Asian Languages and Cultures Departmental Information

The department offers instruction in the languages, literatures, linguistics, and cultures of China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, South Asia and Southeast Asia, including survey courses in traditional and modern Chinese and Japanese literature, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean civilization, Chinese philosophy, and a sequence of courses on Buddhism in China, India, Japan, and Tibet. The department offers undergraduate concentrations in Chinese, Japanese, and Asian Studies. Undergraduates are encouraged to consult departmental advisors about appropriate electives, about introducing an Asian component into a concentration plan focused in another department, as well as about developing a plan of study leading to a concentration in Asian Studies, Chinese, or Japanese.

The department's core courses in the modern languages of East, South and Southeast Asia are designed to develop proficiency in the basic skills of speaking, aural comprehension, reading, and writing. To speed students progress toward a working knowledge of the languages, intensive work in Chinese, Hindi-Urdu, Japanese, Korean, and Tamil is usually offered during the summer (students must apply for admission to the summer program).

The faculty and staff in the department reserve the right to require students with previous background in an Asian language to take a placement test. Students will be placed in language classes according to the department's best assessment of the student's language skill and previous training. The department's first-year language courses are designed for students with minimal or no previous exposure to the language in question. Students having previous experience with a language may be required to begin study at a higher level of instruction.

Please Note: Undergraduates with native or near native ability in Chinese of Japanese should not concentrate in their respective languages in this department. These students, who by background have already completed the language requirements for a concentration in either Chinese or Japanese, are better served by a concentration in some other field, such as Asian Studies, English, Comparative Literature, Philosophy, Religion, History, etc. Students who have native or near native command of Japanese and who wish to take language courses required for concentration in Chinese, are welcome to do so. Students with a language background in Chinese likewise may consider a concentration in Japanese.

Area Centers. The department is part of a larger network of teaching and scholarship on Asia at the University of Michigan. Three area centers, the Center for Chinese Studies, the Center for Japanese Studies, and the Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies, bring together faculty in the department with Asian area specialists elsewhere on campus. The Centers, subsidized by the U.S. Department of Education, organize and sponsor numerous extra-curricular activities including informal talks, lectures and colloquia by visiting scholars, films, and exhibits.

Overseas Study. Numerous opportunities exist for overseas study of Asian languages and cultures. There may be some restrictions on the use of study abroad credits to meet concentration requirements. Please consult the concentration advisors.

The University of Michigan is a co-sponsor of the Inter-University Program for Chinese Language Studies in Beijing and the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies in Yokohama. Students may apply to these programs during their second year of coursework (or thereafter) in the appropriate language. Admission is based on national competition, and space is limited. However, Michigan students have proven successful in gaining entrance to these programs. The overseas centers provide an opportunity to master spoken Chinese or Japanese and to improve reading and research skills. Limited financial aid is available from both the University and the overseas centers to students who are admitted. Application to admission and aid is made directly to the administrative offices located at Stanford University; however, the Michigan representatives to the respective programs are available to advise interested students. For information, contact the undergraduate advisor in Chinese or Japanese.

The University of Michigan's Center for South and Southeast Asia is a member of several Southeast Asian Language consortiums that offer advanced language training abroad in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam. The University of Michigan also belongs to the Consortium for International Educational Exchange (CIEE) that offers possibilities for study abroad in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. It is also a member of the Southeast Asian Summer Studies Institute (SEASSI) held each summer in the United States (at different locations each year).

The Kyoto Center for Japanese Studies (KCJS) is an undergraduate academic year program in Kyoto co-sponsored by nine universities in the United States, including the University of Michigan. This center, developed in cooperation with the University of Kyoto, opened in September of 1989. The program provides a select group of undergraduates with an academic challenge of study in Japanese language and culture. Prerequisites: at least one year of prior enrollment in Japanese language courses at the college level (five hours per week minimum). Application deadline: February 5. Applications are available from the Office of International Programs, G513 Michigan Union, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1349.

The Japan Center for Michigan Universities (JCMU) is an opportunity for undergraduates currently enrolled at the University of Michigan to study Japanese language, society, and culture in Japan. Located in Shiga Prefecture, on Lake Biwa, (near Kyoto and Osaka), the JCMU offers academic courses and programs for university credit. The program is open to undergraduates from any of the fifteen state-supported universities in Michigan, as well as students from Shiga Prefecture. Prerequisites: applicants must have been enrolled full-time for at least one year at one of the state-supported universities in Michigan. Applicants must apply through their home institution. Applications deadline: February 5. Application deadline: February 5. Applications are available from the Office of International Programs, G513 Michigan Union, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1349.

Charles and Myrl Hucker Prize in Asian Languages and Cultures is awarded annually for the best essay produced in an ALC course by an undergraduate or graduate student. The department's Fellowships and Awards Committee makes the nomination for the award.

Advising. Appointments are arranged through the department's student services office, 3076 Frieze Building (936-3915). Students who have a formal or informal interest in Asia are encouraged to consult a concentration advisor.