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    4. Bachelor's Programs

    East Asian Studies (B.A.)

    Looking for a way to gain entry into a new world? The Bachelor of Arts with a Major inEast Asian Studies is an immersive program that takes a multidisciplinary approach to East Asia. Explore the history, politics, society, philosophy, arts, cinema, languages, and literature of China, Japan, and Korea.

    Become a leader on a region of major global significance. East Asian Studies will let you encounter the region as a whole, while allowing you to concentrate in either Chinese Studies, Japanese Studies or Korean Studies.

    By the time you graduate you will have gained written and spoken fluency in a critical language that you choose to focus on: Chinese, Japanese or Korean. 

    Degree Type

    Bachelor of Arts

    Campus Availability

    • Dahlonega Campus

    Request Information How to Apply

    East Asian Studies at UNG

    • Gain fluency in East Asia's language and culture will build the foundations for success and for you to lead in a region of major global importance.
    • Immerse yourself in our study abroad programs and experience life in East Asia and apply first-hand the knowledge that you've learned.
      • Global Competence
      • Research and Comparative Methods
      • Social and Business Communication
      • Cultural Understanding
      • Fluency in Chinese, Japanese or Korean
    • The East Asian Studies program only started from 2019. So far, its majors have been recipients of numerous nationally competitive scholarships: Boren Scholarship, Cox-State Department Diplomacy Seminar, Critical Language Scholarship, Freeman Asia Scholarship, Fulbright, and Gilman Scholarship
    students in japanese class

    Catalog Listing Plan of Study Tuition & Fees Visit Us

    Experience the East Asian Studies Major

    The major will provide you a number of in-demand skills that include global competence, critical comparative thinking, and the ability to conduct research, with attention to social and business communication along the way.

    9 Disciplines in which the program offers courses on East Asia, ranging from Political Science to Cinema Studies.

    Become fluent linguistically and culturally in a focus in: Chinese, Japanese, or Korean Studies

    Experience study abroad programs in China, Japan and South Korea, which are in the top 10 of countries by GDP.

    • Our Faculty

      Director

      Sung Shin Kim
      Sung Shin Kim, Ph.D.Profile page

      Professor, History

      Phone706-867-2564

      Office locationBarnes Hall, 307, Dahlonega

      Area(s) of Expertise: East Asian history (China and Korea)

      East Asian Studies Faculty

      Chi-Hsuan Catterson
      Ms. Chi-Hsuan CattersonProfile page

      Senior Lecturer - Chinese

      Phone706-864-1823

      Office locationDunlap Hall, 305B, Dahlonega

      Area(s) of Expertise: East Asian Language and Literature.

      Ran Chen
      Ran Chen, Ph.D.Profile page

      Program Coordinator

      Chinese Flagship Program

      Phone706-867-2464

      Office locationBarnes Hall, 313, Dahlonega

      Jiyoung Daniel
      Jiyoung Daniel, Ph.D.Profile page

      Associate Professor, Korean

      Phone706-867-4553

      Office locationDunlap Hall, 314-C, Dahlonega

      Area(s) of Expertise: Korean as a Foreign Language (KFL), linguistics, second language acquisition

      Yi Deng
      Yi Deng, Ph.DProfile page

      Associate Professor, Philosophy

      Phone706-867-2745

      Office locationBarnes Hall, 330, Dahlonega

      Area(s) of Expertise: Political and Social Philosophy, Ethics, Chinese Philosophy

      Yunjuan He
      Yunjuan He, Ph.DProfile page

      Professor - Chinese

      Phone706-867-4554

      Office locationDunlap Hall, 216-D,  Dahlonega

      Area(s) of Expertise: Second language acquisition, phonetics, phonology, Chinese pedagogy.

      Yizhe Huang
      Yizhe Huang, Ed.D.Profile page

      Lecturer & Chinese Flagship Tutoring Coordinator

      Phone706-864-1399

      Office locationBarnes Hall, 128, Dahlonega

      Area(s) of Expertise: High Impact Teaching Strategies, Foreign Language Pedagogy and Assessment, Teacher Training, International Education, Global Mobility, Intercultural Communicative Competence

      Christopher Jespersen
      Christopher Jespersen, Ph.D.Profile page

      Dean, College of Arts & Letters

      Phone706-864-1771

      Office locationBarnes Hall, 318, Dahlonega

      Jinny Kim
      Jinny KimProfile page

      Part Time Faculty

      Office location Gainesville

      Mina Kyounghye Kwon
      Mina Kyounghye Kwon, Ph.D.Profile page

      Associate Professor, English

      Phone706-867-2964

      Office locationDunlap Hall, 202A, Dahlonega

      Area(s) of Expertise: World Literature, Postcolonial Studies, Asian/Asian American Studies, Gender Studies, Performance Studies

      Hosuk Lee
      Hosuk Lee, Ph.D.Profile page

      Professor

      Phone706-864-1994

      Office locationDunlap Hall, 215B, Dahlonega

      Area(s) of Expertise: Physical Geography, Human Geography, Environmental Geography, Geography of East Asia, World Regional Geography

