In 1960, the University of Southern California established the East Asian Studies Center (EASC) in order to provide dedicated leadership, coordination and support for the growing interdisciplinary education, research activity, and community outreach concerning East Asia. Since then, EASC has offered fellowships and research funding to countless faculty and students.

  • Through a generous donation by the Tsai Family, EASC announced an ambitious three-year initiative to increase interest and study in Taiwan. The Tsai Family Research Fund for Taiwan Studies supported undergraduate, graduate, and faculty study and research on Taiwan. We particularly encouraged those students and scholars who were interested in using Taiwan as a comparative case study in their research about larger themes or issues.

  • The USC East Asian Studies Center received a generous grant of $2 million from The Freeman Foundation as part of its “Undergraduate Asian Studies Initiative” which helped launch the development of faculty-led study abroad research programs and scholarships for USC undergraduates to study abroad in East Asia starting in 2004. As a testament to the program’s success, EASC was one of only half of those initially awarded by the Freeman Foundation who were invited to apply for a second grant as part of their “Undergraduate Asian Studies Initiative II.” EASC was awarded this second Freeman Foundation grant in 2008 and was able to leverage this award to continue to offer the Global East Asia program.

  • FLAS fellowships were provided by a U.S. Department of Education Title VI grant for undergraduate and graduate study of Mandarin Chinese, Japanese or Korean and East Asian area studies. The purpose of the program was to enrich the nation’s pool of area and international specialists. Applicants used their training to teach, to serve in government or international agencies, or to engage in other work that advances American understanding of other countries.

  • In memory of Sayoko Kono, former Associate Director of the California Private Universities and Colleges (CALPUC) Program in Japan, EASC supported undergraduate students studying abroad in East Asia through the Sayoko Kono Legacy Fund.

    EASC provided additional support for USC undergraduates who participated in the Global East Asia (GEA) as Maymester program until 2018.

  • The East Asian Studies Center set aside funds for our affiliated faculty to invite guest speakers to their courses during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years. The purpose of this funding opportunity was to help faculty enrich their course content by adding an online guest lecture on a related topic and inviting the wider EASC community to participate in an academic event.