East Asian Languages and Literatures

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

Chair
John Whittier Treat

Director of Graduate Studies
Kang-i Sun Chang [F] (306 HGS, 432.2865, kang-i.chang@yale.edu)
Edward Kamens [Sp] (310 HGS, 432.2862, edward.kamens@yale.edu)

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

Associate Professor
Charles Laughlin

Assistant Professors
Aaron Gerow, Christopher Hill, Carlos Rojas (Visiting)

Lecturers
Pauline Lin, Xinmin Liu

Senior Lectors
Wen-tao Cheng, Seungja Choi, Koichi Hiroe, Zhengguo Kang, Yoshiko Maruyama, John Montanaro, Ling Mu, Michiaki Murata, Masahiko Seto, Mari Stever, Wei Su, William Zhou

Lectors
Angela Lee-Smith, Rongzhen Li, Ninghui Liang, Hiroyo Nishimura, Jianhua Shen, Li-li Teng, Peisong Xu

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, film studies, 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 Chinese literature may substitute Japanese and students in Japanese literature may substitute Chinese (modern or literary Chinese) for a European language.

At the end of each academic year until a student is admitted to candidacy, a faculty committee will review the student’s progress.

At the end of the second full academic year, the student must take a written examination in the language of his or her specialization, including both its modern and premodern forms. 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 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 two research papers, and submit them 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, dissertation topic, and course work. 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 teach in their third and fourth years in the Graduate School.

Joint Ph.D. Program
The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures also offers, in conjunction with the Program in Film Studies, a joint Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Literatures and Film Studies. For further details, see Film Studies on page 177. Applicants to the joint program must indicate on their application that they are applying both to Film Studies and to East Asian Languages and Literatures. All documentation within the application should include this information.

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
CHNS 500au, Man and Nature in Chinese Poetry.  Kang-i Sun Chang. TTh 1–2.15
An exploration of concepts of man and nature in traditional Chinese poetry and criticism, with special attention to historical contexts and cultural meanings. Topics include the centrality of lyricism and Taoism; depictions of nature and self-cultivation; travel in literature; the relation of poetry to painting; images of utopian communities as compared to the Western notion of Utopia; 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 are assigned.

[CHNS 501bu, Men, Women, and Gender in Chinese Poetry.]  

CHNS 515u, Elementary Modern Chinese.  John Montanaro, William Zhou.
515–1: MTWThF 9.30–10.20
515–2: MTWThF 9.30–10.20
515–3: MTWThF 10.30–11.20
515–4: MTWThF 10.30–11.20
515–5: MTWThF 11.30–12.20
515–6: MTWThF 11.30–12.20
Intended for students with no background in Chinese. 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.

CHNS 518u, Elementary Modern Chinese for Advanced Learners.  Ninghui Liang, William Zhou.
518–1: MTWThF 9.30–10.20
518–2: MTWThF 10.30–11.20
First level of the advanced learner sequence. Intended for students with some background in Chinese. An intensive course with emphasis on spoken languages and drills. Pronunciation, grammatical analysis, conversation practice, and introduction to reading and writing Chinese characters. To be followed by CHNS 533. Placement confirmed by placement test on first day of class and by instructors.

CHNS 530u, Intermediate Modern Chinese.  Ling Mu and staff.
530–1: MTWThF 10.30–11.20
530–2: MTWThF 10.30–11.20
530–3: MTWThF 11.30–12.20
530–4: MTWThF 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. To be followed by CHNS 550. Prerequisite: CHNS 515 or equivalent.

CHNS 533u, Intermediate Modern Chinese for Advanced Learners.  Peisong Xu, Ling Mu.
533–1: MTWThF 8.30–9.20
533–2: MTWThF 9.30–10.20
The second level of the advanced learner sequence. Intended for students with intermediate to advanced oral proficiency and high elementary reading and writing proficiency. Students receive intensive training in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, supplemented by audio and video materials. The objective of the course is to balance these four skills and attain an advanced level in all of them. To be followed by CHNS 553. Prerequisite: CHNS 518 or equivalent.

CHNS 545u, Cantonese.  Wei Su. MWF 9.30–10.20
Introduction to the Cantonese language for learners of (Mandarin) Chinese. Expands students’ knowledge of the Chinese language through study of one of its most influential regional variations. Focus on listening and speaking skills, from practical daily communication to the discussion of topics of general interest. Prerequisite: CHNS 530, 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.  Li-li Teng.
550–1: MTWThF 10.30–11.20
550–2: MTWThF 11.30–12.20
Third level of the standard foundational sequence of modern Chinese language study in the areas of speech, listening, reading, and writing. Use of audio-visual materials, oral presentations, skits, and longer and more frequent writing assignments to assimilate more sophisticated grammatical structures. Introduction to a wide variety of written forms and styles. Use of both traditional and simplified forms of Chinese characters. After CHNS 530.

