East Asian Studies

East Asian Studies: Introduction

Faculty Affiliation

Arts and Science

Degree Programs

East Asian Studies

MA and PhD

Collaborative Specializations

The following collaborative specializations are available to students in participating degree programs as listed below:

Overview

The Department of East Asian Studies has a long, rich history at the University of Toronto as a centre for research and teaching on the humanities of East Asia, past and present. Faculty members specialize in social and cultural history, literature, philosophy, religion, language, art, film and visual culture. They are committed to the innovative pursuit of knowledge across regional, temporal and disciplinary divides. Many hold joint appointments with various departments, centres and collaborative specializations throughout the university.

Students and faculty in the department have access to a wide array of resources to support their research and learning. The Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library holds more than 500,000 volumes in East Asian languages, making it a leading research collection in North America. The Royal Ontario Museum houses six separate galleries on the arts and artifacts of East Asia. The department and the Asian Institute host a variety of lecture series and workshops. The university campus is located in downtown Toronto, home to multiple thriving Asian communities.

Contact and Address

Web: www.eas.utoronto.ca
Email: eas.grad@utoronto.ca
Telephone: (416) 946-3625
Fax: (416) 978-5711

Department of East Asian Studies
University of Toronto
Robarts Library 14-080, 130 St. George Street
Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H1
Canada

East Asian Studies: Graduate Faculty

Full Members

Cazdyn, Eric - BA, MA, PhD
Feng, Linda Rui - BA, MA, PhD
Fraser, Chris - PhD
Kawashima, Ken - BA, MA, PhD
Keirstead, Thomas - BA, MA, PhD
Lam, Tong - BSc, MA, PhD
Meng, Yue - BA, MA, MA, PhD
Poole, Janet - BA, MA, PhD
Sakaki, Atsuko - BA, MA, PhD
Sanders, Graham - BA, PhD
Schmid, Andre - BA, MA, PhD
Wu, Yiching - BA, MA, MA, PhD
Yoneyama, Lisa - BA, MA, PhD
Zhong, Yurou - BA, MA, PhD (Graduate Coordinator)

Members Emeriti

Arntzen, Sonja - BA, MA, PhD
Donnelly, Michael - BSc, MA, PhD
Falkenheim, Victor - AB, MA, PhD
Liman, Anthony - MA
Liu, Johanna - BA, MA, PhD
Lynn, Richard - BA, MA, PhD
Nakajima, Kazuko - BA, MA, MPH
Schlepp, Wayne - BSc, BA, PhD
Tsukimura, Reiko - BA, MA, PhD

Associate Members

Arimori, Jotaro - BA, AB, MA
Chen, Li - BA, MA, AM, JD, PhD
Chin, Carol - BA, MA, PhD
Cho, Michelle - BA, MA, DPhil
Crawford, Gary - BSc, MA, PhD
Fujitani, Takashi - BA, MA, PhD
Grewal, Anup - BA, MA, PhD
Gu, Yi - BLitt, MMSt, PhD
Hsiung, Ping-Chun - PhD
Ko, Kyoungrok - BA, MA, MSc
Komuro-Lee, Ikuko - BA, MA
Luong, Hy Van - BA, PhD
Peng, Ito - BSW, BSc, MA, PhD
Purtle, Jennifer - BA, MPH, MA, PhD
Rupprecht, Hsiao-Wei - BA, MA, MLS, PhD
Satsuka, Shiho - BA, BA, MA, PhD
Shen, Chen - BA, PhD
Song, Zijiang - BA, MA, PhD
Tran, Nhung - MA, PhD
Vedal, Nathan - BMus, MA, PhD
Wang, Yvon - BA, PhD
Wong, Joseph - BA, MA, PhD, CRC

East Asian Studies: East Asian Studies MA

Master of Arts

Program Description

East Asian Studies offers three tracks through its MA program: 1) MA through coursework, 2) MA with Major Research Paper (MRP), and 3) MA with thesis. It is possible to switch between the three tracks as long as all requirements are fulfilled.

