On this page:
Scholarships
Research
Study Abroad
Internships
Student Organizations
Lecture Series and Events
Student Awards

Get Involved

As one of the nation's leading East Asian Studies Programs, students pursue research, experience language and cultural immersion, complete internships, and discover global perspectives.  

Scholarships

Students can apply for a number of scholarships and grants towards study abroad opportunities through the Center for International Engagement. Many of these are also opportunities to pursue research. 

 

Considering both financial need and academic merit, this fellowship covers a portion of the student’s tuition to study abroad with the Shanghai program. Field Fellows conduct additional research while studying abroad with one of the faculty leading the program.

This fellowship is awarded based on both financial need and academic merit and covers a portion of the tuition for the Ecological Civilization in China program. Kurtti Fellows conduct research while abroad and for the remainder of the summer and have the option to present at the Trinity University Summer Research Symposium.

Travel grants are awarded to students with demonstrated financial need who plan to study abroad in East Asia with a non-Trinity summer intensive language program for academic credit.  

This fellowship is available to Trinity students with demonstrated financial need who plan to apply to study abroad in East Asia in the summer. Preference will be given to students attending a Trinity faculty-led study abroad program.

Student Financial Services

Find out more scholarship and financial aid information through the Office of Student Financial Services.

Student Financial Services
studentfinancialservices@trinity.edu

Research

Fellowships

EAST sponsors two Summer Research Fellowships.

Field Fellowship
Sends students to Shanghai to conduct projects in conjunction with the Shanghai Program.

Sharon L. and Donald E. Kurtti Summer Research Fellowship
Sends two sophomore Chinese majors to Zhuhai, China, to conduct undergraduate research in ecological civilization.

Grants

EAST students also have strong records in receiving the following Program Grants, both of which highlight student-faculty collaboration in research.

Trinity’s Mellon SURF Project grants
Mellon SURF projects involve full-time, one-on-one research collaboration on campus during the summer.

ASIANetwork’s Student Faculty Fellows Program Grants ​​​​​​
ASIANetwork projects feature group research experience abroad, usually with one or two faculty leading a group of 4-6 students.

Conferences

EAST students have also been selected to present academic papers and posters at the ASIANetwork annual meetings and the Southwest Conference on Asian Studies.

Office of Experiential Learning

Undergraduate research is central to Trinity University's values. The Office of Experiential Learning provides a place for students to gain information about internships, community service and service-learning opportunities, beyond the classroom course projects, and undergraduate research opportunities.

Study Abroad

Today, cross-cultural understanding is as much a practical necessity as an educational standard. Study abroad is an embodiment of the liberal arts ideals and a sign of the initiative and breadth often looked for by employers.

EAST administers four primary study abroad programs: 

  1. Shanghai Summer Program
  2. Ecological Civilization in China Program
  3. Field Geology in China Program
  4. Japan Program
  5. Trinity in Taiwan

These Trinity Study Abroad programs are essential in the East Asian Studies program, and also serve as formal exchange programs with universities in Chinese-speaking regions of the world (Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China). The University also has exchange agreements with Ewha and Yonsei universities in Seoul, South Korea, and Kwansai Gakuin and Rikkyo universities in Japan.

Featured Programs

Held on the campus of Trinity’s exchange partner, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), students spend two weeks studying contemporary China with both a Trinity professor and a SJTU professor. Field trips take students to Beijing, nearby cities, and pertinent Shanghai government and business installations. In the final month, students intern in a business or institution of their choice in Shanghai.

In collaboration with the United International College (UIC) in Zhuhai (near Macau and Hong Kong), Trinity and UIC students complete a three-week course on “Ecology and Bio-conservation of China,” which includes comprehensive fieldwork in the nearby area. At the conclusion of the program, five UIC students travel to Trinity’s campus to conduct undergraduate research in the Center for the Sciences and Innovation.

Get Started

The Study Abroad Office can help you find an opportunity based on your interests and/or studies. 

Study Abroad Office
studyabroad@trinity.edu

Internships 

EAST currently sponsors both externships for undergraduates and internships for post-grads. Externships are conducted in the summer and may contain an academic component, while an internship may continue for up to a year. 

The format of our programs are quite varied—one has a weekly classroom component, and one requires weekly travel. In all cases, students are guaranteed a minimum period of supervised work in law, business, or teaching.

  • EAST sponsors Trinity sophomores who plan to be teachers of Chinese; it is conducted on the campus of our exchange partner, Lingnan University, in Hong Kong.
  • A business externship in Hong Kong is available for students who major in Chinese and business and who study abroad in China the spring of their junior year.
  • There is an externship for urban studies and business majors to be conducted on the Jiao Tong University campus in Shanghai.
  • Our internship program is conducted in the international law firm of Baker & McKenzie in Shanghai. This is a paid internship for post-grads with a degree in Chinese Studies.
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Find an Internship

Trinity uses the Handshake system to share all job and internship opportunities with students.

Office of Experiential Learning
celcs@trinity.edu

Student Organizations

EAST serves as academic sponsor for the Chinese Language and Culture Club, Japan Culture Club, and Vietnamese Students Association, in which students are encouraged to participate. 

Chinese Language and Culture Club
One of the oldest student organizations on campus, the Chinese Language and Culture Club boasts more than 100 members who strive to bring many of China's traditions and celebrations--from dim sum to Lunar New Year festival--to the Trinity campus.

Japanese Culture Club
Promotes and provides academic, professional, and social settings in which to study and discuss the culture of Japan.

Vietnamese Student Association
This student organization creates a social and educational network for students interested in Vietnamese culture.

Join today

Use the Student Organization Portal to join an active organization or start one on campus.

Student Involvement Office
getinvolved@trinity.edu

Lecture Series and Events

EAST and Chinese Program Reception
The annual EAST and Chinese Program Reception is held during Fall Family Weekend, when faculty, alumni, and former students are invited to meet current students and their parents and friends. EAST scholarship recipients are recognized and the Phoenix Award for Outstanding Student in East Asian Studies is awarded. The reception is attended by the president, and is graciously sponsored by an alumnus. 

Lunar New Year Festival
The annual Lunar New Year festival--founded by the first graduate of the Chinese program, with a history of 25 years at Trinity--celebrates the most important holiday in East Asian cultures from Korea and Japan, to China, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Sponsored by a consortium of East Asian student organizations, the lively event features dance, song, martial arts, skits, and more, showcasing the multicultural talent of the Trinity community of students and faculty.​​​​

Upcoming Events

Stay up to date with news and events for the department.

View Events →

Student Awards

Phoenix Award for Outstanding Student in East Asian Studies
​​​​​The EAST Program offers the Phoenix Award each year to honor the most promising graduate of the year. The Chinese phoenix, or fenghuang, is so rare that it only appears when a person is born whose spirit and intellect are so pure, that were this person to be crowned emperor or empress of China, an era of peace and prosperity would reign. The recipient of the Phoenix Award is just such an individual. 

Past recipients are Julia Smith ’15, Katy Kaestner ’16, Rachael Wolpert ’17, Annie Belleville ’18, and Ry Eskridge ’20.