East Asian Language and Literature Minor Concentration (B.A.) (18 credits)
Offered by: East Asian Studies (Faculty of Arts)
Degree: Bachelor of Arts; Bachelor of Arts and Science
Program credit weight: 18
Program Description
This program may be expanded to the Major Concentration East Asian Studies.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Complementary Courses (18 credits)
18 credits selected as specified below.
Introduction to East Asian Culture
3 credits from the following:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EAST 211 | Introduction: East Asian Culture: China. | 3 |
Introduction: East Asian Culture: China. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course provides a critical introduction to central themes in Chinese culture. The course will also examine the changing representations of the Chinese cultural tradition in the West. Readings will include original sources in translation from the fields of literature, philosophy, religion, and cultural history. | ||
| EAST 212 | Introduction: East Asian Culture: Japan. | 3 |
Introduction: East Asian Culture: Japan. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to Japan which presents various aspects of Japanese literature, culture, history, religions, philosophy and society. | ||
| EAST 213 | Introduction: East Asian Culture: Korea. | 3 |
Introduction: East Asian Culture: Korea. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course provides a critical introduction to central themes in Korean culture, including Korean literature, religions, philosophy, and socio-economic formations. | ||
East Asian Language
9 credits of language (see the list below). Students may meet this requirement by passing the first level of Korean, Chinese or Japanese with a grade of "C" or better. Students with prior knowledge of an Asian language may substitute a second level in place of a first level. Or, these students may take 6 credits of language at the 400-level or above from the list and an additional 3 credits of East Asian Studies (EAST) courses.
Note: Admission to language courses is subject to placement tests.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EAST 220D1 | First Level Korean. | 4.5 |
First Level Korean. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to the basic structures of the standard Korean language. The aim of this course is to give students a basic knowledge of the Korean language. Special emphasis is put on handling everyday conversation, reading and writing short texts, and mastering basic grammar rules. | ||
| EAST 220D2 | First Level Korean. | 4.5 |
First Level Korean. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See EAST 220D1 for course description. | ||
| EAST 230D1 | First Level Chinese. | 4.5 |
First Level Chinese. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to the basic structures of Mandarin Chinese, Pin-yin romanization and 750 characters for reading and writing. Emphasis on developing aural and oral skills through communication games and interaction activities. Animated films are used as part of teaching materials. | ||
| EAST 230D2 | First Level Chinese. | 4.5 |
First Level Chinese. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See EAST 230D1 for course description. | ||
| EAST 240D1 | First Level Japanese. | 4.5 |
First Level Japanese. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to the basic grammar and sentence patterns of the Japanese language in both oral and written forms. In reading and writing skills students will be introduced to katakana, hiragana and kanji. | ||
| EAST 240D2 | First Level Japanese. | 4.5 |
First Level Japanese. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See EAST 240D1 for course description. | ||
| EAST 241 | Japanese Writing Beginners 1. | 3 |
Japanese Writing Beginners 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Grammar, vocabulary, kanji, and introduction ofsome new expressions. | ||
| EAST 242 | Japanese Writing Beginners 2. | 3 |
Japanese Writing Beginners 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Grammar, vocabulary, kanji, and introduction ofsome new expressions. | ||
| EAST 320D1 | Second Level Korean. | 4.5 |
Second Level Korean. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The aim of this course is to give students a fluent speaking ability in daily conversation, advanced grammar knowledge, improved reading and writing skills. Special emphasis is put on the efficient use of grammar, enrichment of vocabulary, and mastering useful expressions encountered in everyday life. | ||
| EAST 320D2 | Second Level Korean. | 4.5 |
Second Level Korean. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See EAST 320D1 for course description. | ||
| EAST 330D1 | Second Level Chinese. | 4.5 |
Second Level Chinese. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The same communicative approach as in EAST 230 is used to develop aural and oral skills on daily topics. In addition to textbooks, Chinese films on videotapes will be incorporated as teaching materials. | ||
| EAST 330D2 | Second Level Chinese. | 4.5 |