Applicants should consult the department's website for details on the MA program, applications, course offerings, and profiles of the graduate faculty.

Minimum Admission Requirements

  • Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Department of East Asian Studies' additional admission requirements stated below.

  • Successful completion of an appropriate bachelor's degree from a recognized university with a major in East Asian studies and at least a B+ standing in the final year.

  • Applicants without a major in East Asian studies may also be considered, provided they demonstrate sufficient scholarly interest and academic preparation in East Asian studies.

  • Statement of approximately 500 words (two pages) setting out the student's main fields of interest and proposed course of study.

  • Two letters of recommendation from scholars who have knowledge of previous academic work.

  • Programs are based on the study of original texts. This presupposes knowledge of the relevant languages.

  • A 10- to 15-page sample of the applicant's academic writing in English.

  • Applicants educated outside Canada whose primary language is not English, and who graduated from a university where the language of instruction and examination was not English, must provide results of an English-language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of their application. Applicants taking the Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) must achieve a minimum score of 100/120 and 22/30 on the writing and speaking sections. Comparable scores on similar tests are also acceptable.

Program Requirements

  • The program may be completed through one of three routes:

    • Coursework: students normally complete 4.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) with at least 2.0 FCEs in EAS courses, including the required course EAS2020H Critical Approaches to East Asia (0.5 FCE).

    • Coursework plus Major Research Paper (MRP): the MRP must be written with the guidance of a supervisor after the completion of coursework. Normally 4.0 FCEs as follows:

      • 3.0 FCEs of coursework including at least 1.5 FCEs in EAS courses, including the required course EAS2020H Critical Approaches to East Asia (0.5 FCE)

      • EAS1150Y Major Research Paper (1.0 FCE).

    • Coursework plus thesis: the thesis must be written with the guidance of a supervisor after the completion of coursework. Normally 4.0 FCEs as follows:

      • 3.0 FCEs of coursework including at least 1.5 FCEs in EAS courses, including the required course EAS2020H Critical Approaches to East Asia (0.5 FCE)

      • EAS1250Y MA Thesis (1.0 FCE).

  • Courses are selected in consultation with the Graduate Associate Chair.

  • Students are encouraged to continue with necessary language study, but language courses are not included in the FCEs.

Program Length

3 sessions full-time (typical registration sequence: F/W/S)

Time Limit

3 years full-time

East Asian Studies: East Asian Studies PhD

Doctor of Philosophy

Program Description

The PhD program is a research degree that prepares students to teach and research in the area of East Asian Studies. The program consists of course work, language study, comprehensive exams, a dissertation prospectus, writing of a dissertation, and a final oral examination on the dissertation.

Applicants should consult the department's website for details on the PhD program, applications, course offerings, and profiles of the graduate faculty.

Applicants may enter the PhD program via one of two routes: 1) following completion of an appropriate MA degree or 2) direct entry after completing a BA degree.

 

PhD Program

Minimum Admission Requirements

  • Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Department of East Asian Studies' additional admission requirements stated below.

  • Normally, completion of the MA program in the Department of East Asian Studies, or its equivalent from a recognized university, with an average grade of at least A–.

  • Statement of approximately 500 words (two pages) setting out the student's main fields of interest and proposed course of study.

  • Three letters of recommendation from scholars who have knowledge of previous academic work.

  • Programs are based on the study of original texts. This presupposes knowledge of the relevant languages.

  • A 10- to 15-page sample of the applicant's academic writing in English.

  • Applicants educated outside Canada whose primary language is not English, and who graduated from a university where the language of instruction and examination was not English, must provide results of an English-language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of their application. Applicants taking the Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) must achieve a minimum score of 100/120 and 22/30 on the writing and speaking sections. Comparable scores on similar tests are also acceptable.

Program Requirements

  • Coursework. Students must successfully complete a total of 4.0 non-language full-course equivalents (FCEs), including at least 2.0 FCEs in EAS courses, to be selected in consultation with the Graduate Associate Chair. 2.0 FCEs must be completed in Year 1, with an average grade of at least A–. The remaining courses are normally completed by the end of Year 2, maintaining an average of at least A–.

