.5 |
|
| EAST 241 | Japanese Writing Beginners 1. | 3 |
|
| EAST 242 | Japanese Writing Beginners 2. | 3 |
|
| EAST 320D1 | Second Level Korean. | 4.5 |
Second Level Korean. Terms offered: Fall 2026 The aim of this course is to give students a fluent speaking ability in daily conversation, advanced grammar knowledge, improved reading and writing skills. Special emphasis is put on the efficient use of grammar, enrichment of vocabulary, and mastering useful expressions encountered in everyday life. See course page for more information |
| EAST 320D2 | Second Level Korean. | 4.5 |
|
| EAST 330D1 | Second Level Chinese. | 4.5 |
Second Level Chinese. Terms offered: Fall 2026 The same communicative approach as in EAST 230 is used to develop aural and oral skills on daily topics. In addition to textbooks, Chinese films on videotapes will be incorporated as teaching materials. See course page for more information |
| EAST 330D2 | Second Level Chinese. | 4.5 |
|
| EAST 340D1 | Second Level Japanese. | 4.5 |
|
| EAST 340D2 | Second Level Japanese. | 4.5 |
|
| EAST 341 | Japanese Writing Intermediate 1. | 3 |
Japanese Writing Intermediate 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Intermediate grammar, vocabulary and kanji,focusing on writing skills and reading comprehension. See course page for more information |
| EAST 342 | Japanese Writing Intermediate 2. | 3 |
Japanese Writing Intermediate 2. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Intermediate grammar, vocabulary and kanji, focusing on writing skills and reading comprehension. See course page for more information |
| EAST 420 | Third Level Korean 1. | 3 |
Third Level Korean 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. grammar, enhancing written and oral comprehension and improving writing and speaking skills. See course page for more information |
| EAST 430D1 | Third Level Chinese. | 3 |
Third Level Chinese. Terms offered: Fall 2026 A communicative approach will be used to provide students with skills to communicate in various situations, express their ideas and feelings, and discuss various aspects of culture and life in China and in Canada. Teaching materials include Chinese movies on videotape and slides depicting Chinese life and culture. See course page for more information |
| EAST 430D2 | Third Level Chinese. | 3 |
|
| EAST 440D1 | Third Level Japanese. | 3 |
|
| EAST 440D2 | Third Level Japanese. | 3 |
|
| EAST 530D1 | Fourth Level Chinese. | 3 |
Fourth Level Chinese. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Development of skills required to conduct academic discussions in oral as well as in written forms. Teaching materials include original texts from Chinese newspapers, Chinese literature and videos. See course page for more information |
| EAST 530D2 | Fourth Level Chinese. | 3 |
|
| EAST 533 | Classical Chinese 1. | 3 |
Classical Chinese 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the grammar and syntax of classical Chinese. Readings are selected from well-known Confucian and Taoist classics, and philosophical and historical writings from premodern China. See course page for more information |
| EAST 540D1 | Fourth Level Japanese. | 3 |
Fourth Level Japanese. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Advanced study of Japanese, with emphasis on reading Japanese newspapers. Classes will be conducted entirely in Japanese. See course page for more information |
| EAST 540D2 | Fourth Level Japanese. | 3 |
|
East Asian Literature, Culture and Society
24 credits of courses in East Asian Literature, Culture and Society.
East Asian Studies (EAST)
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| EAST 303 | Current Topics: Chinese Studies 1. | 3 |
Current Topics: Chinese Studies 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Consideration of important issues in Chinese Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 304 | Current Topics: Chinese Studies 2. | 3 |
Current Topics: Chinese Studies 2. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Consideration of important issues in Chinese Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 305 | Current Topics: Japanese Studies 1. | 3 |
Current Topics: Japanese Studies 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Consideration of important issues in Japanese studies. The content of the course will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 306 | Current Topics: Japanese Studies 2. | 3 |
Current Topics: Japanese Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of important issues in Japanese studies. The content of the course will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 307 | Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 1. | 3 |
Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Consideration of selected topics and aspects of East Asian literature and/or language. See course page for more information |
| EAST 308 | Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 2. | 3 |
Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of East Asian literature and/or language. See course page for more information |
| EAST 313 | Current Topics: Korean Studies 1. | 3 |
Current Topics: Korean Studies 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of important issues in Korean Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 314 | Current Topics: Korean Studies 2. | 3 |
Current Topics: Korean Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of important issues in Korean Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 350 | Gender and Sexuality in Chinese Literature. | 3 |
Gender and Sexuality in Chinese Literature. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Gender and sexuality in modern and/or premodern Chinese literature with emphasis on representation of gender relations, notions of masculinity and femininity, morality and sexuality. Readings from fiction, drama, poetry, and/or other genres are approached from a variety of critical perspectives. See course page for more information |
| EAST 351 | Women Writers of China. | 3 |
Women Writers of China. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of fiction, drama, and poetry by women writers in imperial, modern, and/or contemporary China. See course page for more information |
| EAST 352 | Critical Approaches to Chinese Literature. | 3 |
Critical Approaches to Chinese Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course will examine traditional and/or modern genres of Chinese literature with a focus on different forms of Chinese and Western literary analysis. See course page for more information |
| EAST 353 | Approaches to Chinese Cinema. | 3 |
Approaches to Chinese Cinema. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Development of Chinese film in the 20th century, with an emphasis on both critical approaches to film as well as film history. See course page for more information |
| EAST 361 | Animation and New Media. | 3 |
Animation and New Media. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Animation and new media in East Asia, with an emphasis on postwar developments. See course page for more information |
| EAST 362 | Japanese Cinema. | 3 |
Japanese Cinema. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course will study the development of film in Japan during the 20th century with a particular focus on the analysis of film form, genres and history. See course page for more information |
| EAST 363 | Early and Medieval Japan. | 3 |
Early and Medieval Japan. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course examines cultural production in early and medieval Japan, focusing on calligraphy, painting, picture scrolls, gestures and their relation to textual production. Readings explore various classic texts, taboos against seeing and narrative modes of cognition. See course page for more information |
| EAST 364 | Mass Culture and Postwar Japan. | 3 |
Mass Culture and Postwar Japan. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course addresses a number of analytic approaches to mass culture in order to examine the culture industry of post-war Japan. Emphasis on narrative strategies in popular or consumer fiction and on the problems of marginalized writers. See course page for more information |
| EAST 369 | Gender and Sexuality in Asian Media. | 3 |
Gender and Sexuality in Asian Media. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. In this course, we examine contesting notions of gender, sexuality, femininity, and masculinity in Asian cinema and media. We study how individual works negotiate the social discourses on gender and sexual representation, identities, and performance, and how we may borrow conceptual frameworks from queer theories and histories at large to discuss them. See course page for more information |
| EAST 370 | History of Sexuality in Japan. | 3 |
