Appointments are scheduled directly with the advisor. Students who have a formal or informal interest in East Asia are encouraged to consult a concentration advisor. The department is part of a larger network of teaching and scholarship on Asia at the University of Michigan. Three area centers, the Center for Chinese Studies, the Center for Japanese Studies, and the Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies, bring together faculty in the department with Asian area specialists elsewhere on campus. The Centers, subsidized by the U.S. Office of Education, organize and sponsor numerous extra-curricular activities including informal lunch talks, lectures and colloquia by visiting scholars, and films and exhibits.
Admission is based on national competition, and space is limited.
However, Michigan students have proven successful in gaining entrance to these programs. The overseas centers provide an opportunity to master spoken Chinese or Japanese and to improve reading and research skills. Limited financial aid is available from both the University and the overseas centers to students who are admitted. For information, contact the department office. This center, developed in cooperation with the University of Kyoto, opened in September of 1989.