The program is designed to be flexible, and to allow students the opportunity to pursue their own particular East Asia-related interests, whether broad-ranging or relatively focused, within the guidelines of the RSEA requirements. In the normal two-year program of study, students will take a total of 16 half-courses, and some students may choose to take some of their courses in subjects related to their academic interests but outside the East Asian studies field — perhaps to pursue the theoretical background of a discipline, provide a comparative framework for study, or develop necessary methodological skills, for example. All students, however, must graduate with at least eight RSEA-approved East Asian courses, the guidelines for which are explained in more detail below.

East Asian Course Credit:

The course requirement for the RSEA degree requires all A.M. candidates to have completed at least eight courses which qualify for RSEA East Asian course credit. In order to count towards the eight required RSEA-approved half-courses, a course must have substantial East Asian content. (Please see below for more specific information.)

Basic RSEA Course Requirements:

By the time of graduation, the large majority of RSEA students will have completed significantly more than the minimum of eight RSEA-approved courses (and in many cases, a total of 16). This summary of the basic course requirements necessary for the A.M. degree is designed to indicate the minimum expectation of the RSEA Committee, and to act as a guide, in particular, for the small minority of students petitioning to graduate from the program in less than the normal two full years of study.

All A.M. graduates must offer for the degree a combination of — at a minimum — eight courses together satisfying the following requirements:

o No more than two language courses may be taken for course credit. Such courses must be at least at the fourth-year level in the case of a primary East Asian language, or in the case of a second language, at least at the second-year level. For students already satisfying the language requirement, it is not required to include language courses in the A.M. program of study.

o RSEA 300 may be taken for course credit, but RSEA 310 may not. Students may receive course credit for the A.M. thesis, or for another piece of independent research undertaken under the supervision of an East Asian faculty member and leading to a research paper, but not for a thesis developed from a prior paper or piece of research for which credit has already been received.

o At least six courses taken for RSEA credit must be FAS courses. RSEA students are free, within GSAS guidelines, to take up to two courses per term (no more than half their enrollment) through cross-registration at other schools; however, in the course of their program they must ensure that at least six of their basic RSEA courses are within FAS.

o No more than two courses that are not specifically East Asia-related may be taken for RSEA course credit. To receive RSEA credit for such courses, students must write a substantial paper relating to East Asia, and receive permission from the Committee in advance. There is no specified limit on the number of such courses RSEA students may take if they do not expect to receive RSEA course credit.

o At least six courses offered for RSEA credit must be East Asian studies courses. In the event that a student wishes to take courses not specifically related to East Asia for RSEA course credit (see preceding paragraph), they must ensure that their program of study includes at least six courses that are specifically in East Asian studies (as indicated by the course title or defined by the RSEA Committee as an East Asian course).

In exceptional cases, individual students may be granted a waiver from these requirements. Such a waiver should be sought in advance by written petition addressed to the Committee Chairman, and will be granted only in cases where the RSEA Committee is satisfied that the academic standards of the degree have been manifestly upheld. Students who are unclear about the application of the requirements to their proposed course of study should consult the Program Administrator.

Please see Curriculum Guidelines, for a more detailed discussion of the courses of study available to RSEA students within the context of the requirements of the RSEA A.M. degree.