History of Sexuality in Japan. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Social and cultural history of sexuality in Japan. Possible topics include pre-modern sexuality and relations to court, religion and anthropology; pre-modern sex and gender relations; modern sexuality and gender identities; sexuality and the rise of science; relation to nationalism; feminism and queer movements. See course page for more information |
| EAST 372 | Topics in Television: Asia. | 3 |
Topics in Television: Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course approaches television and televisuality historically, in regional, transnational, and global perspectives. See course page for more information |
| EAST 375 | Korean Media and Popular Culture. | 3 |
Korean Media and Popular Culture. Terms offered: Winter 2027 This course approaches popular culture and mass media in postwar Korea from historical and theoretical perspectives, with a focus on the connections between activism, mass media, and commodity culture. See course page for more information |
| EAST 377 | Topics: Transnational Asian Culture. | 3 |
Topics: Transnational Asian Culture. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Investigation of cinema's border-crossing modes of cultural production, reception, and circulation, to uncover the ways that the study of culture enriches current theories and approaches to the transnational. See course page for more information |
| EAST 388 | Asian Migrations and Diasporas. | 3 |
Asian Migrations and Diasporas. Terms offered: Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Introduction to the interdisciplinary study of Asian migrations and diasporas. Topics include colonialism and diaspora, transnationalism, globalization, citizenship, migration and the state, gender and migration, human trafficking, and forced migration. See course page for more information |
| EAST 410 | Martial Tradition in Chinese Literature and Culture | 3 |
Martial Tradition in Chinese Literature and Culture Terms offered: Fall 2026 China's martial tradition; themes such as war, revenge, justice, and the use of violence, alongside martial arts. Topics include: philosophical discourses on war, literary nationalism, and representations of these themes in literature, film, digital media, and games. Spanning from the 6th century BCE to the 20th century, the key periods and genres of Chinese literature and martial traditions beyond popular media. See course page for more information |
| EAST 453 | Topics: Chinese Literature. | 3 |
Topics: Chinese Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced seminar in selected genres, themes and issues in Chinese literature. See course page for more information |
| EAST 454 | Topics: Chinese Cinema. | 3 |
|
| EAST 461 | Inventing Modern Japanese Novel. | 3 |
Inventing Modern Japanese Novel. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of the modern Japanese novel as a form which both affirms and resists the form of the European novel. Readings explore the particular problems of the Japanese novel in the context of modernization, westernization, and colonialism. See course page for more information |
| EAST 462 | Japan in Asia. | 3 |
Japan in Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course introduces theories of cultural interaction, interpellation, and intertexuality in order to reconsider Japanese modes of reception and selection of Chinese texts and technologies. Readings range from early Japanese to 20th century texts. Readings in translation. See course page for more information |
| EAST 464 | Image, Text, Performance. | 3 |
Image, Text, Performance. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Drawing on theoretical approaches from a variety of cultural and media studies, including cinema, performance and performativity, and elsewhere, this course addresses cultural production in premodern and/or modern East Asia. Topics to be addressed range from calligraphy and writing, to theatre, and film. See course page for more information |
| EAST 467 | Topics: Japanese Cinema. | 3 |
|
| EAST 468 | Science and Technology: Asia. | 3 |
Science and Technology: Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. History of science and technology in Asia with an emphasis on social and cultural impact and the legacy non-Western traditions. See course page for more information |
| EAST 477 | Media and Environment in Asia. | 3 |
Media and Environment in Asia. Terms offered: Winter 2027 The course explores the intersection between media and "environment" in Asia and beyond; topics range from media ecology, cybernetics, environmental art and activism, urban planning, and the history of communications networks in Asia in the modern period. See course page for more information |
| EAST 478 | Topics: Korean Film and Media. | 3 |
|
| EAST 491 | Tutorial: East Asian Languages and Literatures 1. | 3 |
Tutorial: East Asian Languages and Literatures 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced reading course in language or literature. See course page for more information |
| EAST 492 | Tutorial: East Asian Languages and Literatures 2. | 3 |
Tutorial: East Asian Languages and Literatures 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced reading course in language or literature. See course page for more information |
| EAST 493 | Special Topics: East Asian Studies 1. | 3 |
Special Topics: East Asian Studies 1. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Advanced reading course under supervision of instructor on certain aspects of East Asian Studies. Topics will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 494 | Special Topics: East Asian Studies 2. | 3 |
Special Topics: East Asian Studies 2. Terms offered: Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Advanced reading course under supervision of instructor on certain aspects of East Asian Studies. Topics will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 501 | Advanced Topics in Japanese Studies 1. | 3 |
|
| EAST 502 | Advanced Topics in Japanese Studies 2. | 3 |
Advanced Topics in Japanese Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Japanese culture and society. See course page for more information |
| EAST 503 | Advanced Topics in Chinese Studies 1. | 3 |
|
| EAST 504 | Advanced Topics in Chinese Studies 2. | 3 |
Advanced Topics in Chinese Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Chinese culture and society. See course page for more information |
| EAST 505 | Advanced Topics in Korean Studies. | 3 |
Advanced Topics in Korean Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Korean culture and society. Taught in English. See course page for more information |
| EAST 515 | Seminar: Beyond Orientalism. | 3 |
Seminar: Beyond Orientalism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examines the cultural stakes and ethical implications of applying Western European models of understanding to East Asian societies. Provides background on interdisciplinary debates around "otherness", "cultural appropriation", and "postcolonialism", focusing on their history within East Asian Studies and their impact on that field's methodological assumptions, self-definition, and institutional practices. See course page for more information |
| EAST 525 | Critical Area Studies in Asia. | 3 |
Critical Area Studies in Asia. Terms offered: Winter 2027 The course introduces students to foundational concepts, key debates, recent research areas, theoretical methods, and critical approached in area studies. See course page for more information |
| EAST 550 | Classical Chinese Poetry Themes and Genres. | 3 |
Classical Chinese Poetry Themes and Genres. Terms offered: Winter 2027 A study of major themes and genres of classical Chinese poetry from its beginnings to the Yuan dynasty (14th century), with emphasis on critical analysis of text and context. Readings of poems in the original. See course page for more information |
| EAST 551 | Technologies of Self in Early China. | 3 |
Technologies of Self in Early China. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Readings on self-cultivation drawn from Confucian, Legalist, and Taoist philosophic texts of early China (5th-2nd centuries B.C.) in translation will be compared with historical and archaeological materials on the evolving construction of the "individual'' in Chinese social structure, military organization, political and ritual codes. See course page for more information |
| EAST 559 | Advanced Topics: Chinese Literature. | 3 |
Advanced Topics: Chinese Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Chinese literature. The content of the course may vary from year to year, ranging from contemporary to modern to pre-modern literature. See course page for more information |
| EAST 564 | Structures of Modernity: Asia. | 3 |
