Asian Studies Major

Major Requirements

The major in Asian Studies requires a minimum of 8 Asian Studies courses together with 3 years of Asian language study, or the equivalent, distributed as follows:

1. Introductory History (1 course)

For South Asian Concentrators:
HIST052 CM - South Asian History: An Introduction
For East and Southeast Asian Concentrators:
HIST059 CM - Civilizations of East Asia
or
HIST061 CM - The New Asia: China, Japan and Korea in the Modern Era

2. Electives (7 courses)

Seven upper-division courses selected from a list available from the Asian Studies faculty.

3. Foreign Language Study (3 years)

Three years of Asian language study in a single language at the college level.

Senior Thesis in Asian Studies

The senior thesis is a general education requirement and the capstone experience of a student’s undergraduate education. Students must complete a senior thesis in at least one of their majors under supervision of a faculty reader who teaches within that major, unless granted a special exception.

Students interested in receiving honors in Asian Studies are required to complete a 2-semester project. These students must register for a thesis research course in the first semester and the senior thesis in the second semester. The senior thesis and any thesis research course may not be counted as courses in the major.

Special Options for Majors

Dual Major

Students are encouraged to combine a major in Asian Studies with disciplines such as history, literature, economics, government, or international relations for a dual major.

The dual major in Asian Studies requires a minimum of 6 Asian Studies courses together with at least 2 years of Asian language study, or the equivalent, distributed as follows:

1. Introductory History (1 course)

For South Asian Concentrators:
HIST052 CM - South Asian History: An Introduction
For East and Southeast Asian Concentrators:
HIST059 CM - Civilizations of East Asia
or
HIST061 CM - The New Asia: China, Japan and Korea in the Modern Era

2. Electives (5 courses)

Five upper-division courses selected from a list available from the Asian Studies faculty.

At least 2 of these courses must be taken at The Claremont Colleges.

3. Foreign Language Study (2 years)

Two years of Asian language study in a single language at the college level.

Notes:

Students with a dual major including Asian Studies are encouraged to write their senior thesis on a topic in Asian Studies. For further information, see Senior Thesis in Asian Studies above.

Honors in Asian Studies

Students interested in receiving honors in Asian Studies must:

Contact the faculty coordinator at the beginning of the senior year,
Have a 3.50 average in the major,
Complete a 2-semester, 2-credit thesis project in Asian Studies, and
Receive grades of A- (3.67) or better for the thesis courses.

Study Abroad

All Asian Studies majors are encouraged to study abroad for a semester or a year. Normally 2 upper-division courses taken during a semester abroad may be counted towards the major (4 for a full academic year).

General Education Requirements for Asian Studies Majors

Students with interdisciplinary majors requiring courses in the humanities and/or social sciences are required to take designated courses in 6 different fields of the humanities and social sciences for the general education requirements.

Asian Studies majors must take courses in at least 3 of the 4 fields of the social sciences (economics, government, history, and psychology), and in 2 or 3 of the 4 fields of the humanities (literature, philosophy, religious studies, and literature in a foreign language) for a total of 6 courses. Asian Studies majors with a dual or double major in a 2^nd field of the humanities or social sciences will usually be required to take an additional course. For further information on general education requirements, see General Education Requirements .

Asian studies majors may use the 3^rd semester of an Asian language for the foreign language requirement. For information on the foreign literature requirement, see General Education Requirements .

Learning Goals and Student Learning Outcomes of the Asian Studies Program

Learning Goals

The basic goals of the curriculum of the Asian Studies Major are:

To increase the intellectual breadth and transferable abilities of our students, and
To impart an understanding of contemporary and past Asian cultures, society, religions, and polities in ways that enhance their understanding of the human condition, and facilitate a better understanding of contemporary issues.

Student Learning Outcomes

The student learning outcomes of the Asian Studies program are:

Students will demonstrate an understanding of Asian culture, society, and polity.
Students will have proficiency in an Asian language at an intermediate level or above
Students will demonstrate academic knowledge of an Asian culture that spans more than one disciplinary perspective.
Students will demonstrate the ability to carry out a self-designed research program grounded in academic literature as evidenced by a senior thesis.