    • EAS2020H Critical Approaches to East Asia is a required course if not taken previously. If EAS2020H has previously been taken, students are required to take an additional 0.5 FCE.

    • Students are permitted to take some of their courses in other departments.

  • A comprehensive qualifying examination, undertaken with the guidance of a supervisory committee, must be taken by November 30 of Year 3. The committee will provide the student with three questions (in a Major, Minor, and Adjacent field), for which the student must provide written answers within seven days. Within one week after submitting the answers, the student will meet with the committee to provide an oral defence of the answers. The committee will decide whether the student has passed or failed in each of the three fields on the basis of the written answers and oral defence taken together. If the student fails the Major field, he or she will be given one more chance to pass an entirely new examination, within three months of the first attempt. If the student passes the Major field but fails either one or both of the Minor and Adjacent fields, then he or she will be given one more chance to take an examination consisting of new questions in the fields failed, within six weeks of the first attempt. Third attempts are not permitted.

  • An appropriate level of proficiency in at least one language (other than English) relevant to the student's areas of study must be demonstrated by November 30 of Year 3; the language(s), level of proficiency, and method of evaluation are to be determined by the Graduate Associate Chair, in consultation with the student's supervisor. Students will take a language placement test (or multiple tests, depending on the area of study) at the beginning of their program. Upon receiving the placement result, students must meet with their supervisor. If the appropriate level of proficiency has not been demonstrated, the student and their supervisor will devise a plan for achieving proficiency by November 30 of Year 3. The plan will be approved by the Graduate Associate Chair.

  • Within one to three months after completing the comprehensive examination, students are required to produce a dissertation prospectus to be approved by their supervisory committee. The committee will meet to consider the dissertation prospectus and provide the student with feedback. The student will make the revisions and submit the prospectus to his/her supervisor for final approval, which must be given by the end of the student’s third year. After the dissertation prospectus is approved, the student advances to candidacy.

  • After completing all of the above requirements, students are required to produce a doctoral dissertation with the guidance of their supervisory committee. The completed dissertation must be defended at a Doctoral Final Oral Examination.

Program Length

4 years

Time Limit

6 years

 

PhD Program (Direct-Entry)

Minimum Admission Requirements

  • Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Department of East Asian Studies' additional admission requirements stated below.

  • Admission to the PhD program normally requires completion of the MA program in the Department of East Asian Studies, or its equivalent from a recognized university, with an average grade of at least A–. However, departmental assessment may also permit registration directly from a BA degree in the most exceptional cases where, for instance, there is a very high grade point average or a well-documented demonstration of capacity for original research.

  • Statement of approximately 500 words (two pages) setting out the student's main fields of interest and proposed course of study.

  • Three letters of recommendation from scholars who have knowledge of previous academic work.

  • Programs are based on the study of original texts. This presupposes knowledge of the relevant languages.

  • A 10- to 15-page sample of the applicant's academic writing in English.

  • Applicants educated outside Canada whose primary language is not English, and who graduated from a university where the language of instruction and examination was not English, must provide results of an English-language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of their application. Applicants taking the Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) must achieve a minimum score of 100/120 and 22/30 on the writing and speaking sections. Comparable scores on similar tests are also acceptable.

Program Requirements

  • Coursework. Students must successfully complete a total of 4.0 non-language full-course equivalents (FCEs), including at least 2.0 FCEs in EAS courses, to be selected in consultation with the Graduate Associate Chair. 2.0 FCEs must be completed in Year 1, with an average grade of at least A–. The remaining courses are normally completed by the end of Year 2, maintaining an average of at least A–.

    • EAS2020H Critical Approaches to East Asia (0.5 FCE) is a required course if not taken previously. If EAS2020H has previously been taken, students are required to take an additional 0.5 FCE.

    • Students are permitted to take some of their courses in other departments.