Structures of Modernity: Asia. Terms offered: Fall 2026 This course explores relations between some of the principal sites which structure the experience of "modernity" in Asia (and elsewhere) - from bodies and cities, to the urban context in general. Along with general approaches (e.g. the idea of everyday life; questions of time), specific topics may include speed, music, architecture, crime, etc. See course page for more information |
| EAST 569 | Advanced Topics: Japanese Literature. | 3 |
Advanced Topics: Japanese Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Japanese literature. The content of the course may vary from year to year from contemporary to modern to pre-modern literature. See course page for more information |
Anthropology (ANTH)
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| ANTH 331 | Prehistory of East Asia. | 3 |
Prehistory of East Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Comparative study of prehistoric hunting and gathering cultures in China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia and Eastern Siberia; origins and dispersal of food production; cultural processes leading to the rise of literate civilizations in certain regions of East Asia. See course page for more information |
| ANTH 500 | Chinese Diversity and Diaspora. | 3 |
Chinese Diversity and Diaspora. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Explores ethnic diversity within mainland China, as well as the diversity of Chinese cultures of diaspora, living outside the mainland, often as minorities subject to other dominant cultures. See course page for more information |
Geography (GEOG)
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| GEOG 408 | Geography of Development. | 3 |
Geography of Development. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Examines the geographical dimensions of development policy, specifically the relationships between the process of development and human-induced environmental change. Focuses on environmental sustainability, struggles over resource control, population and poverty, and levels of governance (the role of the state, non-governmental organizations, and local communities). See course page for more information |
History (HIST)
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| HIST 208 | Introduction to East Asian History. | 3 |
Introduction to East Asian History. Terms offered: Fall 2026 An introduction to the history of East Asian civilization from earliest times to 1600, with emphasis on China and Japan, including social, intellectual, and economic developments as well as political history. See course page for more information |
| HIST 218 | Modern East Asian History. | 3 |
Modern East Asian History. Terms offered: Winter 2027 An introduction to the history of China and Japan from the seventeenth century to the present, including modernization, nationalism, and the interaction of the two countries. See course page for more information |
| HIST 308 | Formation of Chinese Tradition. | 3 |
Formation of Chinese Tradition. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of the multiple sources of the Chinese imperial system from the period of the neolithic culture interaction sphere to the fall of the Han dynasty in 220 C.E. Special attention is paid to socio-economic developments as well as to the evolution of philosophy, ideology, and social practice. The sequel to this course is HIST 358. See course page for more information |
| HIST 338 | Twentieth-Century China. | 3 |
Twentieth-Century China. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Examines 20th Century China from the fall of the Qing, through Republican China, the emergence of communism, war with Japan, revolution and civil war, the Cultural Revolution, and later economic reforms. See course page for more information |
| HIST 358 | China's Middle Empires. | 3 |
China's Middle Empires. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Developments of China's middle empires, ca. 600-1300 CE. Studies changing international relations, rapid commercialization, religious developments, the rise of the civil service examination system, and ensuing social change. See course page for more information |
| HIST 439 | History of Women in China. | 3 |
History of Women in China. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course examines the changing roles of women in traditional and modern China. Topics include political, social, and legal status, sexuality and medicine, religion and culture. See course page for more information |
| HIST 441 | Topics: Culture and Ritual in China. | 3 |
Topics: Culture and Ritual in China. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of selected aspects of the cultural and intellectual life of China. Topics vary from year to year, but include the history of popular religion, Chinese science and medicine, the esoteric arts including divination practices, law, and the influence of ideas in the production of Chinese culture. See course page for more information |
| HIST 442 | Asian Diaspora: Chinese Overseas. | 3 |
Asian Diaspora: Chinese Overseas. Terms offered: Fall 2026 The contexts and causes of Chinese emigration; historical patterns of migration; Overseas Chinese communities on five continents, with emphasis on Southeast Asia and North America; alienation and identity in Chinatown; relations between the Overseas Chinese and China. See course page for more information |
| HIST 443 | Topics: Modern Japan. | 3 |
Topics: Modern Japan. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An intensive study of selected aspects related to the history of modern Japan. See course page for more information |
| HIST 445 | Late Imperial China. | 3 |
Late Imperial China. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the social and economic history of Late Imperial China, focusing on the Ming and early to mid Qing Dynasties (1368 - 1800), and current interpretations thereof. Was this a discrete period in Chinese history? If so, why. See course page for more information |
| HIST 508 | The Art of War in China. | 3 |
The Art of War in China. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of the historical development of military theory and practice from earliest times to 1911 from a variety of perspectives, technological, scientific, social, and cultural. See course page for more information |
| HIST 568D1 | Topics in Chinese History. | 3 |
Topics in Chinese History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A research seminar on aspects of Chinese history from early time to the present, with emphasis on social history. See course page for more information |
| HIST 568D2 | Topics in Chinese History. | 3 |
|
| HIST 578D1 | Seminar in Japanese History. | 3 |
Seminar in Japanese History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Particular attention will be paid to Japanese responses to the impact of Western culture from the sixteenth century, and to aspects of Japanese intellectual history. See course page for more information |
| HIST 578D2 | Seminar in Japanese History. | 3 |
|
Management (ORGB)
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| ORGB 380 | Cross Cultural Management. | 3 |
Cross Cultural Management. Terms offered: Summer 2026, Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Addresses dilemmas and opportunities that managers experience in international, multicultural environments. Development of conceptual knowledge and behavioural skills (e.g. bridging skills, communication, tolerance of ambiguity, cognitive complexity) relevant to the interaction of different cultures in business and organizational settings, using several methods including research, case studies and experiential learning. See course page for more information |
Political Science (POLI)
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| POLI 349 | Foreign Policy: Asia. | 3 |
Foreign Policy: Asia. Terms offered: Winter 2027 An overview of the foreign policies of two rising powers - China and India - in addition to Japan, covering the historical evolution, goals and determinants of their foreign policies, interactions with the rest of Asia and the world, and efforts at institutionalised cooperation in South and East Asia. See course page for more information |
Religious Studies (RELG)
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| RELG 253 | Religions of East Asia. | 3 |
Religions of East Asia. Terms offered: Fall 2026 This course introduces East Asia's major religions comparatively by addressing the continuous exchange of ideas and practices between traditions. Rather than adopting a mere chronological approach, Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism will be discussed thematically, taking in to account topics such as gender constructs, the secular and the sacred, material culture, and the apparent contrast between doctrine and practice. See course page for more information |