      Tomoe Nishio
      Tomoe Nishio, Ph.D.Profile page

      Associate Professor

      Phone706-867-4595

      Office locationBarnes Hall, 304, Dahlonega

      Area(s) of Expertise: Second language acquisition, applied linguistics, Japanese pedagogy

      Robin O'Day
      Robin O'Day, Ph.D.Profile page

      Associate Professor

      Phone706-867-2793

      Office locationBarnes Hall, 303, Dahlonega

      Area(s) of Expertise: Cultural Anthropology, specialization in Japanese culture

      Tianyu Qin
      Tianyu Qin, Ph.D.Profile page

      Assistant Professor

      Phone706-864-1841

      Office locationDunlap Hall, 106D, Dahlonega

      Area(s) of Expertise: Second Language Acquisition, Pedagogy and Assessment, Interlanguage Pragmatics

      Haelim Suh
      Haelim Suh

      Assistant Professor

      Phone678-696-2646

      Office locationFilm & Digital Media Building, 106, Gainesville

      Sawako Tsutsumi
      Sawako TsutsumiProfile page

      Lecturer

      Office locationNesbitt Academic Building, 4112, Gainesville

      Yandan Wang
      Yandan WangProfile page

      Lecturer

      Phone706-864-1849

      Office locationDunlap Hall, 106F, Dahlonega

      Laurel Wei
      Laurel Wei, Ph.D.Profile page

      Assistant Professor

      Phone706-867-2143

      Office locationHansford Hall, 319, Dahlonega

      Area(s) of Expertise: International relations of East Asia; Chinese foreign policy; US-China relations; and politics on the Korean Peninsula

      Candice Wilson
      Candice WilsonProfile page

      Associate Professor

      Phone678-696-2645

      Office locationFilm & Digital Media Building, 105, Gainesville

      Yanfei Zhu
      Yanfei Zhu, Ph.D.Profile page

      Associate Professor

      Phone706-867-2818

      Office locationHansford Hall, 219, Dahlonega

      Area(s) of Expertise: Chinese Painting, Art History, East Asian Studies

      Affiliated Faculty

      Dlynn Williams
      Dlynn Williams, Ph.D.Profile page

      Dept Head, Professor

      Phone706-864-1869

      Office locationHansford Hall, 328, Dahlonega

      Area(s) of Expertise: International Relations; Security Studies; International Political Economy; and Northeast Asian politics (China, Korea, Japan)

      Richard Byers
      Richard Byers, Ph.D.Profile page

      Professor, History

      Phone706-867-2841

      faculty.ung.edu/rwbyers

      Office locationBarnes Hall, 311, Dahlonega

      Area(s) of Expertise: German history, Southeast Asia, modern Europe, holocaust/genocide, aviation history, world history

      Jeff Marker
      Jeff MarkerProfile page

      Director, School of Communication, Film & Theatre

      Phone678-717-3578

      Office locationNesbitt Academic Building, 4230, Gainesville

      Timothy May
      Timothy May, Ph.D.Profile page

      Associate Dean, College of Arts & Letters

      Professor of Central Eurasian History

      Phone706-864-1913

      Office locationBarnes Hall, 314, Dahlonega

      Area(s) of Expertise: Mongol Empire, Mongolia, Central Eurasian history, Islamic history, the Crusades

    What Your Journey Could Look Like

    Your First Year

    • Begin your journey by choosing your language and concentration.
    • Language is an important part of your degree path.
    • To help make your decision, consider taking core curriculum courses in:
      • World History
      • Anthropology
      • Political Science
      • Geography 

    Sophomore Year

    • Get involved and excited by attending our sponsored events such as the East Asian Film Series!
      • Watch a movie and improve your cultural and language skills at the same time.
    • Continue with your language and get ready to begin upper level content courses next year.

    Junior Year

    • Meet with your East Asian Studies major adviser to stay on track for graduation!
    • There are a lot of choices in this major, and your adviser will help you to navigate through your plan of study.
      • Then head over to the Center for Global Engagement to start to plan your study abroad.
    • You must study abroad for 9-15 credit hours.

    Senior Year

    • Whether you’ve studied abroad in the summer or during the fall semester, you’ll return to UNG to finish your plan of study with a newfound view (and appreciation!) of your major.
    • Talk with your adviser, visit Career Services, and start planning for your career after UNG!
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    Where Can a Major in East Asian Studies Lead You?

    This program will prepare you for public service or for jobs in the private sector, for instance in one of the many companies in Georgia that are connected with China, Taiwan, Japan, or South Korea.

    Many of our students plan to continue their education – either in the US or in the country they have specialized in.

    Use our tool to explore different careers related to this degree program. You can download a customized career profile, learn about location-based salaries, and discover the skills you need to get the job you want.

    Start Your Journey

    Apply Now

    Start Your Application

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    Department Info

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