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AM in Regional Studies—East Asia
PhD in GeneralHarvard University over the years has developed a number of training and research programs and facilities concerning the languages and societies of Asia. The University’s principal resources are in the East Asian field, but Central Asia, the Near and Middle East, India, and Russia in Asia are all receiving increasing attention. One primary resource is the Harvard-Yenching Library, an outstanding collection, which has been built up over six decades. There are also significant collections of East Asian publications in the Fogg Art Museum, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, and the Harvard Law School. Western language works on East Asia are housed most extensively in the University’s central collection, the Widener Library.
This publication is designed to indicate
briefly the opportunities for study and research on East Asia offered in the various departmental disciplines and in the several programs at Harvard designed specifically for the study of East Asia. The language instruction offered at Harvard includes Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Manchu, Mongolian, Tibetan, and Vietnamese. The departments
in which the study of East Asia is pursued include Anthropology, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Economics, History of Art
and Architecture, Government, History, Linguistics, Music, and Sociology.
Instruction is also given under the Faculty Committees on the Core Curriculum, the Study of Religion, Regional Studies — East Asia, History and East Asian Languages, and Inner Asian and Altaic Studies. In the following pages, information is given concerning admission, degree requirements, fellowships, libraries, museums, research activities, and publications. Courses are described in the Official Register of Harvard University entitled Courses of Instruction, Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Admission
Application forms for admission to AM and PhD programs in the study of East Asia may
The holder of a bachelor’s degree who for special reasons may wish to pursue East Asian studies without intending to take a higher degree should apply to the Office of Special Students and Visiting Fellows, Harvard University, Holyoke Center, 3rd floor, 1350 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138. Special Students may be admitted to part-time as well as full-time study, and the tuition is the same as in the Graduate School. The University awards no fellowships or financial aid to Special Students. Degree RequirementsGraduate students may pursue programs leading to higher degrees in several different subjects relating, directly or indirectly, to East Asia. The specific requirements for higher degrees in such subjects as anthropology, comparative literature, economics, history of art and architecture, linguistics, music, political science, and sociology, in any of which the student may emphasize work on East Asian materials, are listed below. The specific requirements for advanced degrees in the East Asian field follow. Higher Degrees in East Asian Studies
AM in Regional Studies — East Asia Admission. Admission is based on the appli-cant’s previous record, general ability, and promise. The typical applicant will have an undergraduate background in the study of East Asia and/or previous experience in East Asia itself. The GRE General test is required. Although knowledge of an East Asian language is not a prerequisite, such training also will be taken into consideration.
Residence. Candidates are ordinarily expected to be registered as full-time students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for four terms (two academic years), but up to one year of credit toward the degree requirements may be awarded for work already completed elsewhere.
Program of Study. Programs are flexible to meet individual needs but typically consist of the following. First year: an advanced language course in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean, or, for students who have not previously studied the language, an appropriate beginning course; and six half-courses on East Asian history, political, social, and economic developments, on literature or other cultural manifestations, or courses offering methodological or comparative insights on East Asia. Second year: a full course continuing the Chinese, Japanese, or Korean language; a seminar devoted to the writing of a research paper on a chosen topic; five other approved half-courses. Students with a special interest in Vietnam are normally required to attain proficiency in the Chinese or Japanese language.
Language Requirement. Minimum language proficiency is ordinarily defined as the satisfactory completion of a third-year level course. For students without prior language background, it usually will be necessary to continue formal language study, at Harvard or elsewhere, through the summer following the first year in residence.
Thesis. The presentation of an approved research seminar paper fulfills the thesis requirement.
Further information regarding the AM in Regional Studies — East Asia may be obtained by writing to the Chair, Committee on Regional Studies — East Asia, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, or by consulting the Website at www.fas.harvard.edu/~rsea /. Graduate Programs in East Asian Languages and Civilizations
The Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations offers instruction in the PhD in East Asian Languages and Civilizations
Admission. Strong preference will be given to applicants who are adequately prepared
Residence. Minimum of two years of full-time study (16 half-courses or equivalent). For financial residence requirements, see the GSAS Application and Guide to Admissions
Program of Study. Each student’s program will be determined in consultation with a faculty advisor. Courses in other departments may be included whenever appropriate. A second research seminar paper is required of
all students. Both papers must be completed prior to taking the General Examination. Language Requirement. In addition to the language requirements for the AM (listed under Admission), other requirements normally include advanced work in a second East Asian language. This is normally defined as the third-year level in modern Japanese for students of Chinese and for some students of Korean, the second-year level in literary Chinese for students of premodern Japanese and for some students of Korean, and the first-year level in literary Chinese for students of modern Japanese. The minimum grade for all required East Asian language courses is B-. A reading knowledge of French, German, Russian, or other language by petition, must be demonstrated ordinarily by either passing an examination or by taking preapproved courses with a grade of B- or better. All lan-guage requirements must be completed prior to taking the General Examination.