| RELG 264 | Introductory Tibetan 1. | 3 |
Introductory Tibetan 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the language of Classical Tibetan, specifically Tibetan script and basic grammar. See course page for more information |
| RELG 265 | Introductory Tibetan 2. | 3 |
Introductory Tibetan 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A continuation of the introduction to the language of Classical Tibetan, specifically Tibetan script and basic grammar. See course page for more information |
| RELG 344 | Mahayana Buddhism. | 3 |
Mahayana Buddhism. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Investigation of Mahayana schools of thought based on reading of key sutras and commentarial literature. See course page for more information |
| RELG 352 | Japanese Religions: History and Thought. | 3 |
Japanese Religions: History and Thought. Terms offered: Fall 2026 This course provides an in-depth introduction to the religious traditions of Japan from the emerging of the Japanese state to the role of religion in contemporary Japan. Kami worship, the Buddhist tradition, Yin Yang divination, Confucianism, and the modern construct of Shinto are addressed in an interdisciplinary approach, taking into account insights from the fields of History, Literature, and Art. See course page for more information |
| RELG 354 | Chinese Religions. | 3 |
Chinese Religions. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Introduction to the diverse religiosities in the Chinese cultural sphere. Examination of the everyday practice of ancestor worship, longevity practices, morality, rituals, and the veneration of deities and spirits. See course page for more information |
| RELG 364 | Intermediate Tibetan 1. | 3 |
|
| RELG 365 | Intermediate Tibetan 2. | 3 |
Intermediate Tibetan 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Continuation of advanced Tibetan grammar and translation of selected Tibetan texts. See course page for more information |
| RELG 451 | Zen Buddhism: Poetry
and Art. | 3 |
Zen Buddhism: Poetry
and Art. Terms offered: Fall 2026 A general overview of Japanese Zen Buddhism through the reading of poetry, diaries, sculpture and architecture. See course page for more information |
| RELG 464 | Advanced Tibetan 1. | 3 |
|
| RELG 465 | Advanced Tibetan 2. | 3 |
|
Honors EAS credit form
honours_east_asian_studies.docx
Joint Honours
East Asian Studies Joint Honours Component (B.A.) (36 credits)
Offered by: East Asian Studies (Faculty of Arts)
Degree: Bachelor of Arts; Bachelor of Arts and Science
Program credit weight: 36
Program Description
The Joint Honours - East Asian Studies Component provides in-depth training in the humanistic studies of East Asia (including language, society, literature, history, media, religion, politics, and art). The program includes core survey on China, Japan, and Korea. and progresses to upper-level lectures and seminars that allow students to tailor an individualized program of study. Half of the coursework will be done in East Asian Studies and the other half in another program within the Faculty of the Arts.
Degree Requirements — B.A. students
To be eligible for a B.A. degree, a student must fulfil all Faculty and program requirements as indicated in Degree Requirements for the Faculty of Arts.
We recommend that students consult an Arts OASIS advisor for degree planning.
Required Course (3 credits)
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| EAST 495D1 | Joint Honours Thesis: East Asian Studies. | 1.5 |
Joint Honours Thesis: East Asian Studies. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Supervised reading and preparation of an Honours thesis under the direction of a member of staff. See course page for more information |
| EAST 495D2 | Joint Honours Thesis: East Asian Studies. | 1.5 |
|
Complementary Courses (33 credits)
Introduction to East Asian Culture
3-6 credits from:
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| EAST 211 | Introduction: East Asian Culture: China. | 3 |
Introduction: East Asian Culture: China. Terms offered: Winter 2027 This course provides a critical introduction to central themes in Chinese culture. The course will also examine the changing representations of the Chinese cultural tradition in the West. Readings will include original sources in translation from the fields of literature, philosophy, religion, and cultural history. See course page for more information |
| EAST 212 | Introduction: East Asian Culture: Japan. | 3 |
Introduction: East Asian Culture: Japan. Terms offered: Winter 2027 An introduction to Japan which presents various aspects of Japanese literature, culture, history, religions, philosophy and society. See course page for more information |
| EAST 213 | Introduction: East Asian Culture: Korea. | 3 |
Introduction: East Asian Culture: Korea. Terms offered: Fall 2026 This course provides a critical introduction to central themes in Korean culture, including Korean literature, religions, philosophy, and socio-economic formations. See course page for more information |
0-3 credits selected from:
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| EAST 215 | Introduction to East Asian Art. | 3 |
Introduction to East Asian Art. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Introductory survey of some of the major developments in the visual arts of Japan, China, and Korea. Emphasis will be placed on the diversity of artistic traditions in East Asia and the intersections among these traditions. See course page for more information |
| EAST 216 | Introduction to Global Asia | 3 |
Introduction to Global Asia Terms offered: Fall 2026 Explores Asia as a global force shaped by migration, exchange, and transnational networks. Traces movements of people, ideas, and media—from Buddhist pilgrims and overseas students to diasporas and pop culture—revealing Asia’s central role in world history and contemporary globalization. Examines themes of nation, identity, race, gender, and translation through literature, history, theory, and film, highlighting how Asia has both shaped and been shaped by global interactions. See course page for more information |
| EAST 250 | Introduction to Asian Media Studies. | 3 |
Introduction to Asian Media Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The course explores core methods and theoretical approaches to media in Asia and beyond: material culture, technicity, media infrastructures, intermediality, circulation, platforms, regionalism, and institutional history. See course page for more information |
East Asian Language
18 credits in an East Asian language above the introductory level selected from the following courses:
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| EAST 320D1 | Second Level Korean. | 4.5 |
Second Level Korean. Terms offered: Fall 2026 The aim of this course is to give students a fluent speaking ability in daily conversation, advanced grammar knowledge, improved reading and writing skills. Special emphasis is put on the efficient use of grammar, enrichment of vocabulary, and mastering useful expressions encountered in everyday life. See course page for more information |
| EAST 320D2 | Second Level Korean. | 4.5 |
|
| EAST 330D1 | Second Level Chinese. | 4.5 |
Second Level Chinese. Terms offered: Fall 2026 The same communicative approach as in EAST 230 is used to develop aural and oral skills on daily topics. In addition to textbooks, Chinese films on videotapes will be incorporated as teaching materials. See course page for more information |
| EAST 330D2 | Second Level Chinese. | 4.5 |
|
| EAST 340D1 | Second Level Japanese. | 4.5 |
|
| EAST 340D2 | Second Level Japanese. | 4.5 |
|
| EAST 341 | Japanese Writing Intermediate 1. | 3 |
Japanese Writing Intermediate 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Intermediate grammar, vocabulary and kanji,focusing on writing skills and reading comprehension. See course page for more information |
| EAST 342 | Japanese Writing Intermediate 2. | 3 |
Japanese Writing Intermediate 2. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Intermediate grammar, vocabulary and kanji, focusing on writing skills and reading comprehension. See course page for more information |
| EAST 420 | Third Level Korean 1. | 3 |
Third Level Korean 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. grammar, enhancing written and oral comprehension and improving writing and speaking skills. See course page for more information |
| EAST 430D1 | Third Level Chinese. | 3 |
Third Level Chinese. Terms offered: Fall 2026 A communicative approach will be used to provide students with skills to communicate in various situations, express their ideas and feelings, and discuss various aspects of culture and life in China and in Canada. Teaching materials include Chinese movies on videotape and slides depicting Chinese life and culture. See course page for more information |
