Asian Studies Major

Dual Majors

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.

A dual major including Asian Studies requires a minimum of six Asian Studies courses together with at least two years of Asian language study, or the equivalent.

1. Courses: six courses, distributed as follows:
   • One Introductory History Course:
     1. for South Asian Concentrators:
        • HIST 052 CM - New Indian Civilizations: Origins to Mughuls 
     2. for East and Southeast Asian Concentrators:
        • HIST 059 CM - Civilizations of East Asia , or
        • HIST 061 CM - The New Asia: China, Japan, and Indonesia in the Modern Era 
   • Electives: five upper division courses selected from a list available from the Asian Studies faculty; at least two of these courses must be taken at The Claremont Colleges..
2. Foreign Language Study: two years of Asian language study (college level; one language).

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.

Please note the restrictions on honors in the major for students with a dual major under Honors in Asian Studies below. For further information on dual majors and the requirements for the other discipline of the dual major, please check the appropriate sections of this catalog.

Honors in Asian Studies

Students interested in receiving honors in Asian Studies must contact the faculty coordinator at the beginning of the senior year. To be eligible for honors, students must have a 10.50 average in the major, complete a two-semester, two-unit thesis project in Asian Studies (see Senior Thesis in Asian Studies above), and receive grades of “A-” (11.00) or better for the thesis courses.

Students with a dual major including Asian studies who wish to be considered for honors in Asian studies are eligible if they:

• Have completed all requirements for a full major in Asian studies and are granted honors, or
• Qualify and receive honors in both disciplines of their dual major. See Academic Honors at Graduation  for details.

Learning Goals

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

1. To increase the intellectual breadth and transferable abilities of our students, and
2. 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:

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