Graduate Program

M.A. Program in Critical Asian Humanities

The Department of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies runs an M.A. program in Critical Asian Humanities (CAH), which:

  • provides training in the critical analyses of written, visual, and performence cultures of East Asia;
  • integrates approaches and methodologies from literary studies, film studies, and cultural studies; and
  • provides students with the skills needed to pursue either a doctoral or professional degree in a related area, or a career in a field relating to East Asian culture and society.

Our faculty expertise is particularly strong in the early modern, modern, and contemporary periods, and our research interests coalesce around the three broad areas of: 1) Global China; 2) Japanese Empire Studies; and 3) Borderlands Korea.

How To Apply

Information about the M.A. Program's application process, including requirements, deadlines and a link to the online application is on the Duke Graduate School's Admissions website.

Along with the completed application, you must include a statement of purpose, three letters of recommendation, official university transcripts from all schools attended, GRE scores, and TOEFL or IELTS scores (if applicable).

Visit the Graduate School's Website

Certificate in Middle East Studies

Duke's Asian & Middle East Studies Department (AMES) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Department of Religious Studies have launched a joint graduate certificate in Middle East studies. Working in coordination with the Duke University Middle East Studies Center (DUMESC) and the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Societies, this program is the country's first fully integrated, cross-campus graduate program in Middle East studies. It allows Duke and UNC-CH graduate students to develop expertise in Middle East studies in the context of an organized program of study that would complement their home degree program.

Learn More

What is East Asian Studies

In the fall of 2020 the East Asian Studies MA program’s core course, East Asian Studies: Fields and Methods invited Duke faculty members to respond to the broad question “What is East Asian Studies”? Respondents were provided with the following list of sub-questions, developed by the students in the class: 

  • What does “East Asia” mean to you? 
  • What motivated/s you to spend your life studying it? 
  • Why study “East Asia” and not just one nation, e.g. China?
  • What are the big issues in East Asian studies, in your opinion?
  • What questions do you seek to ask/answer?
  • What use is the academic study of “East Asia”?
  • How has your personal identity shaped your perception of East Asia/East Asian studies?

We hope that these responses will help listeners think about the various meanings of “East Asia” and its scholarship.

Gennifer Weisenfeld

Anna Sun

Carlos Rojas

Simon Partner

Sucheta Mazumdar
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Melanie Manion

Edmund Malesky

Ralph A, Litzinger
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Nayoung Aimee Kwon

Guo-Juin Hong

Prasenjit Duara

Leo Ching

Nicole Elizabeth Barnes

Anne Allison