East Asian Languages and Literatures

308 Hall of Graduate Studies, 432.2860
M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.

Chair
Edward Kamens

Director of Graduate Studies
John Whittier Treat (307 HGS, 432.2864, john.treat@yale.edu)

Professors
Kang-i Sun Chang, Edward Kamens, Hugh Stimson, John Whittier Treat, Stanley Weinstein

Assistant Professors
Christopher Hill, Charles Laughlin

Senior Lectors
Anton Chen, Wen-tao Cheng, Seungja Choi, Koichi Hiroe, Zhengguo Kang, Esther Kuo, Yoshiko Maruyama, John Montanaro, Ling Mu, Michiaki Murata, Masahiko Seto, Jae-hoon Shim, Wei Su, William Zhou

Lectors
Hairong Cheng, Hiroyo Nishimura, Mari Stever, Li-li Teng, Jing Wu

Fields of Study
Fields for doctoral study are Chinese literature and Japanese literature. Although the primary emphasis is on these East Asian subjects, the department welcomes applicants who are seeking to integrate their interests in Chinese or Japanese literature with interdisciplinary studies in such fields as history, history of art, linguistics, religious studies, comparative literature, literary theory and criticism, and the social sciences.

Special Admissions Requirements
The department requires entering students in Chinese or Japanese to have completed at least three years of study, or the equivalent, of either Chinese or Japanese. Students applying in Chinese are expected to have completed at least one year of literary Chinese. Students applying in premodern Japanese are expected to have completed at least one year of literary Japanese. This is a doctoral program; no students are admitted for master's degrees.

Special Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree
During the first three years of study, students are required to take at least fourteen term courses. Two of these courses must be seminars or tutorials taken in the third year of study. (If a student's qualifying exam is scheduled in the sixth term, both of the third-year courses should be taken in the fifth term.) Students concentrating in Chinese or Japanese literature are encouraged to take at least one term course in Western literature or literary theory. All students must prove their proficiency in French, German, Russian, or another European language that the director of graduate studies deems appropriate by the beginning of their second year. In some cases, with the approval of the director of graduate studies, students in Japanese literature may substitute Chinese (modern or literary Chinese) for one of the European languages.

At the end of the second full academic year, the student must take a written examination in the language of his or her specialization. The faculty will also conduct a review of each student's progress and promise by the end of the second year. By the end of the third year, students specializing in Chinese must pass a reading test in Japanese; students specializing in premodern Japanese literature must pass a reading test in literary Chinese. Ideally, by the end of the sixth term, but in no case later than the end of the seventh term, each student will be required to complete a dissertation prospectus and submit it for review by the faculty as part of a qualifying oral examination ranging over the entire field (Chinese language and literature or Japanese language and literature), with emphasis on the student's area of concentration and dissertation topic.

In order to be admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. (normally by the end of the third year), students must earn at least four grades of Honors during the first two years of study and must complete all predissertation requirements, including the prospectus.

Opportunities to obtain experience in teaching language and literature form an important part of this program. Students in East Asian Languages and Literatures normally are appointed as teaching fellows in their third and fourth years in the Graduate School.

Master's Degrees
M.Phil. The successful completion of all predissertation requirements, including the qualifying examination, will make a student eligible for an M.Phil. degree.

M.A. (en route to the Ph.D.). The successful completion of twelve term courses and languages required in the first two years of study will make a student eligible for an M.A. degree.

Program materials are available upon request to the Director of Graduate Studies, Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, Yale University, PO Box 208236, New Haven CT 06520-8236, and at the department Web site, www.yale.edu/eall/.

Courses
An intensive course with emphasis on spoken language and drills. Pronunciation, grammatical analysis, conversation practice, and introduction to the reading and writing of Chinese characters. To be followed by CHNS 530.

Elementary modern Chinese for students who speak Chinese but have no knowledge of reading or writing. To be followed by CHNS 533.

CHNS 530u, Intermediate Modern Chinese. Ling Mu and staff. 530-1: Mon-Fri 10.30-11.20 530-2: Mon-Fri 10.30-11.20 530-3: Mon-Fri 11.30-12.20 530-4: Mon-Fri 11.30-12.20
An intermediate course that continues intensive training in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and consolidates what students have achieved in the first year of study, allowing students to improve oral fluency, study more complex grammatical structures, and enlarge both reading and writing vocabulary. Prerequisite: CHNS 515 or equivalent.

