Minor Description

The East Asian Studies Minor (CEAS) enables students to enhance their knowledge of the history, culture, contemporary issues, and the languages of China, Japan, and Korea. Students complete any five CEAS courses, one of which may be from an approved study-abroad program. Courses may include archaeology, history, literature, culture, philosophy, religion, and political economies of the region. A key component of the CEAS Minor is the study of Chinese, Japanese, or Korean languages, in which students are expected to reach an intermediate competence level. 

Admission to the Minor

Upon completion of any College of East Asian Studies (CEAS) course, students may apply to enter the CEAS minor. Students must fill out an online CEAS new minor student information form and then submit a minor declaration via the Minor Declaration Tool in the electronic portfolio.

Minor Requirements

To earn the CEAS Minor, students must complete a minimum of 5 courses in CEAS. Only courses taken for a grade can be counted towards the Minor (unless said courses are only offered CR/U, such as CLAC and other specific courses). No more than two of the five courses can be language courses. No more than two of the five courses can be performance or studio art courses. No more than one of the five courses can be a study abroad course. Seniors must complete the Minor Certification form in their portfolio.

Students Minoring in CEAS must attain, at minimum, intermediate-level proficiency in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. Intermediate-level competency is demonstrated by the successful completion of CHIN 206, JAPN 206, or KREA 206 (second-year level language courses). No more than two of the five required Minor courses can be language courses. This means that students beginning Chinese, Japanese, or Korean language study at Wesleyan may have to take as many as seven courses to fulfill Minor requirements (since four courses would be required to reach intermediate competence, of which only two will count toward the Minor).

Although successful completion of 206-level training in CEAS language classes is the most straightforward way to demonstrate intermediate-level language proficiency, students with pre-existing proficiency in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean (including “native speakers”) may petition to satisfy the intermediate-level proficiency requirement of the Minor on this basis. Students who can successfully demonstrate this proficiency, that is, may earn the CEAS Minor simply through taking five CEAS classes, and without necessarily taking language classes. Students wishing to exercise this option must contact the respective Language Coordinator to undergo a proficiency assessment one year prior to graduation (that is, in Spring semester of Junior year). Students not meeting proficiency requirements at this point may pivot to taking language training culminating in 206 in their Senior year, or re-take the proficiency assessment immediately prior to graduation.