  • EAS1150Y Reading and Major Research Paper (1.0 FCE), to be written with the guidance of and assessed by the student’s academic supervisor, must be completed by August 31 of Year 2.

  • A comprehensive qualifying examination, undertaken with the guidance of a supervisory committee, must be taken by February 28 of Year 3. The committee will provide the student with three questions (in a Major, Minor, and Adjacent field), for which the student must provide written answers within seven days. Within one week after submitting the answers, the student will meet with the committee to provide an oral defence of the answers. The committee will decide whether the student has passed or failed in each of the three fields on the basis of the written answers and oral defence taken together. If the student fails the Major field, he or she will be given one more chance to pass an entirely new examination, within three months of the first attempt. If the student passes the Major field but fails either one or both of the Minor and Adjacent fields, then he or she will be given one more chance to take an examination consisting of new questions in the fields failed, within six weeks of the first attempt. Third attempts are not permitted.

  • An appropriate level of proficiency in at least one language (other than English) relevant to the student's areas of study must be demonstrated by November 30 of Year 3; the language(s), level of proficiency, and method of evaluation are to be determined by the Graduate Associate Chair, in consultation with the student's supervisor. Students will take a language placement test (or multiple tests, depending on the area of study) at the beginning of their program. Upon receiving the placement result, students must meet with their supervisor. If the appropriate level of proficiency has not been demonstrated, the student and their supervisor will devise a plan for achieving proficiency by November 30 of Year 3. The plan will be approved by the Graduate Associate Chair.

  • Within one to three months after completing the comprehensive examination, students are required to produce a dissertation prospectus to be approved by their supervisory committee. The committee will meet to consider the dissertation prospectus and provide the student with feedback. The student will make the revisions and submit the prospectus to his/her supervisor for final approval, which must be given by the end of the student’s third year. After the dissertation prospectus is approved, the student advances to candidacy.

  • After completing all of the above requirements, students are required to produce a doctoral dissertation with the guidance of their supervisory committee. The completed dissertation must be defended at a Doctoral Final Oral Examination.

Program Length

5 years

Time Limit

7 years

East Asian Studies: East Asian Studies MA, PhD Courses

The following courses may be offered by the department. Not all courses are offered every year. Please consult the department's website for a current course listing.

Cultural Studies

Course CodeCourse Title
EAS1101Y
Classical Chinese I
EAS1102H
Classical Chinese II (prerequisite: EAS110Y1; exclusion: EAS458H1)
EAS1103YIntroduction to Classical Japanese
EAS1177H
Chinese Cultural and Historical Studies
EAS1180H
Environmental Criticism
EAS1335H
Violence, Justice, the Human
EAS1336HMemory and Trauma in Critical East Asian Historical Perspective
EAS1337HDiaspora and Transpacific Studies
EAS1339H
Topics in Chinese Art Theories
EAS1419H
Chinese Cultural Studies Seminar: May Fourth
EAS1432H
Korean Cultural Studies Seminar
EAS1436H
Rethinking Realism in 20th Century Korea
EAS1439H
Crisis, Population, Archive
EAS1445HOn the Organic: Land and Labour Power
EAS1447H
Sound Studies and Modern Japan
EAS1449H
Future, Architecture, Japan
EAS1475H
Contemporary Cultural Theories
EAS1477H
Samurai Culture (exclusion: EAS477H1)
EAS1530HSound Matters
EAS2020H
Critical Approaches to East Asia
EAS2323HRethinking Chinese Cultural History

History

Course CodeCourse Title
EAS1130HRethinking China's Cultural Revolution: History, Politics, and Theory
EAS1140Y
From Republic to People's Republic: The Chinese Revolution from 1895 to the Present
EAS1173HModern Korean History Seminar
EAS1173YModern Korean History Seminar
EAS1174YRethinking Empire in East Asia
EAS1176H
Comparative Historical Socialisms in East Asia and Beyond
EAS1411HArt and Archaeology of Early China
EAS1412H
Special Topics in Archaeology of Ancient China
EAS1425H
Critique of Everyday Life and Capitalism
EAS1426HTransition, Subjectivity, Revolution
EAS1427HThe Production of Difference and the Logic of Capital
EAS1446H
The Communist Hypothesis and Asia (exclusion: EAS446H1)
EAS1466HHistory, Everyday Life, and North Korea
EAS1471HIssues in Political Economy of South Korea
EAS1472HCold War in the Pacific
EAS1496HHistory of the Chinese Book
EAS1543HEmpire, Ethnicity, and Translation in Inner Asian and Chinese History