[CHNS 551bu, Chinese Modernism.]  

CHNS 553u, Advanced Modern Chinese for Advanced Learners.  Zhengguo Kang.
553–1: mwf 9.30–10.20
553–2: mwf 10.30–11.20
Third level of the advanced learner sequence in Chinese. Intended for students with advanced speaking and listening skills (able to conduct conversations fluently on broad topics) but with high intermediate reading and writing skills (able to write 1,000 to 1,200 characters). Readings on contemporary life in China and Taiwan, supplemented with authentic video and other selected reading materials. Class discussion, presentations, and regular written assignments. Texts in simplified characters with vocabulary in both simplified and traditional characters. After CHNS 533 or equivalent.

CHNS 556u, Readings in Contemporary Chinese Texts.  Wei Su.
556–1: mw 11.30–12.45
556–2: tth 11.30–12.45
Completes the standard sequence 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. TTh 9–10.15
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. After CHNS 550 or equivalent.

CHNS 560u, Introduction to Literary Chinese.  Pauline Lin. TTh 2.30–3.45
Reading and interpretation of texts in various styles of literary Chinese (wenyan), with attention to basic problems of syntax and literary style. After CHNS 533 or 550.

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 565u, Chinese Composition.  Zhengguo Kang. TTh 2.30–3.45
Intended for advanced students with solid oral and reading proficiency but who want to improve their writing skills. The course offers a systematic writing program, from simple assignments like descriptions, narratives, and expositions to more sophisticated critical essays. Prerequisite: CHNS 553, 556, 557, or equivalent.

CHNS 574au, The Revolutionary Tradition in Modern Chinese Literature. Ximin Liu. MW 2.30–3.45
An introduction to modern Chinese literary culture from the perspective of its central, revolutionary tradition. Exploration of ways that Chinese writers have attempted to change society through writing; the relationships between realism, romanticism, and revolution; and the consequences of the Chinese Communist Party’s institutionalization of revolutionary literature. No knowledge of Chinese required.

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

[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 605au, Materials and Methods for Research in Chinese Literature and Art.]

[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.]

CHNS 639a, Canon and Gender in Ming-Qing Poetry and Drama.  Kang-i Sun Chang. T 2.30–4.30
A seminar on the problems of canon-formation with regard to Ming-Qing literati and women writers, especially on how aesthetic, power, and cultural principles have influenced canonical inclusions and exclusions. Readings from the poetic works of Qian Qianyi, Liu Rushi, Wu Weiye, Shang Jinglan, Wang Shizhen, Wang Duanshu, Yuan Mei, Xi Peilan, Gong Zizhen, Gu Taiqing. Two dramatic plays, Mudan ting (Peony Pavilion) and Taohua shan (Peach Blossom Fan), are also included.

CHNS 660bu, The Visual Imagination in Chinese Art.  Pauline Lin. W 2.30–4.20
A study of Chinese visual and cultural materials from the Shang bronzes of the twelfth century B.C. to modern film. Exploration of the aesthetic values, social realities, and cultural aspirations represented by these works. Topics include depictions of ancestral portraits, paradise and hell in Buddhist cosmology, fictive landscapes, garden designs, imperial architecture and city planning, and everyday life.

[CHNS 671b, Anti-Romanticism: The Tradition of Irony in Twentieth-Century Chinese Women’s Writing.]  

[CHNS 672a, Modern and Contemporary Chinese Poetry.]  

CHNS 673b, The Chinese Body Politic.  Carlos Rojas. M 3.30–5.20
Science, politics, subjectivity, and corporeality in modern China. Readings of literary texts and consideration of nonfictional writings, cinema, graphic art, and performance art.

[CHNS 692a, Rereading the Six Dynasties Anthology, the Wen Xuan.]

[CHNS 693b, Seminar on Anthologies of Tang and Song Poetry.]  

[CHNS 695a, The Poetics of Place in Modern Chinese Literature.]  

[CHNS 696a, Chinese Literary Criticism.]  

[CHNS 697b, Critical Debates in Modern Chinese Literary Studies.]  

[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 501bu, The Tale of Genji and The Pillow Book.  Edward Kamens. TTh 2.30–3.45
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. Formerly JAPN 572b.

