University of Arizona Graduate Programs in Asian Studies

http://www.arizona.edu/
http://eas.web.arizona.edu/

Learning Services Building, Room 102
1512 First St.
PO Box 210105
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona, 85721-0105, USA
520-621-7505
cohadv@email.arizona.edu

Programs:

General Master’s Degree

There are several programs of study leading to a master’s degree in the department of East Asian Studies. The general M.A. program is designed for students who want to learn more about East Asia at the graduate level but do not intend to pursue their graduate education past an M.A. Students with a more focused interest in either China or Japan and those planning to go on to a doctoral program should consider the M.A. programs in Chinese or Japanese studies.

Ideally, students applying for the general master’s program in East Asian Studies will have the following: 1) three years of either Chinese or Japanese language study (or have equivalent language ability), and 2) adequate English ability to pursue a master’s degree. Prospective students with less than three years of language study are encouraged to contact the Admissions Committee to discuss their situation. With departmental approval, students with a limited number of deficiencies may be admitted to the program. These students will need to make up any deficiencies. Graduate credit will not be given for any work completed to satisfy deficiencies.

Requirements

In accordance with the policies of the department, a minimum of 25 units must be completed in the East Asian Studies department. Course work which counts towards the master’s degree must be taken at the 500 level or above. As a rule, that course work should be taken for letter grades (i.e., not Pass/Fail). (Note: The only exception to the 500 level rule is the Graduate College provision that students may take up to six credits of 400 level work for graduate degrees in areas outside the major department and with the approval of major/minor advisors, the faculty member in the area involved, and the department Head.)

Candidates must fulfill the following requirements:

One year (6 units) of language beyond the third-year level.
One introductory course (3 units) in the department in three of the following five fields: history, linguistics, literature, religion and thought, and cultural anthropology. (It may be possible to apply courses taken previously at the undergraduate level towards meeting this requirement, although this will not reduce the total number of units needed to complete the M.A. degree. Students who wish to do so should submit a petition to the department explaining their request.)
6 additional units of courses within the department which are relevant to the student’s field of study. These courses must enhance the programmatic integrity of the course of study.
3 units of courses from other departments which are relevant to the student’s course of study. These courses must enhance the programmatic integrity of the course of study.
1 unit of the EAS 595a, Master’s Colloquium, to be taken in the first semester possible after the student’s admission.

Students in the general M.A. track may choose to submit in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master’s degree either a thesis or a departmental paper. Students whose area of study is Japanese linguistics also have the option of taking an exam in lieu of writing a thesis or departmental paper. Those general M.A. students who are committed to writing a thesis must complete a minimum of 31 units of graduate work in addition to submitting a thesis of acceptable quality.

Those general M.A. students who choose to submit a departmental paper in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master’s degree must complete 34 units of graduate work in addition to the preparation of a paper of acceptable quality.

A departmental paper submitted under the general M.A. program may be based on a seminar paper already submitted in a graduate course, suitably revised under the direction of the student’s advisor and committee. Like the thesis, a departmental paper must be based on original research and should conform to thesis guidelines concerning scope and quality. Such a paper does not necessarily involve the use of Chinese or Japanese sources.

Final Notes

Students should develop their programs of study in consultation with the Graduate Advisor and other advisors in their field(s). It is important that students get approval for their programs and for the specific courses they wish to take. They should also study Graduate College requirements carefully. It is the student who is ultimately responsible for meeting such obligations in order to complete the graduate program.

Area Master’s Degree

Students in the China or the Japan track must complete a minimum of 31 units of graduate work, including preparation of a thesis of acceptable quality.

The area M.A. tracks require completion of a structured curriculum that is designed to equip the student with language, disciplinary skills, and knowledge of an elected cultural area. An area M.A. track may serve as preparation for various professional activities or as preparation for application to 1) this department’s Ph.D. programs, 2) a Ph.D. program in another of this University’s departments, or 3) a Ph.D. program at another university. In any case, the student must prepare for the rigors of the Ph.D. program by completing adequate disciplinary, language, or other specialized training while pursuing the M.A. (See the material below on the Ph.D. fields of study as an indication of possible M.A. emphases.)

China Area MA Program Preparation

Ideally, students applying for the master’s program in East Asian Studies with a China area specialization will have completed the following: 1) three years of Chinese language study (or have equivalent Chinese language ability); 2) adequate English ability to pursue a master’s degree; and 3) some previous course work in Chinese studies. Prospective students with less than three years of Chinese language study are encouraged to contact the Admissions Committee to discuss their situation. With departmental approval, students with a limited number of deficiencies may be admitted to the program. These students will need to make up any deficiencies. Graduate credit will not be given for any work completed to satisfy deficiencies.

Students pursuing a master’s degree with a specialization in Chinese studies may choose a field of study in Chinese history, linguistics, literature, or thought/religion.

In accordance with Graduate College requirements, a minimum of 25 units must be completed in the East Asian Studies department. All course work which counts towards the master’s degree must be taken at the 500 level or above, except as specified in the general graduate college guidelines. (Note: The only exception to the 500 level rule is the Graduate College provision that students may take up to six credits of 400 level work for graduate degrees in areas outside the major department and with the approval of major/minor advisors, the faculty member in the area involved, and the department Head.)

As a rule, course work should be taken for letter grades (i.e., not Pass/Fail).

