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Graduate Degrees
Master of Arts in East Asian Languages and Cultures
The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures offers instruction in the languages, literatures and cultures of East Asia. The graduate program offers the master’s degree in Chinese and Japanese. Programs of study may emphasize foreign language teaching, applied linguistics, literature, thought, religions or area studies.Admission Requirements — Prerequisites
An applicant for admission will normally have the equivalent of an undergraduate major in East Asian languages and cultures at USC, but programs may be arranged for promising students who do not have the prerequisites. Such students may be required to make up the deficiencies.Criteria
All applicants are required to take the Graduate Record Examinations verbal and quantitative General Test and submit their complete undergraduate record: at least three letters of recommendation and a statement of purpose should be sent to the chair of the department. Applicants are urged to submit written materials as supporting evidence.Degree Requirements
These degrees are under the jurisdiction of the Graduate School. Refer to the Requirements for Graduation section and the Graduate School section of the catalogue for general regulations. All courses applied toward the degrees must be courses accepted by the Graduate School.Foreign Language Requirement
Competence is required in either Chinese or Japanese.Course Requirements
Six courses, four of which must be at the 500-level or above, are required. Those students whose concentration is in language and literature should take a fourth year of language.Final Research Paper
The research paper must demonstrate the student’s ability to use source materials in the Asian language of his or her area.Doctor of Philosophy
East Asian Linguistics Concentration
Requirements
A student’s total graduate course work must be at least 60 units including the doctoral dissertation. Students must have: at least 24 units of courses from the East Asian linguistics core curriculum; at least four years of the student’s East Asian language of specialization (or equivalent); and at least two years (or equivalent) of a second East Asian language. Note that only the fourth year of the language of specialization (8 units) may be applied to the 60 units.Screening Procedure
Before a doctoral guidance committee can be established for students in the Ph.D. concentration and prior to the completion of 24 units of graduate work or the fourth semester of degree candidacy (whichever comes first), students must pass a screening procedure. This procedure consists of a review of the student’s graduate work by a three-person committee of the departmental faculty and will be based on the following criteria: course work, including grades and papers; faculty recommendations; performance on a take-home examination; and evaluation of a research paper. The screening procedure is completed by the formation of a Ph.D. guidance committee. Refer to the Graduate School section of this catalogue for specific direction on forming a guidance committee.Petition to Take the Qualifying Examination
Sixty days prior to the proposed examination date, a petition to take the examination must be filed with the guidance committee chair and the Graduate School; the student cannot take the examination without approval of his or her Ph.D. guidance committee. The petition should include specification of two or three areas which must be related to the area of the student’s specialization in which the student wishes to be examined. Prior to the qualifying examination, the student must submit to each member of the guidance committee a dissertation prospectus and an original research paper.Qualifying Examinations
Ph.D. qualifying examinations are both written and oral. Once a student’s petition to take the examinations has been approved, the guidance committee will set and administer the written examination. The areas to be examined are set by the guidance committee in terms of the choice of specific languages (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) and the choice of linguistic concentrations, such as phonetics, morphology, syntax and historical studies. The written examination consists of a number of questions over the approved fields. Students will receive the qualifying paper and will have 30 days to answer the questions. An oral examination will be scheduled by the guidance committee two weeks after the written examination has been completed.Foreign Language Requirements
All doctoral candidates must demonstrate competence in two East Asian languages. One can be satisfied by at least four years of the language of specialization and the other by at least two years of a second East Asian language. Additional language work may be required by the guidance committee in view of the student’s proposed field of research. All language requirements must be completed at least 60 days before the qualifying examination is taken.Dissertation
A dissertation must be submitted according to the policies and procedures described in the Graduate School section of this catalogue.East Asian Linguistics Core Curriculum
| Requirements | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| EALC 470 | Introduction to East Asian Linguistics | 4 |
| EALC 537 | Structure of the Korean Language | 4 |
| EALC 547 | Structure of the Japanese Language | 4 |
| EALC 557 | Structure of the Chinese Language | 4 |
| EALC 558 | History of the Chinese Language | 4 |
| EALC 560 | Comparative Syntax of the East Asian Languages | 4 |
| EALC 561 | Topics and Issues in East Asian Linguistics | 4 |
| EALC 562 | Teaching of the East Asian Languages | 4 |
| EALC 580 | Readings in East Asian Linguistics | 4 |
| EALC 620 | Seminar in East Asian Linguistics | 4 |
| EALC 794abcdz | Doctoral Dissertation | 2-2-2-2-0 |
This new program will be available beginning fall 2006.
Doctor of Philosophy, East Asian Languages and Cultures
Course Requirements
A student’s total graduate course work must be at least 60 units including 4 units of doctoral dissertation (794ab) and the following courses:
| Core Courses: | Units | |
|---|---|---|
| EALC 505 | Introduction to East Asian Languages and Cultures | 4 |
| COLT 601 | Professional Development I: Applying for Positions | 2 |
| COLT 603 | Professional Development II: Publication | 2 |
Four courses on East Asian languages and literatures.
Four courses on East Asian cultures and civilizations.
Three additional courses in a target discipline or field.
No more than four courses at the 400-level may be applied to the total requirement of 60 units. The fulfillment of the course requirements is determined by the Graduate Studies Committee in EALC.
Screening Procedure
A screening procedure will be conducted before the student completes 24 units of course work, which typically means by the end of the first year. The Graduate Studies Committee will review the student’s performance comprehensively and meet the student after a statement describing his/her research ideas is submitted.
Guidance Committee
Upon successful completion of the screening procedure, the student is encouraged to begin forming a five-member guidance committee, whose purpose is to help the student prepare for the qualifying examination. The committee must be approved by the Graduate School at the time the student applies to schedule a qualifying examination.
Qualifying Procedure
A student takes examinations in three different fields approved by the guidance committee. An oral examination based on the written exams will follow. After successful completion of the examinations, the student will submit a dissertation prospectus, which must be approved by the guidance committee and the Graduate Studies Committee in EALC.
Foreign Language Requirement
A student must have at least four years of course work or its equivalent in the language of his/her specialization. In addition, the student should acquire or demonstrate competence in a second East Asian language. This requirement may be met by two years’ worth of course work. Whether the second East Asian language should be classical or modern will be determined by the Graduate Studies Committee in consultation with a student’s academic advisor.