CHNS 533u, Intermediate Modern Chinese for Advanced Beginners. Zhengguo Kang, Ling Mu. 533-1: Mon-Fri 8.30-9.20 533-2: Mon-Fri 9.30-10.20
An intermediate course designed for students with sufficient oral proficiency, concentrating on intensive training in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Prerequisite: CHNS 518 or equivalent.

CHNS 548, Directed Reading of Scholarly Materials. Wen-tao Cheng.
For Ph.D. students working toward dissertations or master's candidates working on special interests that involve original materials from classical Chinese, as well as modern sources.

CHNS 550u, Advanced Modern Chinese. Wen-tao Cheng. 550-1: Mon-Fri 9.30-10.20 550-2: Mon-Fri 10.30-11.20
Third level of the standard track foundational sequence of modern Chinese language study in the areas of speech, listening, reading, and writing. Audio-visual materials, oral presentations, skits, and longer and more frequent writing assignments are used to assimilate more sophisticated grammatical structures. Students are also introduced to a wide variety of written forms and styles. Use of both traditional and simplified forms of Chinese characters. After CHNS 530.

CHNS 553u, Advanced Modern Chinese for Advanced Learners. Wei Su. Mon-Fri 9.30-10.20
Completes the advanced learner track in Chinese. Intended for students with strong speaking and listening skills. Completes in one year the transition from simplified to authentic texts accomplished over the third and fourth years of the standard track (CHNS 550 and 556). Readings and exercises on contemporary Chinese social life supplemented with documents, published articles, and excerpts from television broadcasts and films. Use of both simplified and traditional forms of Chinese characters. After CHNS 533.

CHNS 556u, Readings in Contemporary Chinese Texts. Wei Su. 556-1: Mon/Wed 11.30-12.45 556-2: Tues/Thurs 11.30-12.45
Completes the standard track in Chinese. Selected readings in Chinese fiction, essays, and articles of the past twenty years. Lectures, discussion, and written work in Chinese aim at integrated mastery of the modern language. Prerequisite: CHNS 550 or equivalent.

CHNS 557u, Readings in Modern Chinese Short Stories. Wen-tao Cheng and Charles Laughlin. Tues/Thurs 10-11.15
An advanced language course designed to further develop students' overall language skills through reading and discussion of modern short stories. Focus on Lu Xun, Lao She, Shen Congwen, and Zhang Ailing. Conducted in Chinese. Prerequisite: CHNS 550 or equivalent.

CHNS 560u, Introduction to Literary Chinese. Hugh Stimson. Mon/Wed/Fri 10.30-11.20
Reading and interpretation of texts in various styles of literary Chinese (wenyan), with attention to basic problems of syntax and literary style. Prerequisite: CHNS 530 or equivalent.

CHNS 561u, Literary Chinese through Modern Chinese. Zhengguo Kang. Tues/Thurs 1-2.15
Integrates the learning of literary Chinese (wenyan) with acquisition of modern language skills, with attention to basic problems of syntax and literary style. Conducted in Chinese. Prerequisite: CHNS 530 or equivalent.

CHNS 562u, Intermediate Literary Chinese: Old Chinese Prose and Poetry. Hugh Stimson.
Close reading of texts of the first millennium B.C.E. with attention to syntax and style. Prerequisite: CHNS 560 or equivalent.

CHNS 570au, Man and Nature in Chinese Poetry. Kang-i Sun Chang. Tues/Thurs 2.30-3.45
An exploration of concepts of nature and politics in traditional Chinese poetry and criticism, with special attention to historical contexts and cultural meanings. Topics include the centrality of lyricism; depictions of nature and self-cultivation; poetic talent and imagination; travel in literature; the relation of poetry to painting; erotic love and political allegory; images of utopian communities as compared to the Western notion of Utopia; treatments of literary friendships, patrons, poets' strategies of self-canonization, and identity. All readings are in translation; no knowledge of Chinese is assumed. For those who read the language, additional readings in Chinese will be assigned.

