Department of Asian Languages & Literature

Student selects a book from the stacks in a library

Explore the connections between East and West from the College’s vantage point on the Pacific Rim.

Over half the world’s population lives in Asia, home to many of the oldest and most vibrant cultures in human history. The Department of Asian Languages and Literature provides instruction in 11 Asian languages: Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Sanskrit, Telugu, Urdu, and Vietnamese. The curriculum emphasizes linguistic, textual and literary analysis, and examines the roles of these languages within the cultures they serve. Programs also include intensive summer study in Japanese, Chinese and Korean.

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Undergraduate Programs

B.A., Asian Languages and Cultures
B.A., Chinese
B.A., Japanese
B.A., Korean
B.A., South Asian Languages
Hindi; Sanskrit

Graduate Programs

M.A., Asian Languages and Cultures
M.A., Buddhist Studies
M.A., Chinese
M.A., Japanese
Language and Literature; Language and Linguistics
M.A., South Asian Languages
Ph.D., Asian Languages and Cultures
Ph.D., Buddhist Studies
Ph.D., Chinese
Ph.D., Japanese
Literature and Culture
Ph.D., South Asian Languages

Top-down view of a student reviewing and taking notes on Asian periodicals

Careers

Graduates of Asian Languages & Literature programs pursue careers in academia, business, government, journalism, law and other professions, using their cultural and linguistic expertise to foster understanding between Asia and the rest of the world. Every spring, the department hosts a career panel to help undergraduates learn how to leverage their language skills into careers and connect with potential employers.

Career Paths

Job titles of recent Asian Languages & Literature graduates:

Attorney
Budget/fiscal analyst
Business development manager
Data analyst
Medical interpreter
Program manager
Operations supervisor
Professor
Software engineer

Detail shot of historical Asian language artifact

Apply your studies abroad

The department encourages its undergraduate majors and minors, graduate students and other language students to take advantage of the many study abroad opportunities available in Asia. During their time abroad, students can achieve advanced language competency and experience the cultural context in which Asian languages are used. In past years, students from across the University participated in study programs in China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Nepal, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

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Find Yourself in Asian Languages & Literature

Explore the languages, literature and culture of East, Southeast, Central, and South Asia.

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