Requirements for Chinese or Japanese Concentration:

13 units (12 units if the student starts language study from the CHIN 106  or JAPA 106  or CHIN 205  or JAPA 205  or level, 11 units if the student starts language study from CHIN 206  or JAPA 206  or above) chosen from the Chinese-Japanese curriculum, including the required CHJA 120 , CHIN 305 /JAPA 305 -CHIN 306 /JAPA 306 , and four additional content courses. At least two of the content courses must be at the 300-level. (Both CHIN 350 /JAPA 350  and CHIN 351 /JAPA 351  can be counted toward the major as content courses, but only one can be counted toward the 300-level content course requirement.) At most one non-departmental course from the approved course list can be taken to fulfill the major if beginning at the CHIN 105 /JAPA 105  level; at most two non-departmental courses from the approved list may be taken to fulfill the major if starting language study at the CHIN 106 /JAPA 106  level or higher. After declaring a concentration in Chinese and Japanese, no courses taken under the Non-Recorded Option serve to fulfill the requirements. Courses that are ungraded (such as Independent Study and Field Work) cannot count toward the major. Majors are encouraged to take CHJA 120  as early as possible. For students seeking to double major in Chinese and Japanese, no more than two units may be double counted.

Junior Year Abroad and summer courses may substitute for the required courses with department approval. The department strongly encourages students to study abroad in China or Japan and commits to providing the students with supervised study away programs. The courses of Vassar’s summer programs in China and Japan are equivalent to their respective on-campus courses.

Honors’ Requirements:

Students who wish to be considered for departmental honors must complete a thesis or project of sufficient quality. A thesis is normally written in both semesters of the senior year. A senior project may be done either as a one-unit course in one semester, or a half-unit course in each of two semesters.

Chinese and Japanese Certification Programs:

The Chinese and Japanese Department jointly with the Department of Education offers programs leading to the New York State Initial Adolescent Education Certificate (grades 7-12) in both Chinese and Japanese. Students who choose to obtain the credential must be major in Chinese or Japanese, and complete 9.5 units in education. Upon successful completion of the program, candidates will be eligible to teach in any secondary school in New York, as well as many other states that have signed reciprocity agreements with the State of New York.