CHNS 571au, Fantasy and Romance in Chinese Fiction and Film. Charles Laughlin. Mon/Wed 1-2.15
Traces the emergence of imaginative fiction in premodern China, with emphasis on the crucial role played by themes of love, religious insight, and the supernatural. Includes short stories from the third to the twentieth century as well as selected films based on them. No knowledge of Chinese required.

[CHNS 574bu, The Revolutionary Tradition in Modern Chinese Literature.]

[CHNS 575, Wenxin Diaolong: Literary and Cultural Readings.]

CHNS 576bu, Gender in the Chinese Poetic Tradition. Kang-i Sun Chang. Tues/Thurs 2.30-3.45
A study of women poets in traditional China, with some attention to representation of women in male poetry as well. Issues include literary canon and traditions, feminine voice and allegory, the abandoned woman, women in exile, the dichotomy of "yin" and "yang," gender and genre; body and sexuality, notions of love, aesthetics of illness, and the function of memory. All readings are in translation; no knowledge of Chinese is assumed. For those who can read the language, additional readings in Chinese will be assigned.

[CHNS 578a, Shishuo xinyu and Six Dynasties Aesthetics.]

[CHNS 580, Chinese Poetry from Ancient Times to the Song Dynasty.]

[CHNS 600, Seminar in Tang Poetry.]

[CHNS 634, The Canon of Poetry (Shi Jing).]

[CHNS 635, The Tradition of the Song Lyric (Ci).]

CHNS 638b, Chinese Love Poetry: From Six Dynasties to the Qing. Kang-i Sun Chang. Wednesday 10:30-12:20
A study of major themes in Chinese love poetry and criticism of love poetry, with special attention to how authors in traditional China defined their love poems and their audiences. Topics include authors' strategies of allegory and self-promotion; the implications of generic choice; the role of critics and readers; the function of commentary; issues of gender and sexuality; love and religious experience; possible impact on Chinese modernity. Writers include Tao Qian, Du Fu, Li Shangyin, Li Qingzhao, Qian Qianyi, Gong Zizhen, and Gu Taiqing.

CHNS 670, Advanced Literary Chinese. Hugh Stimson.

CHNS 689b, Middle Chinese Phonology. Hugh Stimson.
The sound system of seventh-century Chinese as presented in the Guang Yun and its development into the sounds of modern Mandarin.

CHNS 695a, The Poetics of Place in Modern Chinese Literature. Charles Laughlin. Wednesday 2.30-4.20
Readings of twentieth-century Chinese literary works from all genres in the original Chinese, arranged around the topic of the literary construction of space and place.

CHNS 696a, Chinese Literary Criticism. Kang-i Sun Chang. Wednesday 10:30-12:20
A reading of the Han shi waizhuan, Benshi shi, and later shihua in the contexts of both ancient Chinese culture and commentary traditions. The goals of this course are to understand the various concepts of "culture" that proliferated in traditional China and to examine their persistent influences. In what way is traditional Chinese literary criticism largely a form of anecdotal account? Why is contextualization such an important part of interpretation? What constitutes the community of the shihua readers (both male and female)? All these questions are addressed in the seminar.

CHNS 697b, Critical Debates in Modern Chinese Literary Studies. Charles Laughlin. Wednesday 2.30-4.20
This course approaches the history of modern Chinese literary studies by means of controversial or otherwise influential scholarly contributions and critical responses to them. Chinese literary works at the center of such debates are also assigned.

[CHNS 698, Women Poets of the Qing: Methodological and Critical Inquiry.]

[CHNS 704, Ming-Qing Literary Theory and Poetics.]

[CHNS 706b, Du Fu: Poetic Innovations and Influences.]

[CHNS 707a, Literature, Culture, and Myth in Ancient China: From Chuci to Han Poetry.]

[CHNS 728, Six Dynasties Poetry.]

[CHNS 840, Seminar in Qing Poetry.]

CHNS 900a, Chinese Seminar. Hugh Stimson.