General Examination. The student must pass a two-hour oral examination in three fields. These fields will be determined in consultation with the student’s advisor and other examiners. The fields will then be submitted to the curriculum committee for its approval. One of these fields should be chosen to demonstrate breadth in regard to a different area, discipline, or period. In addition to the oral examination, the student will be required to demonstrate proficiency in the primary language to be used in his or her research. Each subfield within the department will determine the means to test such proficiency.
Note: All course, language (including Western language), and seminar paper requirements must be completed prior to taking the General Examination. The General Examination normally must be taken before the start of the student’s fourth year in the department.
Prospectus. A prospectus of a student’s dissertation, of 15-20 pages, will be required by the end of the academic term after the General Examination has been passed.
Dissertation. The dissertation, which must make an original contribution to knowledge, may deal with any subject approved by the department. It must demonstrate the
As of May 1994, an overall Graduate School policy has been established that students ordinarily will not be allowed to register beyond their tenth year in the Graduate School. If after ten years a candidate has not completed all the requirements for the degree, he or she may be dropped from candidacy. A candidate who has been dropped can be reinstated only by formal readmission to the Graduate School and to the Department.
Further information regarding courses and programs of study in East Asian languages PhD in History and East Asian Languages
The Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations also administers a PhD in History and East Asian Languages. This replaces the degree in History and East Asian Languages formerly administered by the Standing Committee on the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History and East Asian Languages, which ceased to admit new students in 2006. The degree is designed to accommodate the needs of students who desire a more language-intensive program of study of East Asian history.
Admission. Candidates are expected to have demonstrated special aptitude and competence for advanced work in East Asian history. Admission will be based primarily on distinction in undergraduate or graduate work, including evidence of high achievement in history or related fields, and evidence of adequate preparation in one of the East Asian languages. The GRE General test and a writing sample are required.
Residence. Minimum of two years of full-time study (16 half-courses or equivalent).
Program of Study. Students working toward this degree are all required, at an early stage in their preparation, to submit a plan to their advisor showing the fields of study (normally three, but sometimes four) they propose for their general examination. The student’s program is built around these fields, which may be drawn from the lists of fields for either EALC or the Department of History. Each student must do honors work in two half-year history seminars. Students who can submit a Master’s thesis in a relevant area are required to complete one substantial research paper, normally as part of a regular seminar. Language Requirement. Students must demonstrate mastery of one East Asian language and proficiency in at least one other. This requirement is satisfied by credit for either
General Examination. The student must pass a two-hour oral General Examination in at least three fields, ordinarily chosen from those listed among the requirements for the PhD in History (see Higher Degrees in History). One of these fields must be in premodern history. In some cases, fulfilling these requirements may entail taking a fourth field. The examination is generally taken during the second term of the second year of study.
Dissertation. The dissertation must be in a field of East Asian history and must demonstrate the candidate’s capacity to do original research work, utilizing one or more of the East Asian languages. This dissertation must be submitted in triplicate by September 1 for the degree in November, by December 1 for the degree in March, or by April 1 for the degree in June.
Further information regarding courses and programs of study in history and East Asian languages may be obtained by writing to the Chair, Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, 2 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 ; www.fas.harvard.edu/~ealc / PhD in History (with Special Field of East Asian History)
This PhD degree program is administered by the Department of History. The student must apply to the Department of History and must consequently conform to the requirements of the PhD in history, as given in Higher Degrees in History.
The requirements for this degree are:
Admission. Please refer to Higher Degrees in History.
Residence. Minimum of two years of full-time study (16 half-courses or equivalent).
Program of Study. The student’s program is built around four “fields of study” selected by the student from a list of fields contained in Higher Degrees in History.
Language Requirement. The student must demonstrate a reading knowledge of of two East Asian languages, or one East Asian language plus German, French or Russian by passing examinations administered by the Department of History, which are ordinarily given in September and January. See also Higher Degrees in History.
General Examination. All students must take a two-hour oral examination, covering four fields of study (see above under Program of Study), ordinarily in May of the fourth term of graduate work. Dissertation. Please see Higher Degrees in History for rules regarding the makeup of the dissertation committee, the timing of the dissertation proposal, and submission of the dissertation.