Language

Course CodeCourse Title
EAS1115Y
Reading Japanese for Graduate Purposes (Credit/No Credit)
EAS1301Y
Modern Standard Japanese I (Credit/No Credit)
EAS1302Y
Modern Standard Japanese II (Credit/No Credit)
EAS1303Y
Modern Standard Japanese III (Credit/No Credit)
EAS1304HModern Standard Japanese IVa (Credit/No Credit)
EAS1305H
Modern Standard Japanese IVb (Credit/No Credit)
EAS1321H
Japanese I for Students with Prior Background (Credit/No Credit)
EAS1322H
Modern Standard Japanese II Prior Background (Credit/No Credit)
EAS1621Y
Modern Standard Korean I (Credit/No Credit)
EAS1622Y
Modern Standard Korean II (Credit/No Credit)
EAS1623YModern Standard Korean III (Credit/No Credit)
EAS1631YAccelerated Modern Standard Korean 1 and 2 (Credit/No Credit)
EAS1632H
Accelerated Modern Standard Korean 2 (Credit/No Credit)
EAS1801Y
Modern Standard Chinese I (Credit/No Credit)
EAS1802Y
Modern Standard Chinese II (Credit/No Credit)
EAS1803Y
Modern Standard Chinese III (Credit/No Credit)
EAS1811Y
Modern Standard Chinese I for Students With Background in Chinese (Credit/No Credit)
EAS1814H
Modern Standard Chinese IVa (Credit/No Credit)
EAS1815H
Modern Standard Chinese IVb (Credit/No Credit)

Literature

Course CodeCourse Title
EAS1137H
Chinese Poetics
EAS1137YChinese Poetics
EAS1151HChinese Poetry I
EAS1152HChinese Poetry II
EAS1182H
Writing as Technology in Modern China
EAS1408HIdentity and Diaspora in Modern Taiwanese Literature
EAS1417H
Korean Literary Translation
EAS1437H
Mid-century Modernism in the Koreas: Literature, War, and Decolonization
EAS1444H
The City, Body, and Text in Modern Japanese Literature
EAS1468H
Mahayana Sutra Literature
EAS1538H
Writing Women in Premodern China
EAS1541HA Comparative History of Reading in East Asia and Beyond
EAS1542HManchu Language and History
EAS1550HHong Kong Literature
COL5101H
Diasporic Cities: Itinerant Narratives of Metropoles by Travellers and Expatriates
JLA5082H
The Rhetoric of Photography

Philosophy and Religion

Course CodeCourse Title
EAS1407HTextual Analysis of Classical Chinese Philosophy
POL2416Y
Politics and Society in Contemporary China

Research Seminars

Course CodeCourse Title
EAS1100H
Special Topics in Chinese Studies
EAS1100YSpecial Topics in Chinese Studies
EAS1116H
Special Topics in Chinese Culture
EAS1116YSpecial Topics in Chinese Culture
EAS1143H
Topics in Medieval China
EAS1150H
Reading and Major Research Paper
EAS1150YReading and Major Research Paper
EAS1163H
Special Topics in Korean Studies
EAS1250Y
MA Thesis (Credit/No Credit)
EAS1300H
Special Topics in Japanese Studies
EAS1313Y
Japanese Source Materials and Reference Works
EAS1323Y
Readings in Japanese Documentary Source Materials
EAS1497H
Special Topics in East Asian Studies
EAS1999Y
East Asian Studies Bibliography, Reference, and Research Methodology