In this section

What You’ll Learn

  • Japanese or Chinese language
  • Literary and cultural works
  • How cultures merge tradition with new challenges

WHO YOU COULD BE

  • Teacher
  • International business professional/consultant
  • Student services coordinator for international travel in Asia

OVERVIEW

Did you know that Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world? That seven U.S. federal agencies recognize that having Japanese-speaking citizens is important for the future of the country? Or that Arabic is spoken in 20 different countries? By studying these languages and cultures, you will learn about their rich histories and about their growing importance in the contemporary world.

The Asian Languages and Cultures (ALC) Program has majors and minors in Japanese and Chinese language and culture, and provides four full years of study in both languages. It offers literature and culture courses exploring how China and Japan deal with their traditional cultural legacies while facing new challenges and opportunities in the present. ALC also offers two years of Arabic, and occasionally offers one year of other Asian languages.

 

Lauren Finnegan '21
STUDENT
Lauren Finnegan ’21

"I'm not only a Japanese major, but I'm an international business major, as well, so learning about the inner workings and values of different cultures is very interesting for both of my interests."

SAMPLE COURSES

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

A sampling of ways our students learn through experience:

  • Ally Davey '24 worked as an intern at the IES Tokyo study abroad program during a summer break.
  • Claire Wallace ’19 spent nine months traveling through a variety of Asian countries with fellow Puget Sound students and faculty members with the Pacific Rim Study Abroad Program.
  • Noe Yoshioka ’16 spent a year studying Japanese in Kyoto as a Miki Scholar.
  • Jimmy Kelloway ’18 spent a year after graduation in Taiwan on a Fulbright fellowship.

JOBS

Where our graduates work:

  • The Laurasian Institute (administrative assistant)
  • Yinghua Academy (academic assistant)
  • CET Academic Programs (student services coordinator, Asia programs)
  • Tra Vinh University (VIA programs fellow)
  • The North Face, China operations

CONTINUE STUDYING

Where our students continue their studies:

  • Sichuan University (M.A., Chinese)
  • George Washington University (Asian studies)
  • Lehigh University 
  • UCLA (M.A., East Asian studies)

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

Kyoto, Japan
KYOTO, JAPAN

Students can spend their summer in a four-week language-intensive program in Kyoto to enhance their learning on campus.

Taichung, Taiwan
TAICHUNG, TAIWAN

Christy Chen ’20 spent two months during summer 2019 at an intensive language school in Taichung, Taiwan, another option for extending learning outside the classroom.

Nicholas Navin '19 and friends in Indonesia
INDONESIA

Nicholas Navin ’19 had his interests piqued by a LIASE field school in Indonesia. He spent a year in Indonesia after graduation on a Fulbright teaching fellowship.