East Asian Studies

Studying the culture and society of China, Japan and Korea gives you a unique perspective on the contemporary development of East Asia, its rich history and diverse cultures. This course develops your understanding of contemporary East Asia, covering topics including politics, culture and history.

Choose East Asian studies for a global perspective on one of the world's most dynamic regions.

Explore the rich and intertwined cultures of Japan, Korea and China at the School of East Asian Studies. Our academics use their expertise of the individual countries and the wider region in both their teaching and research across the whole of East Asia.

East Asian studies offers you a wide choice of modules from both humanities and social science subjects taught by lecturers who are doing cutting-edge research in disciplinary fields such as anthropology, history, film, sound and media studies, literature and politics. You’ll have the option to learn Chinese, Japanese or Korean at your own pace.

Taking a transnational approach, the three year programme is designed to prepare you to work across the region. In the third year, you'll bring your training together to research and write a dissertation project on a topic of your choice supported by world-leading researchers.

Why study this course?

Voted number one: Ranked 1st in National Student Survey (NSS) results 2023 across Asian studies in the UK, our staff are UK leaders in supporting your studies and career goals.

A long history of teaching across the region: Sheffield is the only major university outside London with expertise in all three countries: 60 years for Japanese studies, 40 years for Korean studies, 30 years for Chinese studies.

You have flexibility and choice: You can take a variety of less intensive language modules while exploring the subjects you’re passionate about.

Opportunities for fieldwork and year abroad study in East Asia: We offer a variety of opportunities to engage with East Asia, whether through optional field trips or study abroad for a year.