In May of the junior year, students take comprehensive exams and the major is completed by composition of a senior honors thesis or senior essay. The experience gained in study abroad is used throughout the remainder of a COL major's education, and students graduate with an excellent grasp of the cultural and intellectual traditions of the European elements of our heritage. This interdisciplinary major allows students to concentrate on either Japan or China in the context of a program that defines both societies and cultures as an interrelated field of study. The requirements include courses in the history of the region, culturespecific elective courses, and language study. The program is housed in the Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies, which includes art and historical archives as well as a tatami room and Japanese garden, and which sponsors a range of lectures and presentations each year.
Asian music is also a strong focus at Wesleyan.
Students who major in this field are strongly encouraged to study abroad once they have completed two years of language study. Those studying Japanese go to Kyoto through the Associated Kyoto Program, which Wesleyan co-sponsors with a consortium of comparable colleges. Students also may choose to study in Taiwan. Students with an interest in Thai and Korean may begin their language study abroad, as Wesleyan does not offer these languages as part of its curriculum. Italian Studies Wesleyan offers a two-year language sequence in Italian, which can be the basis of the major in Italian studies.