Attraction and Isolation: The Past and Future of East Asian Languages and Cultures

Abstract

guage departments and programs? Generally speaking, there are several institutional models for the teach ing of East Asian languages. In the first model, East Asian languages are taught within a foreign language department or program. It is not uncom mon, for example, to find East Asian languages in a department that also in cludes Middle Eastern languages, European languages, and even Latin and Greek. In the second, East Asian languages are taught as part of an East Asian languages and literatures program, along the model of national lan guage and literature programs traditionally found in Romance languages. In the third model, East Asian languages are taught as part of an East Asian languages and civilizations or cultures program, which embraces various disciplines such as history, religion, and literature. My department at Co lumbia University belongs to the last category, probably the most complex, since it combines language teaching with various other disciplines.