Students who have native or near native command of Japanese and who wish to take language courses required for concentration in Chinese, are welcome to do so. Students with a language background in Chinese likewise may consider a concentration in Japanese. The department is part of a larger network of teaching and scholarship on Asia at the University of Michigan. Four area centers, the Center for Chinese Studies, the Center for Japanese Studies, the Center for South Asian Studies and the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, bring together faculty in the department with Asian area specialists elsewhere on campus. The Centers, subsidized by the U.S. Department of Education, organize and sponsor numerous extra-curricular activities including informal talks, lectures and colloquia by visiting scholars, films, and exhibits.
Numerous opportunities exist for overseas study of Asian languages and cultures.
There may be some restrictions on the use of study abroad credits to meet concentration requirements. Please consult the concentration advisors. 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.