MA and PhD in Asian Languages and Cultures

Description

The MA and PhD programs in Asian Languages and Cultures in the department of Asian Languages and Literature are flexible degree tracks. They are offered to students whose academic interests are not currently met by existing graduate programs within the department. Students are encouraged to apply to the Asian Languages and Cultures MA or PhD program if they aim to focus on fields including but not limited to (1) transregional and interdisciplinary studies (such as Asian film and cultural studies), (2) fields that currently do not have a program-specific MA or PhD track (such as Applied Linguistics, Korean, and Southeast Asian studies; see below), and (3) fields that are not covered by existing tracks in a specific program (for example, Japanese/Chinese linguistics and art).

Korean Studies

Graduate students admitted to the Asian Languages and Cultures track have the option to specialize in Korean Studies with an emphasis on literature, film, media, cultural studies, translation studies, and Korean linguistics. In addition to Teaching Assistant (TA) positions in Korean language, graduate students focusing on Korean Studies may apply for additional scholarships (Sochon Foundation Endowed Scholarship in Korea Studies and Nam Chu Koh Scholarship) from the Center for Korea Studies. 

Southeast Asian Studies

The Southeast Asian Studies program welcomes graduate applications for the MA and PhD tracks in Asian Languages and Cultures. For PhD applicants, we are especially keen to consider proposals relating to Southeast Asian genre studies (folklore, fantasy, speculative fiction and science fiction), decolonial and postcolonial literature and film, translation practices and theory, as well as narratives of race and religion from any parts of the region or as a comparative cultural study.

Faculty Committee

A group of faculty members in the relevant fields that the student is interested in will form a preliminary supervisory committee at the time the department considers offers of admission. The supervisory committee will consist of a minimum of two faculty members for the MA program and a minimum of three for the PhD program.

Once a student is admitted, the preliminary supervisory committee will be formalized and the student will propose a set of specific courses for the committee’s approval to satisfy either the MA or the PhD requirements for the Asian Languages and Cultures track.

Asian Languages and Cultures MA Program
Asian Languages and Cultures PhD Program