Undergraduate Programs: EALC Major

Requirements for the EALC Major (32 units)

For questions or more information, please contact Geneil Johnson, gmjohnso@usc.edu or (213) 740-2534.

The requirements for the EALC major are quite simple, and allow a student a great amount of flexibility to design their own course of study. Majors typically select one language and cultural area (Chinese, Japanese, or Korean) in which they do most of their work. For this reason, one frequently hears students on campus speaking about "majoring" in Japanese, Chinese, or Korean, though strictly speaking all these students are actually majoring in EALC. However, students are not restricted to focus their studies on one language or culture.

The requirements are as follows:

	Course	Course Title
Language (three years or six semesters)	EALC-306	Advanced Modern Chinese II
	EALC-317	Advanced Korean II
	EALC-322	Advanced Japanese II
Civilization Course (choose one)	EALC-340g EALC-345 EALC-350g	Japanese Civilization Korean Civilization Chinese Civilization * Or an equivalent course approved by the department
Literature Course (choose one)	EALC-332 EALC-335m EALC-342g EALC-352g EALC-354g EALC-380 EALC-385 EALC-386 EALC-455  EALC-460	See bottom of page for course information
Upper-Division Electives (+300) (choose four)*	See bottom of page for course information

* One lower-division EALC “culture” course (110g, 130g, 145) may be used to count toward the 16 upper-division units. In addition, one upper-division course on East Asia from another department may likewise be used to count toward the 16 units.

Many EALC majors complete part of their departmental requirements while studying abroad in China (Nanjing University or Beijing University), Taiwan (National Chengchi University), Japan (Waseda University, Nanzan University, or Tokyo International University), or Korea (Yonsei University), typically during   their junior year. Also, many EALC majors complete double-majors (e.g. EALC & International Relations, EALC & Business, etc.). In fact, the EALC majors have had very good representation among Renaissance Scholars at USC.

Courses of Instruction

Literature Courses (Choose One)

• EALC-332: Korean Literature in English Translation
• EALC-342g: Japanese Literature and Culture
• EALC-352g: Chinese Literature and Culture
• EALC-354g: Modern Chinese Literature in Translation
• EALC-380: Cultural Topics in East Asian Literature
• EALC-385: Readings in Korean Poetry
• EALC-386: Readings in Modern Korean Literature
• EALC-455: Japanese Fiction
• EALC-460: Love, Self and Gender in Japanese Literature

Upper-Division Courses (Choose Four) *
* Some courses have pre-requisites, see catalogue

All fourth year language courses; some of which are:

• EALC-407: Newspaper and Documentary Chinese
• EALC-412a, 412b: Business Chinese
• EALC-413: Business Japanese
• EALC-418: Korean Writing in Mixed Script
• EALC-419: Newspaper in Documentary Korean

All courses listed as 300- and 400-level, such as:

• EALC-318: Readings in Contemporary Korean
• EALC-355: Modern Chinese Thought and Culture
• EALC-365: Studies in Japanese Thought
• EALC-375: Women & Gender in China: Past & Present
• EALC-400: Classical Chinese I
• EALC-402: Classical Chinese II
• EALC-410: Chinese-English Translation
• EALC-426: Classical Japanese
• EALC-431: The Taoist Tradition
• EALC-452: Narrating the City: Literary and Visual Representations of Shanghai
• EALC-470: Introduction to East Asian Linguistics
• EALC-499: “Geisha Girls”: A Japanese Icon in the Literature, Art, and Films of East and West

Students are encouraged to meet with an academic advisor to help design a course of study that will meet the student’s interests as well as the departmental requirements. For questions or more information, contact us at (213) 740-3707 or ealc@college.usc.edu.

Typical Program of Study

A typical program for a student using Japanese for his/her major and beginning study of the language as a freshman would be like this:

Freshman Year:  
Japanese I (EALC 120)
Japanese II (EALC 122)
East Asian Ethical Thought (EALC 130g)

Sophomore Year:
Japanese III (EALC 220)
Japanese IV (EALC 222)
Japanese Civilization (EALC 340g)

Junior Year:
Advanced Japanese I (EALC 320)
Advanced Japanese II (EALC 322)
Literature of the Korean People (EALC 335m)

Senior Year:
Readings in Advanced Japanese I (EALC 422)
Readings in Advanced Japanese II (EALC 424)
Japanese Literature and Culture (EALC 342g)

Note: Many EALC courses satisfy the GE Category II: Non-Western Culture requirement and The College foreign language requirement, such courses are listed below:

LAS Foreign Lanuage Requirement

• EALC 104 - Chinese I
• EALC 106 - Chinese II
• EALC 204 - Chinese III
• EALC 115 - Korean I
• EALC 117 - Korean II
• EALC 215 - Korean III
• EALC 120 - Japanese I
• EALC 122 - Japanese II
• EALC 220 - Japanese III

GE Category II Requirement

• EALC 110g - East Asian Humanities: The Great Tradition
• EALC 125g - Introduction to Contemporary East Asian Cinema
• EALC 130g - East Asian Ethical Thought
• EALC 340g - Japanese Civilization
• EALC 342g - Japanese Literature and Culture
• EALC 350g - Chinese Civilization
• EALC 352g - Chinese Literature and Culture
• EALC 354g: Modern Chinese Literature in Translation

For questions or more information, contact us at (213) 740-3707 or ealc@college.usc.edu.