Asian Languages & Cultures

The Department of Asian Languages and Cultures (ALC) is student-centered and driven by research that is integrated into the classroom. We encourage students to study Asia from regional and comparative perspectives, while also cultivating scholarly engagement with specific cultures of Asia. India, China, Thailand, Korea, Japan — these cultures are just part of what we study through our majors in Chinese or Japanese and through our Asian languages and cultures major. ALC has more than a dozen language offerings for its students, and these courses are a major focus of the department’s teaching and research efforts. ALC has grown — and will continue to grow — with the addition of new faculty members, the renewal of federal funds to support teaching languages, and the recent creation of the Śrī Anantnāth Chair in Jain Studies. To meet the needs of new programs and a growing staff, and especially to support our students, the department is increasingly relying on external gifts and donations.