The Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations, founded in 1982, offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in Chinese and Japanese, four minor programs, two certificate programs, as well as language, literature and culture courses in Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Hindi/Urdu, Japanese and Korean. Students receive a thorough grounding in the modern language, an introduction to the classical language and literature and a broad familiarity with the literary and cultural history of their selected area. Students interested in Chinese or Japanese are encouraged to broaden their academic horizon through a double major, combining either language with another field of interest. Likewise, students in all Asian Languages and Civilizations programs as well as programs outside the department can pursue one of the department's minors or certificates as a way of broadening their career options. Recent graduates have found positions in such fields as government service, international business and secondary-school teaching; others have gone on to graduate study in Chinese or Japanese.