Requirements

There are several specific course requirements:

One course (3 units) in three of the following five fields: Chinese history, linguistics, literature, thought/religion, and cultural anthropology. (It may be possible to apply courses taken previously at the undergraduate level towards meeting this breadth requirement. Students who wish to do so should submit to the department a petition explaining their request.)
6 units of advanced-level courses within the department which are relevant to the student’s field of study. These courses must enhance the programmatic integrity of the course of study.
3 units of courses from other departments which are relevant to the student’s course of study. These courses must enhance the programmatic integrity of the course of study.
6 units of fourth-year Chinese, or demonstrated proficiency of the language at that level.
One year of classical Chinese, the first semester covering basic grammar and the second semester chosen from among available content courses.
1 unit of EAS 595a Master’s Colloquium, to be taken in the first semester possible after the student’s admission.
1 to 3 units of CHN 910 (Thesis) for students who are writing a thesis.

Students in the China track must complete a minimum of 31 units of graduate work, including preparation of a thesis of acceptable quality. Note that no more than 3 units of independent studies including CHN 910 may be counted towards these 31 units. Work leading to the thesis should include the use of relevant materials in Chinese. (These materials are to be chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor.) Theses should be based on original research and should conform to departmental guidelines concerning scope and quality. Near the end of their program there is an oral final examination which focuses on, but is not limited to, the student’s thesis. The student will be asked to explain and defend the thesis. Committee members may also ask the student to explain the relationship between the thesis project and other course materials covered during study for the Master’s degree.

Students in the linguistics track of Chinese may elect to take an examination in lieu of writing a thesis. In that case, they may take 3 units of CHN 900 in their 3rd or 4th semester for examination preparation and must complete a minimum of 34 units.

Students must develop their programs of study in consultation with the Graduate Advisor and other advisors in their field(s). It is important that students get approval for their programs and for the specific courses they wish to take. They should also study Graduate College requirements carefully. It is the student who is ultimately responsible for meeting such obligations in order to complete the graduate program.

The area Master’s program must comprise a structured curriculum designed to equip the student with disciplinary skills, Chinese language skills, and a general knowledge of China.

Students who want to learn more about East Asia at the graduate level but do not intend to pursue their graduate education past an M.A. may choose to enroll in the department’s General M.A. program. Contact the Department of East Asian Studies for details.

Japan Area MA Program Preparation

Ideally, students applying for the master’s program in East Asian Studies with a Japan-area specialization will meet the following criteria: 1) they will have completed at least three years of Japanese language study, or will have attained an equivalent level of proficiency; 2) they will have adequate proficiency in English to pursue a Master’s degree; and 3) they will have done previous course work in Japanese studies. Prospective students with less than three years of Japanese language study are encouraged to contact the Admissions Committee to discuss their situation. With departmental approval, students with a limited number of deficiencies may be admitted to the program. These students will need to make up any deficiencies. Any work to satisfy deficiencies will not count toward the degree.
Requirements

Students must fulfill the following requirements:

A minimum of 25 units must be completed in the East Asian Studies department. All course work which counts towards the master’s degree must be taken at the 500 level or above, except as specified in the Graduate Catalog of the University of Arizona. As a rule, that coursework should be taken for letter grades (i.e., not for Pass/Fail).
1 unit of EAS 595a, the M.A. Colloquium, to be taken in the first semester possible after the student’s admission.
One year (6 units) of language beyond the third-year level, such as Japanese 521/522, or Japanese 505 and a related seminar (or have equivalent Japanese language ability).
One introductory course (3 units) in three of the following four fields: linguistics (JPN 511), literature (JPN 546a,b; 547a,b), religion (JPN 585, 586, 589) and anthropology (JPN 595b). One of these must be in the student’s field of study. (It may be possible to apply courses taken previously at the undergraduate level towards meeting this requirement, although this will not reduce the total number of units needed to complete the M.A. degree. Students who wish to do so should submit to the department a petition explaining their request.)
6 additional units of advanced-level courses within the department that are relevant to the student’s field of study. (This requirement cannot be fulfilled by any independent study course, including 910.) These courses must enhance the programmatic integrity of the course of study.
1 unit of JPN 910 (Thesis).

Students in the Japan track must complete a minimum of 31 units of graduate work, including preparation of a thesis of acceptable quality. Note that no more than 3 units of independent studies including JPN 910 may be counted towards these 31 units. Work leading to the thesis should include the use of relevant materials in Japanese. (These materials are to be chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor.) Theses should be based on original research and should conform to departmental guidelines concerning scope and quality. Near the end of their program there is an oral final examination which focuses on, but is not limited to, the student’s thesis. The student will be asked to explain and defend the thesis. Committee members may also ask the student to explain the relationship between the thesis project and other course materials covered during study for the Master’s degree.

Students in the linguistics track of Japanese may elect to take an examination in lieu of writing a thesis. In that case, they may take 3 units of JPN 599 in their 3rd or 4th semester for examination preparation and must complete a minimum of 34 units.

Students must develop their programs of study in consultation with the Graduate Advisor and other advisors in their field(s). It is important that students get approval for their programs and for the specific courses they wish to take. They should also study Graduate College requirements carefully. It is the student who is ultimately responsible for meeting such obligations in order to complete the graduate program.

Pre-doctoral study

For students who plan to continue their graduate work at the Ph.D. level, the Japan-area M.A. program offers pre-doctoral study in the following fields: Japanese history, Japanese linguistics and/or language pedagogy, Japanese literature and Japanese religion. The pre-doctoral student’s program must comprise a structured curriculum designed to equip the student with disciplinary skills, Japanese language skills, and a general knowledge of Japan. It must leave the student adequately prepared to undertake a Ph.D. program. The various pre-doctoral tracks may also have specific requirements in addition to the general requirements described in the section above.

Focuses: Language, General

Requirements: See above