Asian Studies Major
Goal 1: Students will achieve Intermediate Low Oral Proficiency in an Asian language (by ACTFL standards).
Outcome 1.1: Students will be able to communicate effectively in an Asian language
Goal 2: Students will explore Asia's importance in the world through interdisciplinary investigation of the histories, political systems, economies, cultures, and societies of Asia.
Outcome 2.1: Students will be able to apply a variety of tools, methods, and perspectives to investigate and interpret important aspects of the history, politics, geography, economics and culture of contemporary Asian societies.
Goal 3: Students will conduct research about Asia, evaluate data generated by multiple methodologies, and present their findings effectively.
Outcome 3.1: Students will be able to produce cogent, well-organized, and thoroughly researched written and oral presentations on important aspects of East or South Asian language, history, politics, culture and society that display familiarity with the scholarly conventions of the respective disciplines.
The traditional undergraduate programs includes a minimum of 120 credits distributed across three components: A General Education component divided into Signature Courses, Variable Courses, and an Integrative Learning requirement; a Major and Divisional component; and Free Electives. In addition to course requirements as specified in each area, students must complete one certified course in each of the following overlay areas1:
- Diversity, Globalization or Non-western Area Studies,
- Ethics Intensive
- Writing Intensive, and
- Diversity
- 1
Overlay requirements are part of the 120 credit requirements
General Education Signature Courses
See this page about Signature courses.
General Education Variable Courses
See this page about Variable courses. Six to Nine courses
General Education Overlays
General Education Integrative Learning Component
See this page about Integrative Learning Component. Three courses:
Asian Studies majors are required to take three integrated learning courses. Two of these courses must be Area Studies courses dealing with areas outside Asia. A third course must focus on methodology.
Major Requirements
The Asian Studies major requires the following:
- Intermediate language competency in an Asian language
- HIS 208 Historical Introduction to Asia
- Eight electives courses
- A Senior Seminar in Asian Studies
Foundational Heritage
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| HIS 208 | Historical Intro to Asian Civs | 3 |
This course provides a broad overview of Asia, and will emphasize the fundamental background on which students will build in their later courses, including the basic linguistic, geographic, cultural, religious, and historical trends that have shaped East and South Asia.
Electives and Concentration
Students must complete a minimum of seven elective courses, reflective of their geographical area of concentration and exclusive of language courses at or below the intermediate level.
Geographic concentration: students must complete a geographical focus, with four elective classes in one of two geographical concentrations:
- East Asia or
- South Asia.
This requirement may also be satisfied by at least one semester of study abroad in the area of concentration.
To insure interdisciplinary breadth, elective courses must be selected from at least four different departments. In addition, electives must be distributed to ensure breadth of study, with at least one course taken from each of three categories:
- Art (e.g., Asian Cinemas), Literature (e.g. Literature of South Asia) and Language (e.g., Japanese Film and Culture)
- Philosophy and Theology and Religious Studies (e.g., Mahayana Buddhism)
- Social Sciences (e.g., Asian Economies; Japanese Politics) and Business
To insure geographical breadth at least two elective courses must be taken outside the student’s concentration (whether East Asia or South Asia).
Area Studies Courses
These classes, which parallel the interdisciplinary nature of the major, afford students the opportunity to explore other major Area Studies fields (Africana Studies, Latin American Studies) taught at SJU. This component complements the major by exposing students to comparative perspectives on history, culture, politics and economics, broadening their understanding of the world and of the place of Asia within it. Note that some of these courses have pre-requisites. These two courses should be selected from any two of the following areas:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Africana Studies (includes but is not limited to) | ||
| ENG 482 | Literature & Culture | 3 |
| HIS 210 | History of Modern Africa | 3 |
| HIS 343 | African Ethnicities | 3 |
| REL 271 | African & Caribbean Religions | 3 |
| Latin American Studies (includes but is not limited to) | ||
| HIS 203 | Historical Intro to Latin Am | 3 |
| HIS 303 | History of Modern Mexico | 3 |
| HIS 304 | Social Protest in Latin Am His | 3 |
| THE 356 | Liberation & Pol Theologies | 3 |
Methodology Course
Asian Studies majors must also take a methodology course. Students will select from a menu of courses designed to introduce them to fundamentals of social science theory. The intent of this course will be to equip students with analytic tools that they may make use of in their Asian Studies courses. Note that some of these courses have pre-requisites. This course may be selected from the following:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Introductory Economics Micro | ||
| Introductory Economics Macro | ||
| International Trade | ||
| International Macroeconomics | ||
| Postcolonial Studies | ||
| The Environment | ||
| Environ Theory & Ethics Sem | ||
| Introduction to Statistics | ||
| Intro to Comparative Politics | ||
| Intro to Global Politics | ||
| Intro to Political Thought | ||
| Politics, Ideology, & Film | ||
| Women, Gender & World Politics | ||
| Global Political Economy | ||
| Ethics in Internation Affairs | ||
| Classical Sociological Theory | ||
Senior Seminar in Asian Studies
The senior experience is designed to enable students to synthesize what they have learned during their time at SJU, and will typically take the form of a research seminar and/or thesis. The expectation is that these papers would be nominated to be presented at the Greater Philadelphia Asian Studies consortium conference each spring.
Language Requirement
All majors are required to attain intermediate language competency in their area of concentration. The language requirement may be satisfied in one of three ways.
- Two sequential intermediate classes (200-level) in the same Asian language (each course consisting of a minimum of three semester credit hours) at SJU or another US institution.
- Language examination confirming intermediate-level competency
- One semester language intensive study-abroad experience.
This requirement is seen as a minimum. The program encourages majors to attain fluency in an Asian language. Ideally, students will augment language study at SJU with an immersion experience of a semester or more. Part of the program’s endowment will be dedicated to funding student needs for study abroad.
For languages not offered at SJU (Hindi, Urdu, Korean, etc.), the program will help interested students find appropriate instruction at other institutions or abroad, unless and until SJU is able to offer these languages on campus.
Study Abroad
The Asian Studies program considers experience in Asia to be an essential means of understanding. All Asian Studies majors are expected to spend at least one term (fall, spring, or summer) in a study-abroad program in Asia. There are currently approved programs in China, Japan, and India. This requirement can frequently be met through programs with existing ties to SJU, including The Beijing Center (operated by a consortium of Jesuit universities) and Sofia University in Tokyo, as well as summer programs.