Exciting opportunities
EALC News
- The next Korean Proficiency and Placement Test (KPT) will be scheduled for an in-person administration at 9:30 AM [CT] on Friday, August 21, 2026. Please note that this test will NOT be administered online. Time: 9:30 am to 12 pm (CST)... Read full story
- Course DescriptionThis course explores the intricate relationship between language and identity in both Greater China (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan) and Chinese diasporic communities around the world. Through the lens of sociolinguistics, students will examine how... Read full story
Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Yunxin Li to join EALC faculty in August 2026
The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures is delighted to welcome Dr. Yunxin Li to the faculty. Trained across history, literature, and digital humanities, Dr. Li brings an exciting interdisciplinary perspective to the study of early China that speaks to questions of power, gender, social relations, and knowledge across time. Her scholarship and teaching exemplify a thoughtful integration of rigorous humanistic inquiry with innovative digital methods, and her work resonates strongly with EALC’s commitment to collaborative, cross-field engagement. We are excited to have Dr. Li join...
Faculty Spotlight: Myoung-Sun Song to join EALC faculty in Fall 2020
We are delighted to announce that Myoung-Sun Song will join the Department as Assistant Professor of Modern and Contemporary Korean Culture. Her research focuses on the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, class, and (national) identity in Korean media and popular culture. She is the author of Hanguk Hip Hop: Global Rap in South Korea (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019), the first scholarly book-length study on the subject. Before coming to Illinois, she taught at Sogang University in Seoul. Prof. Song will teach courses on contemporary Korean culture, society, and...
Event Spotlight: Lecture by renowned scholar Peter Kornicki
Printing began in Japan in the 8th century with the production of the Hyakumantō darani, though they were produced for ritual purposes not for reading. Texts were printed for reading from the 11th century onwards and from the beginning of the 17th century commercial publication took off rapidly and so successfully that by the 1660s catalogues of books in print were printed. So surely it is perverse to describe the Edo period as a manuscript culture? Well, no. Because the focus on Japan as a print society like that of contemporary Europe has blinded us to the dominance of manuscript culture...
Student Spotlight: EALC Senior Grace Mitchell Named Schwarzman Scholar
Grace Mitchell, a senior double majoring in EALC and Political Science, was named a Schwarzman Scholar, one of 151 recipients selected from an international pool of 3,000 applicants. The program fully funds an annual Schwarzman class consisting of 40% U.S. students, 20% from China and Taiwan, and 40% from the rest of the world. Grace will be heading to Tsinghua University in Beijing for this fully-funded one-year master’s degree and leadership program. Congratulations, Grace!
Student Spotlight: UIUC Student Ana Engelbrecht Wins the Excellence Award at the 6th Midwest Korean Speech Contest
Elizabeth Jones and Ana Engelbrecht, winners of the Beginning and Advanced Levels respectively at the 9th UIUC Korean Speech Contest, recently represented the Korean Language Program at the 6th Midwest Korean Speech Contest on April 5, 2025. We are proud to share that Ana was awarded the Excellence Award in the Advanced Level category.As part of this honor, Ana will receive a $500 cash prize and a scholarship to study at Chungnam National University in Korea.Congratulations, Ana, on this outstanding achievement!
Publication Spotlight: Professor Cai's How to Read Chinese Poetry in Context forthcoming from Columbia University Press
The next volume in EALC professor Zong-qi Cai's How to Read Chinese Poetry series will be published by Columbia University Press in February 2018. How to Read Chinese Poetry in Context is an introduction to the golden age of Chinese poetry, spanning the earliest times through the Tang dynasty (618–907). It aims to break down barriers—between language and culture, poetry and history—that have stood in the way of teaching and learning Chinese poetry. Not only a primer in early Chinese poetry, the volume demonstrates the unique and central role of poetry in the...
Why Study EALC?
A degree from the Department of East Asian Languages & Cultures equips you with the knowledge and skills for a successful career in a variety of fields while nourishing your interest in different languages and cultures.