Second Level Chinese. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See EAST 330D1 for course description. | ||
| EAST 340D1 | Second Level Japanese. | 4.5 |
Second Level Japanese. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Continuation of the study of oral and written Japanese. | ||
| EAST 340D2 | Second Level Japanese. | 4.5 |
Second Level Japanese. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See EAST 340D1 for course description. | ||
| EAST 341 | Japanese Writing Intermediate 1. | 3 |
Japanese Writing Intermediate 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Intermediate grammar, vocabulary and kanji,focusing on writing skills and reading comprehension. | ||
| EAST 342 | Japanese Writing Intermediate 2. | 3 |
Japanese Writing Intermediate 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Intermediate grammar, vocabulary and kanji, focusing on writing skills and reading comprehension. | ||
| EAST 420 | Third Level Korean 1. | 3 |
Third Level Korean 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. grammar, enhancing written and oral comprehension and improving writing and speaking skills. | ||
| EAST 421 | Third Level Korean 2. | 3 |
Third Level Korean 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced grammar, enhancing written and oral comprehension and improving writing and speaking skills. | ||
| EAST 430D1 | Third Level Chinese. | 3 |
Third Level Chinese. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A communicative approach will be used to provide students with skills to communicate in various situations, express their ideas and feelings, and discuss various aspects of culture and life in China and in Canada. Teaching materials include Chinese movies on videotape and slides depicting Chinese life and culture. | ||
| EAST 430D2 | Third Level Chinese. | 3 |
Third Level Chinese. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See EAST 430D1 for course description. | ||
| EAST 440D1 | Third Level Japanese. | 3 |
Third Level Japanese. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. More advanced study of the Japanese language. Emphasis will be placed on reading. | ||
| EAST 440D2 | Third Level Japanese. | 3 |
Third Level Japanese. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See EAST 440D1 for course description. | ||
| EAST 530D1 | Fourth Level Chinese. | 3 |
Fourth Level Chinese. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Development of skills required to conduct academic discussions in oral as well as in written forms. Teaching materials include original texts from Chinese newspapers, Chinese literature and videos. | ||
| EAST 530D2 | Fourth Level Chinese. | 3 |
Fourth Level Chinese. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See EAST 530D1 for course description. | ||
| EAST 533 | Classical Chinese 1. | 3 |
Classical Chinese 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to the grammar and syntax of classical Chinese. Readings are selected from well-known Confucian and Taoist classics, and philosophical and historical writings from premodern China. | ||
| EAST 534 | Classical Chinese 2. | 3 |
Classical Chinese 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Continuation of EAST 533 at a more advanced level. | ||
| EAST 535 | Chinese for Business 1. | 3 |
Chinese for Business 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course aims to provide advanced students of Chinese with training in the terminology and syntax necessary for business communications. Topics will include many different aspects of business negotiations, such as price negotiation, methods of payment, etc. | ||
| EAST 536 | Chinese for Business 2. | 3 |
Chinese for Business 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course is a continuation of EAST 535. It is designed to further develop students' linguistic competence for business communication, and to provide students with some knowledge on China's trade policies as well as on different methods of trading with China. | ||
| EAST 540D1 | Fourth Level Japanese. | 3 |
Fourth Level Japanese. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced study of Japanese, with emphasis on reading Japanese newspapers. Classes will be conducted entirely in Japanese. | ||
| EAST 540D2 | Fourth Level Japanese. | 3 |
Fourth Level Japanese. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. See EAST 540D1 for course description. | ||
| EAST 544 | Classical Japanese 2. | 3 |
Classical Japanese 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The grammar and syntax of classical Japanese. Readings in well-known writings of pre-modern Japan. | ||
East Asian Studies (EAST)
6 credits at the 300 level or above in East Asian Studies (EAST) courses selected from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EAST 303 | Current Topics: Chinese Studies 1. | 3 |
Current Topics: Chinese Studies 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of important issues in Chinese Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year. | ||
| EAST 304 | Current Topics: Chinese Studies 2. | 3 |
