Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
East Asian Languages and Cultures
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 with specialties in Chinese, Japanese and Korean. 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 this 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 Chinese, Japanese or Korean.
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 East Asian language of his or her area.
Doctor of Philosophy in 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| COLT 601 | Professional Development I: Applying for Positions | 2 |
| COLT 603 | Professional Development II: Publication | 2 |
| EALC 505 | Introduction to East Asian Languages and Cultures | 4 |
| A theory and methodology course in EALC or an equivalent course in a related program. |
| 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.
Qualifying Exam Committee
Upon successful completion of the screening procedure, the student is encouraged to begin forming a five-member qualifying exam 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 qualifying exam 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 qualifying exam 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 adviser.
Dissertation
Defense and presentation of the dissertation will follow regulations defined by the Graduate School.
Certificate in Foreign Language Teaching
The certificate in Foreign Language Teaching provides certification in the theory and practice of second or foreign language teaching for student language teachers concurrently enrolled in graduate degree programs in foreign languages or related graduate programs at USC; for graduates of such programs who are teaching languages; for external candidates concurrently enrolled in similar programs at accredited colleges or universities; or for graduates of such programs who are teaching languages. The certificate is meant to supplement graduate study in the literature or linguistics of foreign languages. It is also meant to supplement classroom teaching. Refer to the Department of Spanish and Portuguese for course work requirements.