| EAST 430D2 | Third Level Chinese. | 3 |
|
| EAST 440D1 | Third Level Japanese. | 3 |
|
| EAST 440D2 | Third Level Japanese. | 3 |
|
| EAST 530D1 | Fourth Level Chinese. | 3 |
Fourth Level Chinese. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Development of skills required to conduct academic discussions in oral as well as in written forms. Teaching materials include original texts from Chinese newspapers, Chinese literature and videos. See course page for more information |
| EAST 530D2 | Fourth Level Chinese. | 3 |
|
| EAST 533 | Classical Chinese 1. | 3 |
Classical Chinese 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the grammar and syntax of classical Chinese. Readings are selected from well-known Confucian and Taoist classics, and philosophical and historical writings from premodern China. See course page for more information |
| EAST 540D1 | Fourth Level Japanese. | 3 |
Fourth Level Japanese. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Advanced study of Japanese, with emphasis on reading Japanese newspapers. Classes will be conducted entirely in Japanese. See course page for more information |
| EAST 540D2 | Fourth Level Japanese. | 3 |
|
East Asian Studies (EAST)
9 credits chosen from the following East Asian Studies courses, at least 3 credits must be at the 400-level or above.
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| EAST 303 | Current Topics: Chinese Studies 1. | 3 |
Current Topics: Chinese Studies 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Consideration of important issues in Chinese Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 304 | Current Topics: Chinese Studies 2. | 3 |
Current Topics: Chinese Studies 2. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Consideration of important issues in Chinese Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 305 | Current Topics: Japanese Studies 1. | 3 |
Current Topics: Japanese Studies 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Consideration of important issues in Japanese studies. The content of the course will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 306 | Current Topics: Japanese Studies 2. | 3 |
Current Topics: Japanese Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of important issues in Japanese studies. The content of the course will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 307 | Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 1. | 3 |
Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 1. Terms offered: Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Consideration of selected topics and aspects of East Asian literature and/or language. See course page for more information |
| EAST 308 | Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 2. | 3 |
Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of East Asian literature and/or language. See course page for more information |
| EAST 311 | Rebellion and Revolution in Modern China | 3 |
Rebellion and Revolution in Modern China Terms offered: Winter 2027 Exploration of the role of rebellion and revolution in shaping 19th and 20th century China. Covers major movements like the Taiping, the Boxers, the Kuomintang, and the Chinese Communist Party, with attention to their political, social, and cultural impact. See course page for more information |
| EAST 313 | Current Topics: Korean Studies 1. | 3 |
Current Topics: Korean Studies 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of important issues in Korean Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 314 | Current Topics: Korean Studies 2. | 3 |
Current Topics: Korean Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of important issues in Korean Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 350 | Gender and Sexuality in Chinese Literature. | 3 |
Gender and Sexuality in Chinese Literature. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Gender and sexuality in modern and/or premodern Chinese literature with emphasis on representation of gender relations, notions of masculinity and femininity, morality and sexuality. Readings from fiction, drama, poetry, and/or other genres are approached from a variety of critical perspectives. See course page for more information |
| EAST 351 | Women Writers of China. | 3 |
Women Writers of China. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of fiction, drama, and poetry by women writers in imperial, modern, and/or contemporary China. See course page for more information |
| EAST 352 | Critical Approaches to Chinese Literature. | 3 |
Critical Approaches to Chinese Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course will examine traditional and/or modern genres of Chinese literature with a focus on different forms of Chinese and Western literary analysis. See course page for more information |
| EAST 353 | Approaches to Chinese Cinema. | 3 |
Approaches to Chinese Cinema. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Development of Chinese film in the 20th century, with an emphasis on both critical approaches to film as well as film history. See course page for more information |
| EAST 361 | Animation and New Media. | 3 |
Animation and New Media. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Animation and new media in East Asia, with an emphasis on postwar developments. See course page for more information |
| EAST 362 | Japanese Cinema. | 3 |
Japanese Cinema. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course will study the development of film in Japan during the 20th century with a particular focus on the analysis of film form, genres and history. See course page for more information |
| EAST 363 | Early and Medieval Japan. | 3 |
Early and Medieval Japan. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course examines cultural production in early and medieval Japan, focusing on calligraphy, painting, picture scrolls, gestures and their relation to textual production. Readings explore various classic texts, taboos against seeing and narrative modes of cognition. See course page for more information |
| EAST 364 | Mass Culture and Postwar Japan. | 3 |
Mass Culture and Postwar Japan. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course addresses a number of analytic approaches to mass culture in order to examine the culture industry of post-war Japan. Emphasis on narrative strategies in popular or consumer fiction and on the problems of marginalized writers. See course page for more information |
| EAST 369 | Gender and Sexuality in Asian Media. | 3 |
Gender and Sexuality in Asian Media. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. In this course, we examine contesting notions of gender, sexuality, femininity, and masculinity in Asian cinema and media. We study how individual works negotiate the social discourses on gender and sexual representation, identities, and performance, and how we may borrow conceptual frameworks from queer theories and histories at large to discuss them. See course page for more information |
| EAST 370 | History of Sexuality in Japan. | 3 |
History of Sexuality in Japan. Terms offered: Fall 2026 Social and cultural history of sexuality in Japan. Possible topics include pre-modern sexuality and relations to court, religion and anthropology; pre-modern sex and gender relations; modern sexuality and gender identities; sexuality and the rise of science; relation to nationalism; feminism and queer movements. See course page for more information |
| EAST 372 | Topics in Television: Asia. | 3 |
Topics in Television: Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course approaches television and televisuality historically, in regional, transnational, and global perspectives. See course page for more information |
| EAST 375 | Korean Media and Popular Culture. | 3 |
Korean Media and Popular Culture. Terms offered: Winter 2027 This course approaches popular culture and mass media in postwar Korea from historical and theoretical perspectives, with a focus on the connections between activism, mass media, and commodity culture. See course page for more information |
| EAST 377 | Topics: Transnational Asian Culture. | 3 |
Topics: Transnational Asian Culture. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Investigation of cinema's border-crossing modes of cultural production, reception, and circulation, to uncover the ways that the study of culture enriches current theories and approaches to the transnational. See course page for more information |
| EAST 388 | Asian Migrations and Diasporas. | 3 |
Asian Migrations and Diasporas. Terms offered: Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Introduction to the interdisciplinary study of Asian migrations and diasporas. Topics include colonialism and diaspora, transnationalism, globalization, citizenship, migration and the state, gender and migration, human trafficking, and forced migration. See course page for more information |
