East Asian Studies

Ohio Wesleyan’s program in East Asian Studies can give you the knowledge, skills, and experience to live and work in East Asia.

The East Asian Studies major is strongly interdisciplinary, including studies in economics, politics and government, history, religion, sociology and anthropology, and Chinese or Japanese. You benefit from the variety of perspectives and expertise that faculty from different departments bring to their classrooms.

You choose to focus on studying Japanese or Chinese, and you will take at least six semesters of language instruction. You also will study abroad for a semester and complete a senior thesis.

Related Minors

East Asian Studies

Think Big

Every student completes a senior thesis. Competitive University-funded Theory-to Practice Grants support your independent research, internships, or cultural immersion throughout the world. OWU students have completed projects in both China and Japan.

Theory-To-Practice Grants Research & Independent Study

Sustainability in Taiwan

Megan Keppler ’16, left, received a Theory-to-Practice Grant to study sustainability in Taiwan.

The Seoul of Recycling

OWU students joined Dr. Ji Young Choi for a Luce Grant-funded trip to study recycling and waste management in South Korea.

Cleaning up After Godzilla Attacks

Carlie Braden ’18, Audrey Castaneda Walker ’18, Troy Jones ’17 and Kevin Rossi ’17 traveled to Japan with OWU instructor Jun Kawabe to study sustainability.

Go Global

Travel-Learning courses allow you to study a topic for a semester on the OWU campus and then travel to the places you studied to create a richer learning experience.

A number of Travel-Learning Courses have included trips to Japan, China, and Taiwan.

Travel-Learning Courses

Elegance in Japan

Prof. Sokolsky recently led a group of students to Japan for a class on elegance and brutality in Japanese literature.

A Year Abroad

Robert Wu '20 earned a Freeman Award for Study in Asia to support a year-long study abroad experience at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. He did a homestay with a Japanese family and interned at a Buddhist monastery.

Staying Sustainable

Catie Kocian '18 and James Ormerod '17 traveled to Taiwan to study waste management. Their trip was funded by a Luce Grant.

Highlights

Study in China

In the People’s Republic of China, you may join four programs in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hong Kong, all sponsored by the Council for International Exchange. Another Chinese program is available in Taipei.

Semester in Japan

In Japan, you may participate in semester-long programs at Waseda University, Aoyama Gakuin University, and Kansai-Gaidai University.

Modern Foreign Language House

You can choose to live in the Modern Foreign Language House. The house provides an environment for students studying a foreign language to live and learn together.

Celebrate Lunar New Year

Each year, the Chinese Culture Club puts on a special celebration open to the campus and community to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The club also hold China Week and a Mid-Autumn Festival each year.

Teaching Across the Globe

Rebecca Pollard '13 completed an MA in International Studies at Concordia University Irving and has taught English in Taipei, Taiwan, Jerusalem, Israel, and Zhejiang University of Media and Communications.

Graduate Opportunities

Giang Le '09 holds an MA in East Asian Languages, Literature, and Linguistics from the University of Southern California. She now works as an Analytical Linguistic Project Manager for Google via Adecco.