Academic Advising
in the College of Arts & Science
What Can I Do With a Major in East Asian Languages and Cultures?
According to a recent report of the Modern Language Association (MLA), Japanese is now the sixth most studied foreign language in American colleges and Chinese the seventh. This trend reflects the importance of the current political and economic relationship between the US and Asia. The US and Japan, the number one and two economies in the world, are important trading partners. Japan is the US's third largest export market as well as the third import market, and the US is the Japan's number one trading partner (export/import) and the US is the number one among the foreign investors in Japan. China also has close economic ties to the US. China is the fourth largest trade partner for the US, while the US is the second largest trade partner for China. The US is China's number one foreign investor. China also has close economic ties to the US. China is the fourth largest trade partner for the US, while the US is the second largest trade partner for China. The US is China's number one foreign investor.
An EALC major will provide comprehensive training for students to ready them for such job markets. The major will also provide a strong academic background to students who wish to pursue further pursue academic degrees in Asian Studies or related fields.
Interests
Interest in Asian languages and culture, becoming fluent in another language, developing an understanding of and appreciation for cultural differences, and in the usage of the English language
Program Strengths and Unique Features
The program provides intensive studies in the languages and cultures of East Asia, where students can choose either a singular focus either on Japan or China, or a combination of both countries. Because of the long history of political, economic, and cultural interchange between the two countries, dating back thousands of years, it is advantageous for a student studying in one area to possess some knowledge about the other.
The focus of the program is on languages and cultures. Since languages are part of cultures, we cannot study one without the other. In addition to the focus on the studies of languages and cultures, the program also provides area studies as "related hours," which provide a broadly based background on one of the three focus options.
Courses are taught in Irvin Hall, which also houses the interactive language resource center that is available to all students. The resource center serves the language departments by actively implementing computer assisted language-learning technology into foreign language education, to act as a central repository of foreign language related materials and multimedia resources, and to promote technological advances related to foreign language education though workshops, individualized assistance, conferences, and regular announcements.
Opportunities - Study Abroad/Experiential
We value the experience of studying abroad and encourage our students to immerse themselves in the cultures that they are studying. The Japanese program has the long history of exchange with our partner university Kansai-gaidai University in Osaka, Japan. We also send students to universities in the central Japan and Tokyo areas through an exchange consortium. The Chinese program sends more and more students abroad every year, and is currently involved in Miami's effort to build a learning center in Shanghai.
Opportunities - Student Activities
Events sponsored by student organizations like the Japanese Culture and Language Club and the Association of Asian American Students always draw a great many participants and spectators from across campus, as well as from outside campus. The weekly Japanese and Chinese Language Tables provide regular opportunities for social and cultural exchange between American and Asian students. Students focusing on China can participate in a living-learning community by living on the Chinese Language Floor in one of Miami's residence halls.
Opportunities - After Graduation
Miami graduates with the Japanese minor have taken jobs in computer software companies, airline companies, the military, educational institutions, and publishing companies, etc, many directly/indirectly related to Japan. JET, the Japanese government sponsored English teaching/cultural exchange program, is one of the most popular postgraduate career opportunities among our students. We typically send 3-8 students per year to Japan through this program. Miami is ranked fifth in Ohio out of 39 participating universities in terms of the number of applicants for this program. Overseas Internship programs like JET strengthen our students' linguistic ability and cultural knowledge and make them highly marketable for specialized jobs in international corporations, US-Asia joint businesses, government jobs, non-profit organizations like the US-Japan friendship societies; there are 33 American/Japanese government sponsored organizations and many more private organizations. Miami graduates with a Chinese minor often work in a company in China, teach English there, or have a China related job in the government or a company in this country.
Note: These data are based on the Japanese/Chinese minors since the EALC major is a newly created major in 2006-7 and no data are available yet.
Sources of Additional Information
- German, Russian, and East Asian Languages with Arabic and Hebrew
(172 Irvin Hall, 529-2526, EALC Major adviser, Dr. Mieko Ono) - * Curriculum Requirements
* Career Opportunities - Career Exploration and Testing Center (196 Health Services Center, 529-4645)
- * Career Counseling
* Career Assistance Center
* Computerized Career Development Program
* Dictionary of Occupational Titles
* Occupational Outlook Handbook - Arts and Science Academic Advising (146 Upham Hall, 529-3031)
- * Miami Plan & College of Arts and Science Requirements
- * Course Selection
* Career Decision Making - Office of Career Services (241 Hoyt Hall, 529-3831)
- * Career Resource Center
* Dictionary of Occupational Titles
* Occupational Outlook Handbook - Office of International Education (216 MacMillan Hall, 529-5628)
- * Study and Work Abroad Advising
* Resource Library
Developed by the College of Arts and Science Advising Office and the academic departmental offices with adaptations from Liberal Arts and Sciences - Skills - Career Opportunities, Career Planning and Placement Office, University of Michigan.