JAPN 517bu, Elementary Japanese I. Mari Stever and staff. 517b-1: Mon-Fri 10.30-11.20 517b-2: Mon-Fri 10.30-11.20
First term of a three-term sequence that provides a semi-intensive introduction to modern Japanese as an alternative to Intensive Japanese (JAPN 520a, 521b). Drills in pronunciation and sentence patterns, conversations, and lectures on grammar. Introduction to reading and writing kana and about sixty kanji. To be followed by JAPN 518a and 519b. Credit only upon completion of JAPN 518a.

JAPN 518au, Elementary Japanese II. Mari Stever and staff. 518a-1: Mon-Fri 11.30-12.20 518a-2: Mon-Fri 10.30-11.20 518a-3: Mon-Fri 10.30-11.20
Second term of Elementary Japanese. Drills in conversation; lectures on grammar; reading and writing, including the introduction of about one hundred new kanji. Prerequisite: JAPN 517b or equivalent. Credit only upon completion of 519b or 521b.

JAPN 519bu, Elementary Japanese III. Hiroyo Nishimura and staff. 519b-1: Mon-Fri 11.30-12.20 519b-2: Mon-Fri 11.30-12.20 519b-3: Mon-Fri 11.30-12.20
Third term and completion of Elementary Japanese. Drills in conversation; lectures on grammar; reading and writing, including the introduction of 150 new kanji. Prerequisite: JAPN 518a or equivalent.

JAPN 520au, Intensive Japanese I. Michiaki Murata and staff. Mon/Wed/Fri 8.30-10.20, Tues/Thurs 9-10.15
An intensive course in spoken Japanese; drills in pronunciation and conversation; lectures on grammar; and an introduction to reading and writing, which includes katakana, hiragana, and about 75 kanji.

JAPN 521bu, Intensive Japanese II. Michiaki Murata and staff. Mon/Wed/Fri 8.30-10.20, Tues/Thurs 9-10.15
Second-term intensive course in modern spoken Japanese. Continued drills and lectures; extensive reading and writing practice, including about 225 additional kanji. After JAPN 520a.

JAPN 540u, Advanced Modern Japanese. Masahiko Seto, Yoshiko Maruyama, and staff. 540-1: Mon/Wed/Fri 9.30-10.20, Tues/Thurs 9-10.15 540-2: Mon/Wed/Fri 9.30-10.20, Tues/Thurs 9-10.15
The course emphasizes continued development in both written and spoken Japanese while reinforcing the previously learned patterns and structures. Besides the text, teaching materials include audio and video tapes for listening comprehension and speaking practice. Multi-media materials are also provided to facilitate the student's learning. At the end of the year students will be ready to begin reading short stories and simple articles from newspaper and magazines. Prerequisite: JAPN 519b, 521b, or equivalent.

JAPN 550u, Advanced Modern Japanese. Koichi Hiroe and staff. Mon/Wed/Fri 1-2.15
An advanced Japanese language course designed to develop further students' proficiency in aural and reading comprehension, as well as speaking and writing skills. Reading and discussion of short stories, essays, and journal articles. Listening and discussion of television and radio broadcasts. Writing practice includes diary, letters, essays, and criticism. Prerequisite: JAPN 540 or equivalent.

JAPN 557u, Readings in Contemporary Media and Literature. Masahiko Seto, Christopher Hill. Tues/Thurs 1-2.15
Close reading in modern Japanese writings in current affairs, social science, cultural history, and modern literature. Students develop their speaking, listening, and writing skills through discussion and written exercises. Conducted in Japanese. After JAPN 550 or equivalent.

JAPN 559au, Readings in Literature and the Humanities. John Whittier Treat. Tues/Thurs 11.30-12.45
This course, intended for those at the fourth-year level in their study of modern Japanese, is designed to help students prepare for the leap into either graduate-level courses in Japanese literature or the study of written Japanese without the aid of a classroom teacher.

JAPN 560au, Introduction to Literary Japanese. Edward Kamens. Tues/Thurs 2.30-3.45
Introduction to the grammar and style of the premodern literary language (bungotai) through a variety of texts. Prerequisite: JAPN 550 or equivalent.

JAPN 561bu, Readings in Literary Japanese. Edward Kamens. Tuesday 1.30-3.20
Close analytical readings of a sequence of selections from texts of the Nara through Tokugawa periods: prose, poetry, and various genres. Prerequisite: JAPN 560 or equivalent.