Current Topics: Chinese Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of important issues in Chinese Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year. | ||
| EAST 305 | Current Topics: Japanese Studies 1. | 3 |
Current Topics: Japanese Studies 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of important issues in Japanese studies. The content of the course will vary from year to year. | ||
| EAST 306 | Current Topics: Japanese Studies 2. | 3 |
Current Topics: Japanese Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of important issues in Japanese studies. The content of the course will vary from year to year. | ||
| EAST 307 | Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 1. | 3 |
Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of East Asian literature and/or language. | ||
| EAST 308 | Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 2. | 3 |
Topics: East Asian Language and Literature 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of East Asian literature and/or language. | ||
| EAST 313 | Current Topics: Korean Studies 1. | 3 |
Current Topics: Korean Studies 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of important issues in Korean Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year. | ||
| EAST 314 | Current Topics: Korean Studies 2. | 3 |
Current Topics: Korean Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of important issues in Korean Studies. Content of the course will vary from year to year. | ||
| EAST 350 | Gender and Sexuality in Chinese Literature. | 3 |
Gender and Sexuality in Chinese Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Gender and sexuality in modern and/or premodern Chinese literature with emphasis on representation of gender relations, notions of masculinity and femininity, morality and sexuality. Readings from fiction, drama, poetry, and/or other genres are approached from a variety of critical perspectives. | ||
| EAST 351 | Women Writers of China. | 3 |
Women Writers of China. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of fiction, drama, and poetry by women writers in imperial, modern, and/or contemporary China. | ||
| EAST 352 | Critical Approaches to Chinese Literature. | 3 |
Critical Approaches to Chinese Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course will examine traditional and/or modern genres of Chinese literature with a focus on different forms of Chinese and Western literary analysis. | ||
| EAST 353 | Approaches to Chinese Cinema. | 3 |
Approaches to Chinese Cinema. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Development of Chinese film in the 20th century, with an emphasis on both critical approaches to film as well as film history. | ||
| EAST 356 | Modern and Contemporary Chinese Art. | 3 |
Modern and Contemporary Chinese Art. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examination of modern Chinese art and visual culture from the 1920's to the present. Emphasis will be placed on the formation of the artistic avant-garde in the 20th century and its relation to socialist and post-socialist mass culture. | ||
| EAST 361 | Animation and New Media. | 3 |
Animation and New Media. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Animation and new media in East Asia, with an emphasis on postwar developments. | ||
| EAST 362 | Japanese Cinema. | 3 |
Japanese Cinema. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course will study the development of film in Japan during the 20th century with a particular focus on the analysis of film form, genres and history. | ||
| EAST 363 | Early and Medieval Japan. | 3 |
Early and Medieval Japan. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course examines cultural production in early and medieval Japan, focusing on calligraphy, painting, picture scrolls, gestures and their relation to textual production. Readings explore various classic texts, taboos against seeing and narrative modes of cognition. | ||
| EAST 364 | Mass Culture and Postwar Japan. | 3 |
Mass Culture and Postwar Japan. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course addresses a number of analytic approaches to mass culture in order to examine the culture industry of post-war Japan. Emphasis on narrative strategies in popular or consumer fiction and on the problems of marginalized writers. | ||
| EAST 369 | Gender and Sexuality in Asian Media. | 3 |
Gender and Sexuality in Asian Media. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. In this course, we examine contesting notions of gender, sexuality, femininity, and masculinity in Asian cinema and media. We study how individual works negotiate the social discourses on gender and sexual representation, identities, and performance, and how we may borrow conceptual frameworks from queer theories and histories at large to discuss them. | ||
| EAST 370 | History of Sexuality in Japan. | 3 |
History of Sexuality in Japan. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Social and cultural history of sexuality in Japan. Possible topics include pre-modern sexuality and relations to court, religion and anthropology; pre-modern sex and gender relations; modern sexuality and gender identities; sexuality and the rise of science; relation to nationalism; feminism and queer movements. | ||
