Concentration in East Asian Language and Linguistics

Chinese characters.

Overview

East Asian cultures play an increasingly significant role in the cultural life of North America. East Asian economies have worldwide presence, and political issues in that part of the world affect us profoundly at home. As the multi-ethnic population continues to grow faster in America than monolingual English-speaking whites (U.S. Census Bureau, 2002), the presence of Asian languages is more visible than ever. This trend is continually increasing the demand for instructors of these languages at colleges and universities.

The mission of the department’s new concentration in East Asian Languages and Linguistics is to prepare students for college-level teaching positions in Japanese or Korean or for government and industry jobs that require high proficiency in a language and where expertise in linguistics is an additional asset. The concentration in East Asian Languages and Linguistics balances theory with practice to combine training in the most relevant courses in Linguistics and language acquisition/pedagogy in Japanese or Korean, with the goal of preparing students to teach one of these languages at the college level. 

Application Deadlines

March 1: All international MA/MS applicants

April 1: All domestic MA/MS applicants

Online Application

Learn more about graduate admissions

Career Opportunities

In colleges and universities across the U.S., dozens of full-time instructor positions regularly come available for graduates with expertise in Japanese and Korean. Additionally, the Defense Language Institute is keen to train military personnel in the East Asian languages, and seeks to hire qualified teachers. With this degree, graduates may also pursue professional careers in government, business, NGO, and translation services in all fields, such as legal/social/immigration services, academic, research, art, culture, technology, and entertainment.

Language Prerequisite

Students who are not native speakers of the specialization language are required to complete or test out of the Fourth Year, Second Semester course in the language. A study abroad experience for the language is also strongly encouraged.

Degree Requirements

Credit Hours: 30          
Core Courses (12 Credits)
  • Japanese/Korean
    Language and Culture (JPN521/KOR521)
  • Introduction to Japanese/Korean
    Linguistics JPN511/KOR511)
  • Teaching Japanese/Korean
    as a Foreign Language (LIN550)
  • Principles of Language Acquisition
    and Teaching (LAI582)
Core Electives (15 Credits)  

Two core linguistics courses (6 credits)

 
  • Phonetics (LIN531) or Phonology (LIN532)
  • Syntax I (LIN515) or Semantics I (LIN538)

Two 500/600-level courses in linguistics (6 credits)
  • These courses may include one or two core linguistics courses. Taking all four core linguistics courses satisfies Core Electives I and II.

One course from the following Learning and Instruction courses (3 credits)
  • Linguistics for L2 Education (LAI581)
  • Technologies in L2 classroom (LAI590)
  • Understanding L2 language and culture (LAI681)
  • Assessing second language proficiency (LAI682)
Additional Requirements  
Teaching Practicum (2 Credits)                           
  • Supervised Teaching (LIN599), including teaching of a course for at least one semester
Portfolio Guidance (1 Credit)
  • Masters Project/Thesis Guidance (LIN600)

Contact Us