East Asian Studies

The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures (EALC) offers a major and minor in East Asian Studies as well as concentrations with specific regional focus: the China Subplan, Japan Subplan, and Korea Subplan. There is also a separate minor for language study: the Minor in East Asian Studies, East Asian Languages Subplan.

Visit the EALC website for more information about the major subplans and minor subplans.

Below is an outline of the departmental requirements that highlights how courses in Buddhist Studies can fit into the broader curriculum. For more detail, see the Undergraduate Program Overview page on the EALC website.

For the both the major and minor, all courses must be taken for a letter grade.

East Asian Studies Major (78 units)

Language Requirement

Proficiency in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean

Students must meet proficiency requirement in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean at a second-year level through coursework or examination.
Students who meet the language proficiency requirement through examination are still expected to 1) take an additional of 15 units of language study at a higher level, 2) enroll in literature courses taught in the language, 3) complete another first-year language class in another Asian language.
No more than 30 units of language courses are counted toward the 78 units required for the major.

Area Courses

Three courses, one in each of the following categories: Humanities, History, and Social Science

Approved offerings in Buddhist Studies...

RELIGST 8N Gardens and Sacred Space in Japan (Mross)
RELIGST 17N: Meditation and Arts in Zen Buddhism (Mross)
RELIGST 50: Exploring Buddhism (Harrison)
RELIGST 55: Exploring Zen Buddhism (Mross)
RELIGST 56: Exploring Chinese Religions (Kieschnick)
RELIGST 217: The Lotus Sutra in Japanese Buddhism (Mross)
RELIGST 224: Ritual and the Senses in Asian Religions (Gentry and Mross)
RELIGST 242/342 Chinese Buddhism (Kieschnick)
RELIGST 274: Buddhism and the Arts (Mross)
RELIGST 314: Seminar in Buddhist Historiography (Kieschnick)

Substantive Concentration

Four courses with thematic coherence in East Asia, one of which must be the seminar above the 100-level

Additional offerings in Buddhist Studies...

ARTHIST 2 / JAPAN 60: Asian Arts and Cultures (Vinograd)
ARTHIST 182B: Cultures in Competition: Arts of Song-Era China, 960-1279 CE (Vinograd)
HUMCORE 133: Humanities Core: How to be Modern in East Asia (Stilerman)
RELIGST 17N: Meditation and Arts in Zen Buddhism (Mross)
RELIGST 56: Exploring Chinese Religions (Kieschnick)
RELIGST 205: Silk Road Transformation of Buddhism (Jiang)
RELIGST 217B / JAPAN 217B: Music and Sound in Buddhism (Mross)
RELIGST 242: Chinese Buddhism (Kieschnick)
OSPKYOTO 58: A Journey into the Buddhist Visual Arts of Japan (Ludvik)

WIM, Capstone, and Senior Colloquium

WIM: CHINA 111, JAPAN 138, or KOREA 120
Capstone Essay (7,500 words) or Honors Thesis (15,000 words) and present to EALC peers and faculty
EALC 198: Senior Colloquium in Winter quarter and enroll in at least 1 Senior Research Research Course (CHINA/JAPAN/KOREA 198C or CHINA/JAPAN/KOREA 198H) with their research topic advisor

Additional Requirements:

All courses must be taken for a letter grade and be at least 3 units each.
All courses as well as their prerequisites must be completed with a grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or better.
An East Asian Studies course that satisfies the WIM should be completed before beginning the senior capstone essay or honors thesis.
The courses taken for the major must add up to at least 78 units, comprised of the 3-unit Senior Colloquium and at least 75 additional units.

East Asian Studies Minor (20 units)

Area Courses

Three courses, one in each of the following categories: Humanities, History, and Social Science

Seminar and Gateway Courses

One undergraduate seminar above the 100 level and two other courses from courses listed as approved for EALC undergraduates

includes literature courses
excludes language courses

Additional requirements:

All courses should be taken for a letter grade.
Courses to be credited toward minor degree requirements must be completed with a 3-unit minimum and a letter grade of 'C' (GPA of 2.0) or better.
Applications for the minor should be submitted online through Axess and are due no later than the second quarter of the junior year.

For additional information, contact the Assistant Director of Student Services at EALC, Cyril Millendez (cyrilm [at] stanford.edu (cyrilm[at]stanford[dot]edu)).