| EAST 402 | Age of Samurai | 3 |
Age of Samurai Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examination of the history, society, and culture of early modern Japan in the period of rule by the warrior class: the samurai. Examination of the formation and collapse of the samurai-dominated political order of the Tokugawa shogunate, as well as themes like social status, gender and sexuality, religion, and connections to the outside world during the period of Tokugawa rule. See course page for more information |
| EAST 410 | Martial Tradition in Chinese Literature and Culture | 3 |
Martial Tradition in Chinese Literature and Culture Terms offered: Fall 2026 China's martial tradition; themes such as war, revenge, justice, and the use of violence, alongside martial arts. Topics include: philosophical discourses on war, literary nationalism, and representations of these themes in literature, film, digital media, and games. Spanning from the 6th century BCE to the 20th century, the key periods and genres of Chinese literature and martial traditions beyond popular media. See course page for more information |
| EAST 445 | Late Imperial China | 3 |
Late Imperial China Terms offered: Winter 2027 Examination of Chinese society in the Ming and Qing eras (1368-1912) through the exploration of themes like gender and sexuality, family, law, ethnicity and borderlands, education, literary production, and political organization. See course page for more information |
| EAST 453 | Topics: Chinese Literature. | 3 |
Topics: Chinese Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced seminar in selected genres, themes and issues in Chinese literature. See course page for more information |
| EAST 454 | Topics: Chinese Cinema. | 3 |
|
| EAST 461 | Inventing Modern Japanese Novel. | 3 |
Inventing Modern Japanese Novel. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of the modern Japanese novel as a form which both affirms and resists the form of the European novel. Readings explore the particular problems of the Japanese novel in the context of modernization, westernization, and colonialism. See course page for more information |
| EAST 462 | Japan in Asia. | 3 |
Japan in Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course introduces theories of cultural interaction, interpellation, and intertexuality in order to reconsider Japanese modes of reception and selection of Chinese texts and technologies. Readings range from early Japanese to 20th century texts. Readings in translation. See course page for more information |
| EAST 464 | Image, Text, Performance. | 3 |
Image, Text, Performance. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Drawing on theoretical approaches from a variety of cultural and media studies, including cinema, performance and performativity, and elsewhere, this course addresses cultural production in premodern and/or modern East Asia. Topics to be addressed range from calligraphy and writing, to theatre, and film. See course page for more information |
| EAST 467 | Topics: Japanese Cinema. | 3 |
|
| EAST 468 | Science and Technology: Asia. | 3 |
Science and Technology: Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. History of science and technology in Asia with an emphasis on social and cultural impact and the legacy non-Western traditions. See course page for more information |
| EAST 477 | Media and Environment in Asia. | 3 |
Media and Environment in Asia. Terms offered: Winter 2027 The course explores the intersection between media and "environment" in Asia and beyond; topics range from media ecology, cybernetics, environmental art and activism, urban planning, and the history of communications networks in Asia in the modern period. See course page for more information |
| EAST 478 | Topics: Korean Film and Media. | 3 |
|
| EAST 491 | Tutorial: East Asian Languages and Literatures 1. | 3 |
Tutorial: East Asian Languages and Literatures 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced reading course in language or literature. See course page for more information |
| EAST 492 | Tutorial: East Asian Languages and Literatures 2. | 3 |
Tutorial: East Asian Languages and Literatures 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced reading course in language or literature. See course page for more information |
| EAST 493 | Special Topics: East Asian Studies 1. | 3 |
Special Topics: East Asian Studies 1. Terms offered: Winter 2027 Advanced reading course under supervision of instructor on certain aspects of East Asian Studies. Topics will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 494 | Special Topics: East Asian Studies 2. | 3 |
Special Topics: East Asian Studies 2. Terms offered: Fall 2026, Winter 2027 Advanced reading course under supervision of instructor on certain aspects of East Asian Studies. Topics will vary from year to year. See course page for more information |
| EAST 501 | Advanced Topics in Japanese Studies 1. | 3 |
|
| EAST 502 | Advanced Topics in Japanese Studies 2. | 3 |
Advanced Topics in Japanese Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Japanese culture and society. See course page for more information |
| EAST 503 | Advanced Topics in Chinese Studies 1. | 3 |
|
| EAST 504 | Advanced Topics in Chinese Studies 2. | 3 |
Advanced Topics in Chinese Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Chinese culture and society. See course page for more information |
| EAST 505 | Advanced Topics in Korean Studies. | 3 |
Advanced Topics in Korean Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Korean culture and society. Taught in English. See course page for more information |
| EAST 515 | Seminar: Beyond Orientalism. | 3 |
Seminar: Beyond Orientalism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examines the cultural stakes and ethical implications of applying Western European models of understanding to East Asian societies. Provides background on interdisciplinary debates around "otherness", "cultural appropriation", and "postcolonialism", focusing on their history within East Asian Studies and their impact on that field's methodological assumptions, self-definition, and institutional practices. See course page for more information |
| EAST 525 | Critical Area Studies in Asia. | 3 |
Critical Area Studies in Asia. Terms offered: Winter 2027 The course introduces students to foundational concepts, key debates, recent research areas, theoretical methods, and critical approached in area studies. See course page for more information |
| EAST 550 | Classical Chinese Poetry Themes and Genres. | 3 |
Classical Chinese Poetry Themes and Genres. Terms offered: Winter 2027 A study of major themes and genres of classical Chinese poetry from its beginnings to the Yuan dynasty (14th century), with emphasis on critical analysis of text and context. Readings of poems in the original. See course page for more information |
| EAST 551 | Technologies of Self in Early China. | 3 |
Technologies of Self in Early China. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Readings on self-cultivation drawn from Confucian, Legalist, and Taoist philosophic texts of early China (5th-2nd centuries B.C.) in translation will be compared with historical and archaeological materials on the evolving construction of the "individual'' in Chinese social structure, military organization, political and ritual codes. See course page for more information |
| EAST 559 | Advanced Topics: Chinese Literature. | 3 |
Advanced Topics: Chinese Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Chinese literature. The content of the course may vary from year to year, ranging from contemporary to modern to pre-modern literature. See course page for more information |
| EAST 564 | Structures of Modernity: Asia. | 3 |
Structures of Modernity: Asia. Terms offered: Fall 2026 This course explores relations between some of the principal sites which structure the experience of "modernity" in Asia (and elsewhere) - from bodies and cities, to the urban context in general. Along with general approaches (e.g. the idea of everyday life; questions of time), specific topics may include speed, music, architecture, crime, etc. See course page for more information |
| EAST 569 | Advanced Topics: Japanese Literature. | 3 |
Advanced Topics: Japanese Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Japanese literature. The content of the course may vary from year to year from contemporary to modern to pre-modern literature. See course page for more information |
Joint Honours EAS credit form
joint_honours_component_east_asian_studies.docx
General Advising FAQ
Where can I get advising in East Asian Studies?
