EAST Master's Degree programme
The two-year Master's Degree Programme in East Asian Studies (EAST) is available to Finnish and international students with background in study of East Asia, who want to deepen and extend their knowledge of contemporary China, Japan, and Korea.
The EAST programme provides high-quality and systematic training and supervision in East Asian studies with focus on contemporary societies. Check here for more detailed information about the EAST programme.
Further information and useful resources for current students can be found at the CEAS Intranet pages.
Next application will be open in January 2021. See more information about the application requirements and the process here: Master's Degree Programme in East Asian Studies
Master's Degree in East Asian Studies
Degree: Master of Social Sciences
Duration: 2 academic years, 120 ECTS credits
Mode of study: Full-time
Faculty / Department: Faculty of Social Sciences, Centre for East Asian Studies
Location: Turku, Finland
Language of instruction: English
Tuition fee for citizens of EU/EEA countries or Switzerland: None
Tuition fee for citizens of non-EU/EEA countries: €8,000 / academic year
Scholarships available: check the website
Please also check our FAQ before applying to our Master's Degree Programme.
Academic director of the Master’s Programme,
University lecturer Sabine Burghart
sabine.burghart@utu.fi
Education coordinator Tuula Karjalainen (application process)
tuusah@utu.fi
The EAST degree consists of study units that cover the methodology of social sciences and East Asian studies, contemporary history, politics, and societies of East Asia as well as many other topics of special interest. See the course descriptions and timing in electronic Curriculum Peppi
The EAST programme is divided thematically into seven modules:
- Study and Research Skills
- Histories of East Asian Countries
- Contemporary Politics, Societies, and Economies of East Asia
- East Asia in Regional and Global Context
- Master's Thesis
- Worklife Competences
- Language Studies
Courses in these modules are structured into Methodology and Master's Thesis, Obligatory and Optional Subject Studies, and Language Studies as follows:
Master's Degree in Social Sciences (East Asian Studies) (120 credits)
Methodology and Master's Thesis (64 cr)
• Methodology courses (12 cr); Academic writing in English (4 cr) Research Seminar taken during four terms (8 cr)
• Master's thesis (40 cr)
Obligatory Subject Studies in Modern and Contemporary East Asia (22 cr)
- Four courses each 5 cr from modules 3 and 4
- One course (2 cr) from module 2
Optional Subject Studies in Modern and Contemporary East Asia (min. 14 cr)
• Freely selected from courses in modules 2, 3, 4, and 6
• Can also include some courses in the Minor Programme which are marked in the Study LeafletLanguage Studies (10‒20 cr)
• At least 10 cr of an East Asian language (up to 20 cr count towards the degree)
The University of Turku has bilateral agreements with several East Asian universities. Exchange studies are administered and selections made at the International Office.
The study plan for exchange studies, called Learning Agreement, must be approved at CEAS as a part of the application process. It is strongly advised that exchange plans are discussed with the academic supervisor, especially if the student intends to carry out master's thesis research during the exchange period.
See the complete list of bilateral exchange partner universities in each country from the application service pages of the International Office:
• China (People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan)
• Japan
• South Korea
See also the list of bilateral agreements outside Europe in International Office's intranet pages.
The coursework of exchange studies is meant to be selected so that exchange study credits can be transferred to count towards the EASTdegree to the extent possible. This will be checked when the Learning Agreement is approved.
Further information about exchange studies and the application process is available at Applying for Exchange pages (intranet) of the International Office.
After the exchange period, the student applies for the credit transfer to include the exchange studies in the degree studied for at the University of Turku. The original transcript of study records needs to be confirmed in person by someone from CEAS before the credit transfer can be approved. A copy of the transcript should be attached to the credit transfer application.
Master's degree theses (pro gradu) written by the students of the Centre for East Asian Studies.