JAPN 515u, Elementary Japanese.  Michiaki Murata, Mari Stever.
515–1: MTWThF 8.30–9.20
515–2: MTWThF 8.30–9.20
515–3: MTWThF 9.30–10.20
515–4: MTWThF 9.30–10.20
515–5: MTWThF 9.30–10.20
An introductory course in spoken Japanese. Drills in pronunciation and conversation; lectures on grammar; and an introduction to reading and writing, including hiragana, katakana, and 200 kanji.

JAPN 540u, Intermediate Japanese.  Yoshiko Maruyama, Masahiko Seto, and staff.
540–1: MTWThF 10.30–11.20
540–2: MTWThF 10.30–11.20
540–3: MTWThF 10.30–11.20
540–4: MTWThF 11.30–12.20
540–5: MTWThF 11.30–12.20
Emphasis on continued development in both written and spoken Japanese with reinforcement of previously learned patterns and structures. Besides the text, teaching materials include audio and video tapes for listening comprehension and speaking practice, as well as multi-media materials. Prerequisite: JAPN 515 or equivalent.

JAPN 550u, Advanced Japanese.  Koichi Hiroe and staff. MWF 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 to and discussion of television and radio broadcasts. Writing practice includes diary, letters, essays, and criticism. Prerequisite: JAPN 540 or equivalent.

[JAPN 551bu, Japanese Literature after 1970.]  

[JAPN 552au, The Atomic Bombings of Japan in World Culture.]  

[JAPN 553au, Modern Japanese Fiction and Its Margins.]  

JAPN 557u, Readings in Contemporary Media and Literature.  Masahiko Seto. TTh 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. TTh 11.30–12.45
Canonical Japanese short stories and essays read in line-by-line translation. Use of reference works and the Internet to research structures and vocabulary. Intended for those at the fourth-year level in their study of modern Japanese, this course is designed to help students prepare for either graduate-level courses in Japanese literature or independent study of written
Japanese.

JAPN 560bu, Introduction to Literary Japanese.  Edward Kamens. MW 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.]  

[JAPN 576bu, Popular Culture from Late Edo to the Present.]

JAPN 578au, Modern Japanese Fiction.  Christopher Hill. TTh 1–2.15
An introduction to Japanese fiction from the 1890s to 1960s. Novels and stories by such writers as Natsume Soseki, Tanizaki Junichiro, and Oe Kenzaburo, and discussion of major trends such as modernism and writing by women. No knowledge of Japanese is required.

JAPN 585bu, Naturalist Literature in the Global Frame.  Christopher Hill. W 2.30–4.20
The dissemination of naturalist literature worldwide, from France in the 1850s to Asia and the Americas in the 1900s. Main focus on France, the United States, Japan. Local and global socioeconomic conditions supporting naturalist schools. Major writers include Zola, Maupassant, Dreiser, Norris, Katai, Toson.

JAPN 587bu, Japanese Cinema after 1970.  Aaron Gerow. MW 11.30–12.45
The development of Japanese cinema after the breakdown of the studio system, through the revival of the late 1990s, to the present.

JAPN 700b, Readings in Premodern Japanese Literature.  Edward Kamens. F 1.30–3.20
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.]  

JAPN 835b, Modernity and Culture in Imperial Japan.  Christopher Hill. T 4–6
Formations of modernity in Japan from the late Meiji to the early Shôwa period and their political and economic contexts. Materials include literature, essays, philosophy, and other sources such as visual texts according to student interest.

JAPN 885b, Modern Japanese Novel.  John Whittier Treat. W 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 515u, Elementary Korean.  Angela Lee-Smith and staff.
515–1: MTWThF 9.30–10.20
515–2: MTWThF 10.30–11.20
A beginning course in modern Korean. Pronunciation, lectures on grammar, conversation practice, and introduction to the writing system ( ). Section 515–2 is for students with elementary aural proficiency but little training in written Korean.

KREN 535u, Intermediate Korean.  Seungja Choi and staff.
535–1: MTWThF 9.30–10.20
535–2: MTWThF 10.30–11.20
Continued development of skills in modern Korean, spoken and written, leading to intermediate-level proficiency. Students admitted to section 535–1 after KREN 515–1; students admitted to section 535–2 after KREN 515–2 or with permission of instructor.

KREN 550u, Advanced Modern Korean.  Seungja Choi and staff. TTh 11.30–12.45
An advanced Korean language course designed to further develop students’ 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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