Founded on the humanities and the humanistic social sciences, the Asian Studies major is an interdisciplinary program dedicated to the study of the histories, cultures, and societies of Asia, with emphasis on East Asia.
Asian Studies
Introduction
Businesses, governments, international organizations, NGOs, and universities all need people with deep contextual knowledge about Asia. Founded on the humanities and the humanistic social sciences, the Asian Studies major is an interdisciplinary program dedicated to the study of the histories, cultures, and societies of Asia. For some students, the Asian Studies major will provide the intellectual foundations necessary for graduate study. For others, it will serve as a springboard to professional careers boosted by cosmopolitan perspectives on intellectual, literary, and political endeavors, of the past and present. For all students, this major will provide opportunities for deep critical inquiry into political, cultural and social issues that are of vital to Asia and the world.Download AS Degree Requirements
Curriculum
In their first year, students take Introduction to Asian Studies, which is a gateway course for the major. Starting from their second year and building on the Common Curriculum’s focus on critical thinking, writing, and reading, the Asian Studies (ASD) majors take four courses in the ASD Literature-History-Philosophy series taught by core ASD faculty and nine major electives taught by select university faculty. After the second year, students are encouraged to study abroad for at least one semester at a university with an Asian Studies program. All students must complete two semesters of language study: native and heritage speakers of Korean study either Chinese or Japanese while non-heritage students study Korean. In the fourth year, in a Research Seminar taught by ASD core faculty, students may elect to cap their studies by writing a full length research paper on a topic of their choice.
Careers
PMore than half of the global population lives in Asia. By 2030, Asia will be home to sixty-five percent of the global middle-class. While there are great opportunities, Asia is also home to many pressing problems: widening income disparities, persistent gender inequality, threats to democracy, dangerous military buildups, and tremendous ecological damage. Thus, in both the public and private sector, there is a pressing need for problem solvers who have deep contextual knowledge about Asia. Our aim is to cultivate intelligent and articulate students who will not just survive but thrive as professional men and women in their respective fields.
Faculty
ASD’s core faculty members are: Mun Young Cho (Stanford University PhD in Anthropology, China), Henry Em (University of Chicago PhD in History, Korea), Tomoko Seto (University of Chicago PhD in History, Japan), and Alvin Wong (University of California San Diego PhD in Literature, China).