Further information regarding courses and programs of study in history may be obtained by writing to the Director of Graduate Studies, Department of History, Robinson Hall, Cambridge, MA 02138;
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. Joint Degrees Between the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations and Other Departments
After a full year of graduate study, a student whose subject of study is geographically Financial Aid
Applications for admission and for financial aid should be made as early as possible in the fall preceding the year of desired entrance into the Graduate School and prior to January 2 of that year. Foreign Language and Area Study Fellowships (FLAS)
The fellowships are annually assigned to Harvard University by the US Department of Education under the National Defense Education Act (Title VI) for language and area studies in East Asia at Harvard and approved Asian universities; specifically, Harvard-Yenching Institute Fellowships
Harvard-Yenching Institute fellowships, primarily for Asian nationals who plan to return to Asia to teach, are awarded for graduate study at Harvard University in the humanities and social sciences, including (but not restricted to) pursuit of the degree programs outlined in this section. The Harvard-Yenching Institute and the School of Overseas Education of Peking University award fellowships for US students wishing to conduct advanced study or research in Chinese studies in China. Applications for these fellowships may be obtained from the Director, Harvard-Yenching Institute, 2 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138; www.harvard-yenching.org. Traveling Fellowships
Social Science Research Council Fellowships for International Doctoral Research (formerly known as the Foreign Area Fellowship Program), funded by the Ford Foundation, support study in the United States and Asia. Inquiries should be addressed to the Social Science Research Council, 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10016;
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. Harvard students wishing to study in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, or Taiwan may also apply for either a US Office of -Education-administered Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship, or a Fulbright Grant for Graduate Study Abroad administered by the Institute of International Education for the US Department of State. Applications for these two awards may be obtained from the Fulbright coordinator at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in Holyoke Center. There are also travel grants among the Harvard General Scholarships, under the Kennedy, Knox, and Sheldon Traveling Fellowships and the Graduate Society -Fellowships. In addition, the Japan Foundation provides dissertation fellowships for research in Japan. The Harvard-Yenching Institute
The Harvard-Yenching Institute is an independent nonprofit corporation (with a Board of Trustees and an executive director) primar-ily concerned with education in Asia. However, the location at this University of the Harvard-Yenching Library (which the institute founded and still helps to support), together with the institute’s headquarters for its administration, publications, fellowships, and program of visiting scholars from East Asia, makes the institute a major factor in resources for and activities in East Asian studies at Harvard. Although it contributes to the University’s Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, the institute itself is a foundation and not a teaching organization. The institute publishes the Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies. It also supports the publication of various books through the Harvard University Press, or in conjunction with the Council on East Asian Studies. The Harvard-Yenching Library
The Harvard-Yenching Library is the largest university library for East Asian research in
The library, after having been known primarily for its outstanding collections on the classical and traditional literatures, histories, religions, and philosophies of China and Japan, has gone through a vigorous expansion of Korean holdings and is now also being built into a major repository on contemporary East Asia, while continuing to grow from strength in its original fields.
Biblographical records of all Chinese, Japanese, and Korean-language materials catalogued since 1989 are included in HOLLIS, as are the records for the entire Western-language collection. Chinese, Japanese, and Korean-language materials catalogued prior to 1989 are listed in separate printed book catalogues.
Registered users are permitted entry into the stacks. Study carrels are available in the library stacks. They are assigned as available upon application at the circulation desk. The library is open during the regular academic year from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, and from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Summer hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with the addition of noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays while Summer School is in session.
The library sponsors the Harvard-Yenching Library Bibliographical Series under which research aids in East Asian studies are published. For more information consult the library’s Website at www.hcl.harvard.edu/harvard-yenching /. MuseumsThe Harvard University Art Museums con-tain a distinguished representation of different branches of the archaeology and fine arts of China, Korea, and Japan, housed in the Arthur M. Sackler Museum. The collections of ancient Chinese bronzes, jades, and Buddhist sculpture, and Japanese woodblock prints are among the finest in the world. The museum also houses an extensive working library, a large slide collection, and a substantial photographic archive. Harvard’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology has long been a leading center for research in the anthropology as well as the archaeology of Eastern Asia.
The Boston Museum of Fine Arts possesses balanced collections of Indian, Chinese, and Japanese art that are among the finest in the world. Chinese numismatics and Japanese ethnology may be advantageously studied in the Essex Institute and the
Peabody Museum of Salem. The Council on East Asian Studies
Established in 1972, the Council on East Asian Studies was formed to coordinate all teaching and research in East Asian studies at Harvard University. The council is currently administered through the Asia Center. The John K. Fairbank Center for East Asian Research
The John K. Fairbank Center for East Asian Research grew out of two research programs started in 1955, which resulted in establishment of the East Asian Research Center in 1957 (originally called the Center for East Asian Studies). Upon the retirement of John K. Fairbank, Francis Lee Higginson Professor of History, in 1977, the Center was renamed the John K. Fairbank Center for East Asian Research in honor of its founder.
The center’s primary objective is to facilitate research and publication on China, with particular emphasis on contemporary issues. At the same time, the center’s program of activities reflects the underlying premise that China today can best be understood in the light of its historical background and in its geographical and cultural context.
Although the center does not offer instruction, it provides assistance to postdoctoral researchers who are preparing manuscripts for publication, and to graduate and undergraduate students traveling to Asia. In addition, the center invites senior researchers from American and foreign institutions to come as visiting scholars, research associates or fellows to work on selected projects.
For more information consult our website at www.fas.harvard.edu/~fairbank.
The Edwin O. Reischauer
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