April 9, 2025

Below is a selection of our Fall 2025 courses. For a complete list, please visit Course Explorer. 

 

EALC 360 BTA: English in South Korea
An image promoting a joint venture course: English in South Korea, offered through the B1G at Penn State, UIUC, and Michigan State

TR, 11:05 AM – 12:20 PM CT | Online | Taught via BTAA CourseShare

Curious about the role of English in Korean society, education, and pop culture? EALC 360 BTA, taught by Prof. Susan Strauss (Penn State University), offers a unique opportunity to explore how English functions across various layers of Korean life—from school systems and language policy to K-pop lyrics, signage, and even "Konglish."

This synchronous online course (via Zoom) will:

  • Explore English in Korea through real-world examples and media
  • Introduce key issues in globalization, language ideology, and bilingualism
  • Offer practical techniques for teaching English to Korean learners
  • Include an introduction to Korean language and culture

📌 Open to all majors – no prior Korean language knowledge required!
📅 Please note: this course follows the Penn State academic calendar.

🔗 More info about the course can be found at https://courses.illinois.edu/schedule/2025/fall/EALC/360

 

EALC 398/550 MS: Language and Gender in Japanese Society
A flyer promoting EALC 398/550 MS

The course covers a wide range of topics that address language use and language variation in Japanese-speaking social settings. These topics include: language policy and the construction of standard Japanese; regional variations of Japanese; individual variation and the construction of social identity; gendered language in the media; ‘role language’ or fictionalized orality in Japanese popular culture and translations, and attitudes and ideologies associated with Japanese language use. 

Tuesday, 1-3:20pm, 1128 LCLB. 

For more information, please contact Prof. Sadler (sadlerm@illinois.edu)

EALC 398/550 Global and Local in Premodern East Asia

AI generated map of Asia showing flow of people between various countries

Premodern Asia was a world connected by diplomacy, trade, religious missions, and texts. Chinese texts enjoyed wide circulation and were enshrined as the authoritative canon in many local polities, while the shared use of written Sinitic allowed communication across borders. At the same time, exposure to a powerful outside culture fueled efforts to define and develop vibrant local cultures with distinct identities. Straddling literary studies, religion, cultural geography and intellectual history, this interdisciplinary course explores the interplay of localizing and globalizing forces in East Asia between 600 and 1900 CE, and its role in shaping ethnic and linguistic identities.

Prof. Gian Piero Persiani

Inquiries: gp2029@illinois.edu

More information: https://courses.illinois.edu/schedule/2025/fall/EALC/398