Visit our Program Advisors page for information about academic advising and course planning.
Honours and Joint Honours FAQ
What can I expect from the Honours Degree in East Asian Studies?
The Honours concentration in East Asian Studies is designed to provide an
opportunity for advanced language training and seminar-level work, directed
toward an independent research paper that you, the student, pursue on a
specific topic.
What are the requirements for an honours degree?
A total of 60 credits is required. The breakdown is as follows:
Required Course (6 credits):
The Honours thesis courses will be two separate courses for 3 credits each.
Complementary Courses (54 credits):
• 24 credits of an East Asian language course:
• 30 credits from East Asian Culture, Literature and Society
Courses.
This section has 2 parts:
1) 6 credits of introductory courses, two of EAST 211, EAST 212, or EAST 213.
2) 24 credits chosen from the following courses. Of these, 6 credits must be at
the 400-level or above, and 3 credits must be a 400-level or above class taken
BEFORE you start writing your thesis. We recommend that you take this 400-
level or above course with your prospective supervisor.
F=Fall semester; W=Winter semester.
When can I sign up for honours?
You can sign up on Minerva when you begin at McGill. The basic rule is that
Minerva will bump you from the Honours program to the regular Major if your
GPA falls below 3.0. Minerva is essentially a computer-style bouncer. If, the
following semester, your GPA again clears 3.0, you will be able to re-register
yourself in the Honours program.
Why should I pursue an honours degree?
An honours degree distinguishes you as someone who has done outstanding
work, and mastered a number of difficult skills—language training, writing, and
research. Needless to say, it is shorthand for a high GPA and consistently
outstanding work. Over and above this distinction, an honours project can be a
chance to work closely with a faculty member in a field s/he knows intimately, as
well as a chance to explore in depth an area of research that intrigues you. In
practical terms, many students who complete the Honours program continue
eventually to graduate school. They continue their work not only in the
disciplines allied with EAS (history, political science, art history, literature, public
policy, business, etc.), but in related scholarly and professional fields, such as
law, school-teaching, academia, NGO work, and civil service. Any career in which
independent work is highly valued, and “project-based” work is key, will benefit
from the work you do in the honours program—conceiving a project, researching
it, organising a body of materials, consulting with experts (both on paper and in
person), and reporting on it.
What does joint honours mean? What is the “joint” part?
In the joint honours program, you essentially complete honours-level
requirements in two departments within the Arts faculty. For instance, East Asian
Studies (EAS) and Art History. Or EAS and Religious Studies. The “joint” part
means that you have two supervisors during your program and, most
importantly, for your thesis—one from each department. However, one will be
your primary supervisor. This means that while both supervisors will give you
guidance on your project, you will ultimately receive one grade from one person.
What are the requirements for the thesis?
The Honours thesis has a text of about 30 to 50 pages (at about 220-250 words
per page), with an absolute minimum of 30 pages exclusive of illustrations and
bibliography, and with accurate footnoting and bibliography.
This suggested length may be altered in consultation with the thesis advisor if the student’s project warrants a longer or shorter paper.
Students may use either footnotes or endnotes in a manner consistent with the guidelines
set forth in The Chicago Manual of Style or the PMLA style sheet. Readers are not
expected to impose penalties for the length of the thesis unless it adversely
affects the quality of the work. Advisors should make clear the standards they
expect in the thesis prepared under their supervision. While the writer should
demonstrate familiarity with scholarly methods in the use of sources, this should
not be the sole criterion for evaluation. Of great importance is the central
argument and significance of interpretation. A thesis may entail research on a
little-studied problem or a reassessment of a familiar problem. Although it is not
required that the thesis involve original research with primary materials in
Chinese, Japanese, or Korean language, it is highly recommended that the work
draw, if possible, on at least some secondary material in one of these languages.
If the thesis is a translation, only the supervisor is expected to evaluate the
accuracy of the translation. All translations must, however, have a substantial
introduction in which the translated work is placed within its intellectual or
historical context (or both). The introduction should not be a summary of the
contents of the translation.
What are the deadlines for the thesis?
The deadlines are as follows:
TIMETABLE:
Winter Semester of year prior to Thesis year. During the Winter semester
of your second to last year, you should decide on a general topic for your thesis.
You should then discuss the topic with faculty member you would like to work
with, and get their consent to serve as your supervisor. You must take at least one
400 level class (or higher) with your potentail advisor prior to making your request
for supervision.
Part of the thesis preparation process is built into the Honours requirements.
Which is to say, 3 of the 6 credits of 400-level classes that are required for
the degree HAVE to be taken before you actually start the two semesters of
thesis writing. This means that you will have already taken a class in which you
write a long research paper, and do in-depth analysis of a particular topic that
you choose.
The deadlines for the Honours and Joint Honours Seminars are listed below.
Make sure to enroll in the thesis courses at the start of your final year. You will need
permission from your thesis supervisor to get a number allowing you to enroll in the
thesis course through Minerva.
n.b. Note that these deadlines are written for students graduating at the end of
the Winter term.
PROPOSAL: By mid-September, the student should have submitted a brief
proposal of at least 5 pages, with an overview of the topic and a bibliography of
sources on your thesis topic.
PROGRESS REPORT: By November 1, a full outline (or some equivalent, such
as a 10-15 page draft) and an annotated bibliography should be submitted to
both your supervisor and Honours Advisor.
FIRST HALF OF THESIS OR TWO CHAPTERS. Due on the last day of
classes of the Fall term. This should comprise roughly 50% to 60% of the
thesis.
