Department of East Asian Languages & Cultures

Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures

Chinese and Japanese language major programs were established at Georgetown University in 1949. The East Asian Languages and Cultures program today offers some of the most rigorous Chinese, Japanese, and Korean language training in the country. In addition to three-year sequences of structured intensive instruction, the department has a large number of electives taught in the language. Chinese and Japanese majors generally spend a semester or a year abroad at one of our partner institutions in Japan, China, or Taiwan, where they receive further intensive language instruction and benefit from immersion in the culture.

The East Asian Department is more than a language program. It aims to give students comprehensive exposure to the cultures of East Asia. The introductory course “East Asia: Texts and Contexts” introduces students to topics in the classical and contemporary literary traditions of East Asia through works in English translation. Other courses offered in English range across themes from classical Chinese prose to contemporary Japanese animated film. Chinese and Japanese majors cap their four years of study with a senior thesis, which provides the opportunity to apply their language skills and explore a topic of their choice in depth.