2020
Kääriäinen, Lotta: China's Changing Role in the New Era, a Case Study Based on China's First Overseas Military Base in Djibouti
Santiago, Antonio: COMMUNIST SEX CULTURE AND LEWD MARXIST FEMINISTS: The Protestant Response to the 16th Seoul Queer Culture Festival
2019
Heikkinen, Milla: Attitudes Toward Future Japanese Families among Japanese University Students: Tradition, Ideals and Stigmas
Huh, Seyeon: Perception of Contemporary History in South Korea: The Formation of Contested Legacy of Syngman Rhee
Kwon, Jung Ah: The Programme "Now on My Way to Meet You" and its Impact on Exchanges between North Korean Defectors and South Koreans
Nguyen, Minh Nga: Regional initiatives for Japanese Entrepreneurs: A study on the Tokyo metropolis area
Ranta, Mika: Japan's Official Development Assistance: Case Philippines and Human Security
Sidz, Malgorzata: Reproduction of Mothering in East Asia
2018
Cahill, Samantha: Building Better Tourists? Insight into China´s Civilized Tourism´campaign
Gouiffès-Santarelli, Perrine: Road to Nowhere: Transitions to Adulthood and the New Social Vagrants in post-1997 South Korea
Hakulinen, Noora: Human Trafficking in China – An analysis of national policies and their impacts on punishment levels in human trafficking court cases between 2012-2016
Hautala, Iina: Commemorative Landscape of Dokdo in South Korea – Reflections on Dokdo's importance in the South Korean national narrative
Isohanni, Heikki: Mythology Marches to Modernity : Yōkai in Contemporary Japan
Kurki, Suvi: Finding a New Narrative of Chinese Business Leadership
Liu, Bayoing: Factionalism in the CCP and the DPP -One´s Obstruction, the Other´s Impetus
Morozova, Aleksandra: Illicit Drugs in Modern China: Production, Trafficking and Consumption
Pihl, Marko: Dependent Autonomy: A Study of Chinese Environmental Social Organisation's Operational Autonomy
Pitkänen, Ari-Joonas: A Dichotomy Dismantled – Reflections on National Identity among Supporters of Third Force Political Parties in Taiwan
Šilhánová, Barbora: From the Village to Heaven – The development of the social role of Taiwanese Bunun prayer pasibutbut in the course of the modernization of the tribe
Tuorila, Eero: Opposition Discourse on Security Policy in Japan: Case of the 2015 Legislation for Peace and Security
2017
Ilo, Reetta: Hidden Pride, Crouching Nationalism? The Worldview of Japanese Private University Students
Kuzina, Viktoriya: Protecting the Right to Know in Japan: Social Advocacy versus the Special Secrecy Law
Pence Jr, Gary Leon: A History to Open the Future: Obstacles and Possibilities of Joint History Books in Northeast Asia
Schüssler, Fabien: Assessing Travel Motivations, Satisfactions and Branding Success in Heritage Tourism: Fang Gu Jie in Chengdu, Sichuan
Yoochadchawan, Tais: Chinese Public Intellectuals' Call for Constitutionalism - Yu Jianrong's and Xu Zhiyong's Advocacy and Engagement
2016
Alexeeva, Anna: Towards Interdependence? – Russian-Chinese Economic Relations 1990–2014 with the Focus on Energy Trade
Coratella, Eva: From the Great Famine (1958-1962) to the Food Waste Problem: the Role of Memory to Enhance the Awareness in the City of Shanghai
Jokinen, Risto: The Cheonan Incident: The Contested Fate of the South Korean Ship
Lapshina, Tatiana: The Contemporary Image of Hikikomori and Otaku Phenomena in Mass Media
Miao, Shiyu: A Power for Peace and Development - The White Papers of the Chinese Government from a Public Diplomacy Point of View
Männistö, Maria: Government-foreign industry relations in China: How Finnish companies perceive China's officials
Piantadosi, Tina: Japan's Shining Women: Young Women Negotiating the Transition to Adulthood in Japan
Pinchuk, Anastasiia: Loneliness and Ageing Society in Japan: Case Study of Burari Elderly Care Center
Song, Mary Hyunhee: Cosmetic Surgery and Rites of Passage in Korean Society – A Study on Comsetic Surgeries after the University Entrance Exam
Yin, Yilin: Ethnic Koreans in China – Korean School Closings and Losing Korean Ethnicity
2015