| EAST 372 | Topics in Television: Asia. | 3 |
Topics in Television: Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course approaches television and televisuality historically, in regional, transnational, and global perspectives. | ||
| EAST 375 | Korean Media and Popular Culture. | 3 |
Korean Media and Popular Culture. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course approaches popular culture and mass media in postwar Korea from historical and theoretical perspectives, with a focus on the connections between activism, mass media, and commodity culture. | ||
| EAST 377 | Topics: Transnational Asian Culture. | 3 |
Topics: Transnational Asian Culture. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Investigation of cinema's border-crossing modes of cultural production, reception, and circulation, to uncover the ways that the study of culture enriches current theories and approaches to the transnational. | ||
| EAST 385 | Global Korea. | 3 |
Global Korea. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course considers Korean culture and society in the modern period by examining changing attitudes about the relationship between the national and the global, across social institutions, political discourse, and popular media. | ||
| EAST 388 | Asian Migrations and Diasporas. | 3 |
Asian Migrations and Diasporas. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to the interdisciplinary study of Asian migrations and diasporas. Topics include colonialism and diaspora, transnationalism, globalization, citizenship, migration and the state, gender and migration, human trafficking, and forced migration. | ||
| EAST 389 | Global Cinema and Media Asia. | 3 |
Global Cinema and Media Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Ascendancy of East Asian cinema and media as global culture; the aesthetic, technological, economic and political conditions of cinema as a transnational commodity; and the history of globalization and East Asia media platforms. | ||
| EAST 390 | The Chinese Family in History. | 3 |
The Chinese Family in History. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Exploration of the Chinese family in history both as an institution - in its religious, legal, economic, political aspects - and as a lived reality. | ||
| EAST 453 | Topics: Chinese Literature. | 3 |
Topics: Chinese Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced seminar in selected genres, themes and issues in Chinese literature. | ||
| EAST 454 | Topics: Chinese Cinema. | 3 |
Topics: Chinese Cinema. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced seminar in selected themes and issues in Chinese film. | ||
| EAST 461 | Inventing Modern Japanese Novel. | 3 |
Inventing Modern Japanese Novel. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of the modern Japanese novel as a form which both affirms and resists the form of the European novel. Readings explore the particular problems of the Japanese novel in the context of modernization, westernization, and colonialism. | ||
| EAST 462 | Japan in Asia. | 3 |
Japan in Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course introduces theories of cultural interaction, interpellation, and intertexuality in order to reconsider Japanese modes of reception and selection of Chinese texts and technologies. Readings range from early Japanese to 20th century texts. Readings in translation. | ||
| EAST 464 | Image, Text, Performance. | 3 |
Image, Text, Performance. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Drawing on theoretical approaches from a variety of cultural and media studies, including cinema, performance and performativity, and elsewhere, this course addresses cultural production in premodern and/or modern East Asia. Topics to be addressed range from calligraphy and writing, to theatre, and film. | ||
| EAST 467 | Topics: Japanese Cinema. | 3 |
Topics: Japanese Cinema. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics in the study of Japanese cinema. | ||
| EAST 468 | Science and Technology: Asia. | 3 |
Science and Technology: Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. History of science and technology in Asia with an emphasis on social and cultural impact and the legacy non-Western traditions. | ||
| EAST 477 | Media and Environment in Asia. | 3 |
Media and Environment in Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The course explores the intersection between media and "environment" in Asia and beyond; topics range from media ecology, cybernetics, environmental art and activism, urban planning, and the history of communications networks in Asia in the modern period. | ||
| EAST 478 | Topics: Korean Film and Media. | 3 |
Topics: Korean Film and Media. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced seminar in the study of Korean film and media. Taught in English. | ||
| EAST 491 | Tutorial: East Asian Languages and Literatures 1. | 3 |
Tutorial: East Asian Languages and Literatures 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced reading course in language or literature. | ||
