Department of Asian Languages and Literatures
Graduate Fellowship Honors the Mathers!
We are very pleased to announce the establishment of a new graduate student fellowship in honor of Richard B. and Virginia Mather. Over the last sixty years, Richard and Ginny have been dear colleagues and good friends through the many manifestations of Asian studies at the University of Minnesota. During that time, Richard emerged as one of the world’s most important scholars of Chinese literature of the early medieval period.In his research Richard drew broadly on the literatures of Asia, including Japanese and Sanskrit. So it is particularly appropriate that this new fellowship is available to graduate students in our PhD program in Asian Literatures, Cultures and Media, now entering its fourth year.
To contribute to the Mather Fellowship, please visit Asian Languages & Literatures’ Make a Gift or contact Jill Kane at CLA External Relations.
June 17th, 2008New Developments in the South Asia Field
Over the last few years, the U of M has witnessed a virtual revamping of South Asian studies. New exciting courses, influential faculty members, a very dynamic bi-weekly seminar series, strong graduate students, and critical language offerings have all made the U of M a leading institution in the country for the field of South Asian studies.
June 2nd, 2008
Asian Languages and Literatures is a dynamic and innovative department committed to the study of the languages and cultural phenomena of East, South, and Southeast Asia. The program encourages breadth of perspective and rigorous engagement with specific materials. General theoretical issues inform all areas and topics researched or taught in the department.
Language Programs
Language learning is of vital importance to successful research in the Asian world. Our teaching staff explores and implements new methodologies in second-language acquisition at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Currently, we offer Chinese, Hindi, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Urdu and Vietnamese.
Programs
The undergraduate and graduate programs incorporate the best of traditional models of area studies as well as challenge these by encouraging comparative approaches and perspectives. Our undergraduate major requires students to attain advanced language skills, high levels of cultural literacy, and methodological sophistication. The PhD program in Asian Literatures, Cultures, and Media (ALCM) is designed to advance the fields of Asian studies and the humanities in general. See the specific areas covered in the program.