Fagnoni, Federica: Molded Identity: Manchu Sinicization and Self-Perception of the Bannermen's Descendants
Hankamäki, Mikko: Supply Chains' Environmental requirements in China in 2025: Scenario Analysis
Kamppuri, Virpi: Grassroots Charity in China: Case Analysis of a Charity Project Organised by Jane Zhang Fan Club
Kiema, Eveliina: Trivial Pursuit? Asian Antics in the Arctic – Securitization in Northeast Asian Power Struggle in the Context of Arctic Cooperation
Pankakoski, Paula: Place and Belonging - An Ethnography of Rural Migrant Children in Beijing
Scibilia, Adèle: The Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands Dispute: An Integrated Factor Of Instability In The Asia-Pacific Region
Xiang, Jingbei: The Role of Chinese TV Media in Popularising Chinese Traditional Culture - In the Case of Lecture Room
2014
Cheung, Shun: Sinicization and Chinese Language and Culture Education (CLCE): A Case Study of Confucius Institute in Wellington, New Zealand
Haverinen, Anna-Kaisa: From Invisibility to Twitter - Four Decades in the Life of Japanese Lesbians
Peltonen, Jenny: South Korean presidents and the alliance with the United State 1998-2012 - A case study of the Free Trade Agreement
Volkova, Anastasia: New Directions of the Japanese Management System: Case study of two Japanese corporations
2013
Ganina, Irina: "Cool Japan" Strategy: What Kind of Coolness?
Heikkilä, Jukka-Pekka: Change of Power Dynamics in North Korea: Three Scenarios
Kauppila, Liisa: "Use the Past to Serve the Present!" - PRC History Politics and the Hong Kong handover 1997
Kettunen, Annemari: Language of the Future, Language of the PRC - Representations of Putonghua in South China Morning Post
Kuramitsu, Kanako: The Problem of ''Skills'' in Japan's Disguised Guest Workers Program and Its Implications
Kynsilehto, Anni: Suematsu Kenchō and Japan's Struggle for Civilized Status
Laaksonen, Iris: Japan's renewable energy policy in the third industrial context
Lappalainen, Erja-Liisa: The role of microblogs behind the Great Firewall of China - Chinese urban youth and the microblog bandwagon
Liu, Le: Promoting Employment Opportunities of the Elderly Employees in Japan's Aging Society
Montonen, Mikko: On Transformation of Bugei Culture from Sengoku to Modern era
Vainio, Anna: 20 Years of Making Babies that Were Never Born - Japanese Family Friendly Policies for the Diminishing Social Ideal
Zhang, Baoqi: Analyzing China's High-Speed Rail Strategy from a Geo-Strategic Perspective
2012
Hakkio, Christine: In Search of the Way: Kokugaku and Its Influence on Meiji Policies
Hartonen, Olavi: Taiwanese English Language Newspapers' Partisan Communication on National Identity Issue - Text Mining Editorials From the First Decade of the 2000s
Kolehmainen, Samu: A bridge builder or raconteur? : how Japan manoeuvres the global development discourse within the TICAD process
Sillman, Tanja: Redefining cultural subjectivities: Japanese women artists and strategies for power in contemporary Japanese society
2011
Glogan, Timothy: China’s ‘Assertive’ South China Sea Policy And Rhetoric: Proactive, Reactive Or Myth?
Hakanen, Kari: “Xiamen Commits Suicide” – the framing of the Xiamen PX incident
Mäenpää, Marjaana: Pushing the Boundaries and Siding with the Government: Construction of Chinese Nationalism in the Internet
2010
Kärkkäinen, Annina: Propping Up Pariahs or Building a Brighter Future for All? The Effects and Framings of China's Foreign Aid in Namibia, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe 2000-2008
Lindholm, Niko: Does Nikkyoso have a political opportunity now that the DPJ is governing?
Mutanen, Anne: LGBT Activism in Urban China: Online, Underground or Under Construction?
2009
Setälä, Mikko: Demystifying Face: the significance of ’face’ in negotiating with the Chinese
Tsai, Natalia: Constructing Ainu Identity within Law: Negotations between the Collective, the State, and External Bodies
2007
Haverinen, Hanna:Discursive Effects of Anti-prostitution Law in Korea
Koskenranta, Hanna: Migrant Workers at Perlos Factory in the Context of Rural-Urban Migration in the Pearl River Delta