| EAST 492 | Tutorial: East Asian Languages and Literatures 2. | 3 |
Tutorial: East Asian Languages and Literatures 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced reading course in language or literature. | ||
| EAST 493 | Special Topics: East Asian Studies 1. | 3 |
Special Topics: East Asian Studies 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced reading course under supervision of instructor on certain aspects of East Asian Studies. Topics will vary from year to year. | ||
| EAST 494 | Special Topics: East Asian Studies 2. | 3 |
Special Topics: East Asian Studies 2. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Advanced reading course under supervision of instructor on certain aspects of East Asian Studies. Topics will vary from year to year. | ||
| EAST 501 | Advanced Topics in Japanese Studies 1. | 3 |
Advanced Topics in Japanese Studies 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Japanese culture and society. | ||
| EAST 502 | Advanced Topics in Japanese Studies 2. | 3 |
Advanced Topics in Japanese Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Japanese culture and society. | ||
| EAST 503 | Advanced Topics in Chinese Studies 1. | 3 |
Advanced Topics in Chinese Studies 1. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Chinese culture and society. | ||
| EAST 504 | Advanced Topics in Chinese Studies 2. | 3 |
Advanced Topics in Chinese Studies 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Chinese culture and society. | ||
| EAST 505 | Advanced Topics in Korean Studies. | 3 |
Advanced Topics in Korean Studies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Korean culture and society. Taught in English. | ||
| EAST 515 | Seminar: Beyond Orientalism. | 3 |
Seminar: Beyond Orientalism. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examines the cultural stakes and ethical implications of applying Western European models of understanding to East Asian societies. Provides background on interdisciplinary debates around "otherness", "cultural appropriation", and "postcolonialism", focusing on their history within East Asian Studies and their impact on that field's methodological assumptions, self-definition, and institutional practices. | ||
| EAST 525 | Critical Area Studies in Asia. | 3 |
Critical Area Studies in Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The course introduces students to foundational concepts, key debates, recent research areas, theoretical methods, and critical approached in area studies. | ||
| EAST 527 | Culture and Capital in Asia. | 3 |
Culture and Capital in Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This seminar introduces the major anthropological, psychological, and political economic theories of the relation between culture and capital that have affected social and political formations in East Asia. Language of Instruction: English. | ||
| EAST 550 | Classical Chinese Poetry Themes and Genres. | 3 |
Classical Chinese Poetry Themes and Genres. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A study of major themes and genres of classical Chinese poetry from its beginnings to the Yuan dynasty (14th century), with emphasis on critical analysis of text and context. Readings of poems in the original. | ||
| EAST 551 | Technologies of Self in Early China. | 3 |
Technologies of Self in Early China. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Readings on self-cultivation drawn from Confucian, Legalist, and Taoist philosophic texts of early China (5th-2nd centuries B.C.) in translation will be compared with historical and archaeological materials on the evolving construction of the "individual'' in Chinese social structure, military organization, political and ritual codes. | ||
| EAST 559 | Advanced Topics: Chinese Literature. | 3 |
Advanced Topics: Chinese Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Chinese literature. The content of the course may vary from year to year, ranging from contemporary to modern to pre-modern literature. | ||
| EAST 562 | Japanese Literary Theory and Practice. | 3 |
Japanese Literary Theory and Practice. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course examines Japanese theories of literary production and practice with an emphasis on 20th century thought. | ||
| EAST 564 | Structures of Modernity: Asia. | 3 |
Structures of Modernity: Asia. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course explores relations between some of the principal sites which structure the experience of "modernity" in Asia (and elsewhere) - from bodies and cities, to the urban context in general. Along with general approaches (e.g. the idea of everyday life; questions of time), specific topics may include speed, music, architecture, crime, etc. | ||
| EAST 569 | Advanced Topics: Japanese Literature. | 3 |
Advanced Topics: Japanese Literature. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Consideration of selected topics and aspects of Japanese literature. The content of the course may vary from year to year from contemporary to modern to pre-modern literature. | ||