FIRST COMPLETE DRAFT: Due on the Friday before Reading Week in
February. This will give your thesis supervisor time to make final corrections
and comments.
FINAL THESIS: due on the last day of classes of the Winter term.
Since the grades for graduating students must be submitted early upon the end
of classes, and the supervisor requires sufficient time to read the thesis, late
submission will not be accepted.
Major Undergraduate Program Director
Guojun Wang
680 Sherbrooke St. W. Room 282
Email: guojun.wang [at] mcgill.ca
Office hours: By appointment
Minor Program Advisors
Mrs. Myung Hee Kim
Office Hours: Tuesdays 10:00 - 11:00 or by appointment
680 Sherbrooke St. W. Room 255
Phone: 514-398-5872
Email: myung.kim [at] mcgill.ca
Ms. Yasuko Senoo
Office Hours:
680 Sherbrooke St. W. Room
Phone: 514-398-6755
Email: yasuko.senoo [at] mcgill.ca
EAST Languages REGISTRATION policies
JAPANESE language registration policy:
A placement test prior to registration is not required. A placement test will be administered on the first day of class in the language course the student has registered in. If you miss the placement test, you may not be able to remain in the course.
Students with little or no prior knowledge can register for EAST 240. If you have taken a Japanese course at McGill, you can register for the next level. Based on the results of the placement test, instructors might recommend a change in level. We do not guarantee, however, that places will be available in the suggested course/level.
If you need consultation, you can send e-mail to one of the instructors. (Please note that they may not be available during the summer.)
All students with or without any background in Japanese MUST complete and submit the EAS Regulations for Registration Form and Japanese Placement Questionnaire and submit to the Instructor on the first day of class in the Fall. Students who fail to do so may not be able to remain in the course.
For the FALL 2023 semester: A placement test is not required prior to registration. Your course instructor will contact you about the first class and placement test before the first day of class.
For the WINTER 2025 semester: Japanese placement test (EAST 242 & EAST 342):
east242_342_japanese_placement_test_winter2025.pdf
For summer Japanese language courses: If you have studied Japanese before, including self-study, and/or you use Japanese at home, you must contact tomoko.ikeda [at] mcgill.ca (Ms. Tomoko Ikeda) or yasuko.senoo [at] mcgill.ca (Ms. Yasuko Senoo) before registering for the summer course.
CHINESE language registration policy:
Students with no prior or little knowledge of Chinese should register in EAST 230. A placement test is not required prior to registration. These students must fill out the EAS Waiver Form and submit it to the instructor during the first day of class. Students who fail to do so will not be able to remain in the course.
All students with or without any background in Chinese Language must complete the EAS Regulations for Registration Form and return it to the instructor on the first day of class in the Fall semester.
Students who have registered in EAST 330, EAST 430, EAST 530, EAST 491 or EAST 535 must take a placement test or have an interview if they have not taken the next lower level course at McGill. Placement tests will be given on the first day of class. Placement interviews, if necessary, will be administered by appointment during the first week of class. If students miss the placement test or interview, they will not be able to remain in the course. Based on the results of the placement test, instructors might recommend a change in level. We do not guarantee, however, that places will be available in the suggested course/level.
KOREAN language registration policy:
Students with no prior or little knowledge of Korean should register in EAST 220. No placement test or interview are required prior to registration. All students should complete the EAS Waiver Form and hand it to the instructor during the first week of class. Students who fail to do so may not be able to remain in the course.
Students who successfully completed EAST 220 with a grade of "C" or better and wish to register in EAST 320, should do so without placement test.
All students registered in EAST 320, with or without any background in Korean Language, must complete the korean_language_regulations_2020_final.pdf, and return it to the Instructor on the first day of class. Students who fail to do so may not be able to remain in the course.
Students with background in Korean:
If you have studied Korean before, including self-study, and/or you use Korean at home, you can register in the course which seems appropriate to your level, but you must contact the instructor with a description of your level of Korean by email: myunghee.kim [at] mcgill.ca. Depending on the description, the instructor may suggest a change of the course you registered in or will schedule an interview with you to assess your level.
All students must complete the korean_language_regulations_2020_final.pdf and return it to the Instructor on the first day of class. Students who fail to do so may not be able to remain in the course.
Korean Language Summer courses:
If you have studied Korean before, including self-study, and/or you use Korean at home, you must contact myunghee.kim [at] mcgill.ca (Ms. Myunghee Kim) before registering for the summer course.
Study Away:
Please follow the procedures outlined on the OASIS (Arts Advising) website.
Once your study away activity has been approved by your Department Advisor/Academic Unit, a travel registry form (only for international activity) will be created on Minerva.
Students planning to register at a university outside of Québec, must see a Department Advisor PRIOR to leaving for their study away. Retroactive credit will not be approved upon return from studies. Provide your advisor with detailed course descriptions, course syllabi, including methods of evaluation and reading lists.
Li Ka Shing Initiative
Reread Policy
Reassessments and Rereads: Faculty of Arts
Please consult the Faculty of Arts Office of Advising and Student Information Services for the Policy concerning Reassessment of Course Work and Rereads of Final Exams.
Reread Policy: Department of East Asian Studies
Rereads for graduate courses are governed by policies of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research.
Rereads for undergraduate courses (including 500-level courses) are governed by policies of the Faculty of Arts. In addition, the following departmental policy concerning only undergraduate rereads is to be followed:
- Students desiring their work to be re-evaluated shall first have a meeting concerning their assignment with the instructor.
- If this discussion does not satisfy the student's desire for a reread, the student may contact the Undergraduate Program Director (UPD). The student will submit a form (downloadable below), signing the form to indicate that the meeting in item 1. above has occurred, and attaching the assignment with the corrections and marks intact.
- The Undergraduate Program Director (UPD) will send this form to the instructor for counter-signature. In the event that the instructor claims that the meeting described in item 1. has not occurred, the Undergraduate Program Director (UPD) will bring the two parties together, and the process will not proceed until student and instructor have engaged in dialogue and tried to reach an agreement. After this discussion has taken place, if the student wishes, the process will move forward.
- The reread will take place according to Faculty of Arts policies. Please note: New Faculty policy requires that a request for a reread must occur within 10 working days of the date of the return of course work. Students must use diligence in obtaining corrected work.
- When the reread is complete, and the second reader has submitted a report, the Undergraduate Program Director (UPD) will inform both the student and the instructor of the result. The new grade may be higher, lower or remain unchanged, and will be final.
- In the case where the course instructor is also the UPD, the request for a reassessment should be submitted to the department Chair. The Chair will carry out the reassessment process as described above in the place of the UPD.
Application for Reread of Undergraduate Course Work
