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Asian Studies (60 EC): East Asian Studies

Master

Students with disabilities

The university is committed to supporting and accommodating students with disabilities as stated in the university protocol (especially pages 3-5). Students should contact Fenestra Disability Centre at least four weeks before the start of their courses to ensure that all necessary academic accomodations can be made in time conform the abovementioned protocol.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to be familiar with Leiden University policies on plagiarism and academic integrity. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. If you submit any work with your name affixed to it, it is assumed to be your own work with all sources used properly indicated and documented in the text (with quotations and/or citations).

Courses

Vak EC Semester 1 Semester 2

First semester
Introduction to Asian Studies 5
Thesis & Methods Classes 5

Select language courses of your specialisation

Chinese (select two courses)
Advanced Modern Chinese Listening & Speaking 1 5
Advanced Modern Chinese Reading & Writing 1 5

Japanese
Advanced Reading & Writing in Japanese 1 (60 EC) 10

Korean
Advanced Korean Language Training: Reading 10

Elective (select 10EC):
The Politics of Digital East Asia 10
Chinese Linguistics: The State of the Art 10
China's International Political Economy 10
Masters of Chinese Philosophy 10
Modern Chinese Literature and Exile 10
Advanced Readings in classical Chinese 10
The Politics of Culture in North Korea 10
The Politics of Culture in North Korea 5
Sociology of Japan 10
Nation, State and Security in Post-war Japanese Political Thought 10
Topical Readings in Classical Japanese 10
Material Culture, Memory and Commemoration along the Silk Roads in Central Asia 10

Second semester

MA thesis
MA Thesis Asian Studies (60 EC) 15

Language

Chinese (select one of the following two courses)
Advanced Modern Chinese: Listening & Speaking 2 5
Advanced Modern Chinese: Reading & Writing 2 5

Japanese
Advanced Reading & Writing in Japanese 2 (60 EC) 5

Korean
Topical Readings in Korean 5

Electives (China & Japan track students select 10 EC; Korea-track students select 15 EC)
From Buddhānusmṛti to Nembutsu: A History of Buddha Contemplation across Asia 5
Sinographics: Chinese writing and writing Chinese 10
What Art History in China is 10
Topical Readings in Pre-modern Chinese 10
Creativity and Culture in Contemporary China 10
China and Global Cyberspace 10
The Cultural Revolution(s) of China 10
Democratizing Histories 5
Democratizing Histories 10
Crime and Criminal Justice: East Asian Perspectives 10
Image/Text in Pre-modern Japan 10
Topical Readings in Korean 10
Confucianism, Idealism and Power in East Asia's Past and Present 10
Culture and Conquest: the Impact of the Mongols and their Descendants 10
Reading Buddhist Scriptures 10
Colonial Modernity and Gender in Korean Literature and Film 10
Colonial Modernity and Gender in Korean Literature and Film 5
Human Rights Discourses on North Korea 10
Human Rights Discourses on North Korea 5

February start

Students who start in February, the Spring Semester, take their Thesis and Methods Class (5 EC) in their first (spring) semester and the Introduction to Asian Studies (5 EC) together with the other students in their second (fall) semester. They also write their MA-thesis (15 EC) in the fall semester. In the spring semester they take 25 EC Core Courses and in Fall semester 10 EC Core Courses. This includes compulsory advanced language courses for East Asian Studies (max. 15 EC). For available courses please check the September schedule of the program

Vak EC Semester 1 Semester 2

First (Spring) semester

compulsory courses
Thesis & Methods Class (only for new students starting in spring semester 2017) 5

Electives (select 25 EC from 2016-2017 Spring selection of Electives - this may include advanced language courses)

Second (Fall) semester
Introduction to Asian Studies 5
MA Thesis Asian Studies (60 EC) 15

10 EC fall semester Advanced Language courses

More info

1-year Master Asian Studies

Objectives

In the one-year Master’s program in Asian Studies you will be able to deepen and broaden your knowledge of Asia as a whole or one of the regions within Asia. The different specialisations offered within this program cater for students both with and without prior proficiency in one or more Asian languages. In Asian Studies, you may focus on a specific region, choosing between China, Japan, Korea, South Asia or Southeast Asia. Alternatively, you may opt for an interregional, disciplinary emphasis, focusing on History, Arts, and Culture topics in the HAC specialisation, or on issues in Politics, Society and Economy in the PSE specialisation. The MA also has a special track Critical Heritage Studies as part of its History, Arts and Culture specialisation. The rich collections of the University Libraries in Asian Studies incorporate both the long textual tradition of Leiden University and the most up-to-date theories and approaches of history, literature, linguistics and the social sciences. Museums and other long-standing institutions in Leiden related to Asia provide much material for study. The one-year Master Asian Studies specifically encourages in-situ internships as part of the curriculum.

Programme Structure

The master’s program in the one-year Asian Studies Master is divided into two semesters (each subdivided into two periods for some courses). Each semester consists of 30 EC. Students starting in September follow two compulsory courses in the fall (first) semester: Introduction to Asian Studies ( period I), and the Thesis & Methods Class (period II). Each counts for 5 EC, 10 EC in total.

In addition to these common courses, students take one or two courses that are specific to their specialisation – Core Electives. Students are permitted to choose one of the electives outside their own specialisation but within the Asian Studies Master to a maximum of 10 EC . In the spring (second) semester students take one or two Core Electives for a minimum of 15 EC, or fulfill this partially by an internship, and write their MA-Thesis (15 EC). Students of HAC and PSE tracks have a new compulsory Methods course in the spring ( their second) semester. Other MAAS students can take this as an Elective.

For students who start in February, the Spring Semester the programme has slightly been adapted. They take their Thesis Class (5 EC) in their first (spring) semester and the Introduction to Asian Studies (5 EC) together with the other students in their second (the fall) semester, and also write their MA-thesis (15 EC) in the fall semester. In the spring semester they take 25 EC Core Courses and Electives and one 10 EC Core Course in the fall semester. Students of East Asia tracks can only start advanced language courses in their second (fall) semester.

For students outside the East Asia tracks, a maximum of beginner’s language course credits can be applied toward degree requirements. MA East Asia Students can only count the Advanced Language credits that are a compulsory part of their program (15 EC) toward graduation.

Master’s thesis and requirements for graduation

In order to graduate, students must have successfully completed the 60 EC programme, including the MA thesis. The thesis is 15 EC, written in English and up to 15,000 words in length, including footnotes and bibliography. More details on the procedures regarding the MA-Thesis can be found in the course description.

Specialisations

The 1-year MA programme in Asian Studies offers the following specialisations:
History Arts and Culture , with an option Critical Heritage Studies
Politics, Society and Economy
East Asian Studies , subdivided into Japan, China and Korea tracks
South Asian Studies
Southeast Asian Studies