Asian Studies

From literature to management, Asian Studies is an integrative program designed to prepare our students for work beyond the classroom.

Are you ready for the global marketplace?

Our students are bright, compassionate and curious about the politics, society and language of this constantly developing region.

At Simmons, we encourage you to study abroad and apply your substantial knowledge to your career. Our faculty are experts in the field, motivating you to customize this program to fit your passions.

With a keen understanding of the past and present of Asia, our students find meaningful work through internships, graduate programs, employment abroad and service within and to the Asian American community.

Requirements: Students must take five elective courses from the Asian Studies curriculum, including at least one of either HIST 201, HIST 202, or HIST 206. No more than three courses may be taken in any one department.

AS Curriculum (20 semester hours)

AS 216	Asian American Cinema	4
ART 252	Arts of China and Japan	4
CHIN 214	Contemporary Chinese Cinema	4
CHIN 201	Intermediate Chinese I	4
CHIN 202	Intermediate Chinese II	4
CHIN 245	Advanced Intermediate Chinese	4
CHIN 246	Advanced Intermediate Chinese II	4
CHIN 250	Masterpieces in Chinese Literature	4
CHIN 260	Chinese Calligraphy	4
CHIN 320	Reading Chinese Newspapers	4
CHIN 325	Masterworks of Chinese Modern Literature	4
ECON 222	Comparative Economies of East Asia	4
ECON 290	Special Topics	4
HIST 201	Japanese History: Politics, Society, and Everyday Life	4
HIST 202	Asia to the Eighteenth Century	4
HIST 203	Power & Culture: East Asia	4
HIST 204	Japanese Culture: Gender, Family and Society	4
HIST 205	Global Environmental History	4
HIST 206	Rise of Modern China	4
HIST 207	Family, Gender, and Sexuality in Chinese History	4
HIST 362	Reform and Revolutions in Asia	4
HIST 364	Rape of Nanjing	4
HON 208	Art of Dissent	4
HON 211	Balance, Harmony, and Happiness: A New Look At Classical China	4
JAPN 201	Intermediate Japanese I	4
JAPN 202	Intermediate Japanese II	4
JAPN 245	Composition and Conversation	4
JAPN 310M	Japanese Civilization	4
JAPN 320	Newspaper Kanji and Translation	4
JAPN 325	Japanese Fables and Onomatopoeia	4
PHIL 119	World Religions	4
PHIL 133	Asian Philosophy	4
PHIL 390	Seminar	4
POLS 102	Introduction to International Politics	4
POLS 104	Introduction to Comparative Politics	4
POLS 220	International Organization and Law	4
POLS 223	Human Rights: The Basic Dilemmas	4
POLS 225	International Politics of East Asia	4
POLS 229	Comparative Foreign Policy	4
POLS 245M	Politics of Newly Industrialized Countries	4
SOCI 267	Globalization	4
SOCI 270	South Asia, People & Power	4

Language Courses (16 semester hours)

Students are required to study either 1) a single East Asian language for four sequential semesters, or 2) two East Asian languages for two semesters each. Courses taken to fulfill this part of the requirement cannot also count among the five electives from the AS curriculum.

Students who enter the Program with at least an intermediate knowledge of an East Asian language may, in special cases pending the Director’s approval, complete four additional courses from the Asian Studies curriculum.

Capstone Cross-Cultural Experience (8 semester hours)

1. Community-based or independent learning

To encourage cross-cultural experience, students complete four semester hours through either study abroad or community-based learning within an Asian American community. Students should have adequate language preparation and a significant portion of coursework completed before undertaking this experience. Thus, most students will satisfy this requirement during the junior or senior year. The precise timing will be decided in consultation with the student’s advisor. Alternatively, the student may undertake an independent study with an AS faculty member that would culminate in a research paper on a topic of the student's own design.

2. CRGCS 355: Capstone Project

The Capstone Project provides students the opportunity for intellectual inquiry on a selected topic. Projects will integrate theory and practice that address real-world problems. Students will draw areas of interest from the CRGCS programs (Africana Studies, Asian Studies, Migration Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, and Gender and Cultural Studies). The aim of the course is for students to demonstrate and reflect on the CRGCS program's interdisciplinary and intersectional features through their projects.

3. Integrative Seminar

Successful completion of either AS 390 or, when not offered, an alternate course is mandatory for all students in the major. In this seminar, the student will produce either a research paper or some form of creative work associated with a special interest. The nature and scope of the project will be collaboratively determined with the seminar instructor and/or their advisor. HIST 364 and 362 are currently offered in lieu of the Seminar.

Honors in Asian Studies requires a minimum GPA of 3.67 for AS courses in addition to a grade of A or A- for the senior term paper, i.e., the paper produced as part of the course work for either AS 390 or 350.

Minor in Asian Studies

A minor in Asian studies consists of five courses from the EAS curriculum. No more than three courses may be taken in any one department.

AS 216	Asian American Cinema	4
EAS 349	Directed Study	4
EAS 350	Independent Study	4
EAS 370	Internship	0

Core Courses

Select and complete at least 1 core course from the following Core Course list:

HIST 202	Asia to the Eighteenth Century	4
PHIL 133	Asian Philosophy	4
AS 216	Asian American Cinema	4

Electives

Select and complete 4 electives from the following list. No more than 2 courses may be taken in any one participating department. If an AS minor has already taken 1 core course, additional core courses will count as electives.

AS 216	Asian American Cinema	4
ART 252	Arts of China and Japan	4
CHIN 201	Intermediate Chinese I	4
CHIN 202	Intermediate Chinese II	4
CHIN 260	Chinese Calligraphy	4
ECON 222	Comparative Economies of East Asia	4
HIST 201	Japanese History: Politics, Society, and Everyday Life	4
HIST 202	Asia to the Eighteenth Century	4
HIST 203	Power & Culture: East Asia	4
HIST 206	Rise of Modern China	4
HIST 207	Family, Gender, and Sexuality in Chinese History	4
JAPN 201	Intermediate Japanese I	4
JAPN 202	Intermediate Japanese II	4
PHIL 119	World Religions	4
PHIL 133	Asian Philosophy	4
POLS 220	International Organization and Law	4
POLS 223	Human Rights: The Basic Dilemmas	4
SOCI 270	South Asia, People & Power	4

Department Contact

Shirong Luo, Ph.D
Philosophy Department
Gwen Ifill College of Media, Arts, and Humanities
[email protected]

Many of our students tailor their studies to their interests and career goals by adding minors or double majoring. Students interested in dual-degree programs, double majors or self designed majors can consult with department faculty to design an individualized program.

A minor in Asian Studies is also available. A minor consists of five courses from the EAS curriculum. No more than three courses may be taken in any one department.

We encourage students to study abroad and learn modern language skills to broaden their understanding of world cultures. Interested students are able to undertake independent research projects of their own design in their junior or senior year.

So you know that Simmons is a great place to be, you've learned about our programs, maybe even come for a visit...now you're ready to apply! Let's get started.

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