JAPN 565b, Literary Chinese (Kambun) for Students of Japanese. Stanley Weinstein.
An introduction to the traditional Japanese method of reading literary Chinese texts. Selections from the dynastic histories and pre-Ch'in philosophers.

[JAPN 570au, Premodern Japanese Literary Tradition.]

JAPN 572bu, The Tale of Genji and The Pillow Book. Edward Kamens. Monday 7-8.50
Close study of nearly contemporaneous and distinctive works by the two outstanding women writers of Japan's classical age-Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji and Sei Shonagon's Pillow Book. All readings in English, including many critical studies.

[JAPN 576bu, Popular Culture from Late Edo to the Present.]
The mainstream and the margins of modern Japanese fiction from the turn of the century to the 1970s. Readings include canonical authors and works by members of ethnic minorities, women, and self-declared decadents. No knowledge of Japanese required.

[JAPN 578au, Modern Japanese Fiction in Translation.]

[JAPN 579au, Structure of Japanese.]

JAPN 581bu, Japanese Literature after 1970. John Whittier Treat. Tues/Thurs 11.30-12.45
A continuation of JAPN 578a, this course reads and examines Japanese literature published between 1970 and the present. Writers may include Murakami Ryu, Maruya Saiichi, Shimada Masahiko, Nakagami Kenji, Yoshimoto Banana, Yamada Eimi, Murakami Haruki, and Medoruma Shun. Two papers and participation in classroom discussions required. No knowledge of Japanese required.

JAPN 700, Readings in Premodern Japanese Literature. Edward Kamens. Friday 9-10.50
Close reading of Japanese prose and/or poetry of various periods; research in traditional commentary and contemporary criticism.

JAPN 830b, Literature, Culture, and Thought in Modern Japan. Christopher Hill. Tuesday 3.30-5.20
The transformations of literature and thought in the Meiji period. Topics include vernacularization, urban growth, and the representation of space, gender, and nationalism.

JAPN 870b, The Literary and the Visual in Taisho Japan. John Whittier Treat, Mimi Yiengpruksawan. Wednesday 3.30-5.20
The Taisho period (1912-1926) was one of intense ferment for both Japanese writers and painters, many of whom closely collaborated. This seminar examines prominent figures of the day who contributed significantly to Taisho Modernism in either the plastic or the literary arts or both. These figures include the White Birch School (Shirakabaha) writers and painters; "I-novel" practioners such as Chikamatsu Shuko; masters of oil self-portraiture such as Kishida Ryusei; and high modernists such as Kawabata Yasunari and Akutagawa Ryunosuke. Guest lecturers address special topics throughout the semester. Prerequisites: fluent reading ability in modern Japanese and basic familiarity with the history of modern Japanese art; or the permission of the instructors. Also HSAR 805b.

JAPN 885a, Modern Japanese Novel. John Whittier Treat. Wednesday 2-4.30
A seminar primarily designed as a three-year course in which graduate students specializing in Japanese literature are required to read major works of modern Japanese fiction in the original.

KREN 500au, Premodern Korea in the East Asian Context. Jae-hoon Shim. Mon/Wed 2.30-3.45
Korean civilization from prehistoric times to 1800. Emphasis on the archaeological record, interactions with China and Japan, and religious and state ideologies. All readings in English.

[KREN 501au, Modern Korea in the World.]

KREN 515u, Elementary Korean. Seungja Choi and staff. 515-1: Mon-Fri 9.30-10.20 515-2: Mon-Fri 9.30-10.20
A beginning course in modern Korean. Drills in oral expression, lectures on grammar, and an introduction to the writing system (Hankul).

KREN 535u, Intermediate Korean. Seungja Choi and staff. 535-1: Mon-Fri 10.30-11.20 535-2: Mon-Fri 10.30-11.20
Continued development of skills in modern Korean, spoken and written, leading to intermediate-level proficiency. Prerequisite: KREN 515 or permission of instructor.

An advanced Korean language course designed to further develop students' proficiency in aural and reading comprehension, as well as speaking and writing skills. Reading and discussion of short stories, essays, and journal articles. Writing practice includes letters and essays. After KREN 535 or equivalent.

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