Asian Studies

The Center for Asian Studies offers a broad interdisciplinary undergraduate major in Asian studies. In addition, a number of departments offer graduate training with an emphasis on Asia.

Students planning to major in Asian studies may participate in study abroad programs with prior approval from the Asian Studies Program and the Office of International Education.

For additional information on the major program, contact Tim Weston at 303-735-5122.

Course code for this program is ASIA. 

Bachelor's Degree Program(s)

Bachelor’s Degree in Asian Studies

Students must complete the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences and the required courses listed below: 42 credits minimum, 18 of which must be upper division (A&S minimum).

Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours

Asian Language

4 semesters of a single Asian language (12 to 20 credits)

  • Arabic (sequence of three years offered)
  • Chinese (sequence of four years offered)
  • Hindi (sequence of three years offered)
  • Farsi (sequence of three years offered)
  • Japanese (sequence of four years offered)
  • Korean (sequence of three years offered)
  • Sanskrit and Tibetan are also available through Continuing Education

Traditional Asian Civilizations

Students take any two of the following introductory courses, focusing on two different civilizations (6 credits minimum, lower division).

East Asian Civilization

  • CHIN 1012 Introduction to Chinese Civilization (3-4 credits)
  • HIST 1608 Introduction to Chinese History
  • HIST 1708 Introduction to Japanese History
  • JPNS 1012 Introduction to Japanese Civilization (3-4 credits)
  • KREN 1011 Introduction to Korean Civilization
  • RLST 2620 Religions of East Asia

South Asian Civilization

  • HIND 1011 Introduction to South Asian Civilization
  • HIST 1408 Introduction to South Asian History
  • RLST 2610 Religions of South Asia

West Asia Civilization

  • ARAB 1011 Introduction to Arab and Islamic Civilizations
  • FRSI 1011 Introduction to Persian Civilization
  • HIST 1308 Introduction to Middle Eastern History

Modern Asian Civilizations

Students take one course (3 credits, lower division or upper division).

ANTH (all modern Asian anthropology courses)

  • ANTH 1100 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: The Tamils
  • ANTH 1105 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: Tibet
  • ANTH 1110 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: Japan
  • ANTH 4180 Theory in Cultural Anthropology: Nepal and the Himalayas
  • ANTH 4690 Anthropology of Tibet
  • ANTH 4750 Culture and Society in South Asia
  • ANTH 4760 Ethnography of Southeast Asia and Indonesia

HIST (all modern Asian history courses)

  • HIST 3628 Seminar in Recent Chinese History
  • HIST 4328 The Modern Middle East
  • HIST 4368 History and Society of Modern Arabia
  • HIST 4538 History of Modern India
  • HIST 4548 Women in Modern India
  • HIST 4558 Modern Indian Intellectual History
  • HIST 4628 Modern China
  • HIST 4638 Contemporary China
  • HIST 4648 History of Modern Chinese Intellectual Thought
  • HIST 4728 Modern Japanese History
  • HIST 4738 History of Early Modern Japan
  • HIST 4109 WWII in Asia and the Pacific
  • HIST 4329 Islam in the Modern World

PSCI (all modern Asian politics courses)

  • PSCI 3072 Government and Politics of Southeast Asia
  • PSCI 3102 South Asian Politics
  • PSCI 4052 Chinese Politics
  • PSCI 4242 Middle Eastern Politics
  • PSCI 4312 Politics and Language

GEOG (all modern Asian geography courses)

  • GEOG 3822 Geography of China
  • GEOG 4822 Environment and Development in China

RLST (all modern Asian religion courses)

  • RLST 3820 Religion in Modern China
  • RLST 4250 Special Topics: Transnational Buddhism

Plus all modern Asian literature and art courses

  • ARAB 3230 Islamic Culture and the Iberian Peninsula
  • ARAB 3330 The Arabic Novel
  • CHIN 1061 Boudoirs, Books, Battlefields: Voices and Images of Chinese Women
  • CHIN 2441 Film and the Dynamics of Chinese Culture
  • CHIN 3331 Culture and Literature of Late Imperial China
  • CHIN 3341 Literature and Popular Culture in Modern China
  • CHIN 3342 Literary Culture in Contemporary China
  • CHIN 3371 Topics in Chinese Film
  • FILM 2513 Major Asian Filmmakers
  • FILM 4023 Contemporary Asian Cinema
  • HIND 2441 Screening India: A History of Bollywood Cinema
  • HIND 3651 Living Indian Epics: The Ramayana and the Mahabharata in the Modern Political Imagination
  • HIND 3661 South Asian Diasporas: Imagining Home Abroad
  • HIND 3811 Subversive Indo-Pakistani Literature
  • JPNS 2441 Japanese Culture through Film and Animation
  • JPNS 3331 Business Japanese
  • JPNS 3831 The Floating World of Play and Passion: Early Modern Japanese Literature in Translation
  • JPNS 3841 Tradition and Transgression: Modern Japanese Literature in Translation
  • JPNS 5810 Modern Japanese Literature
  • JPNS 5820 Contemporary Japanese Literature
  • JPNS 5830 Readings in Modern and Contemporary Japanese Thought and Culture
  • KREN 2441 Film and Korean Culture
  • KREN 3841 Modern Korean Literature in Translation

Social Science

Students take one course (3 credits, lower division or upper division).

ANTH (all Asian anthropology courses)

  • ANTH 1100 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: The Tamils
  • ANTH 1105 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: Tibet
  • ANTH 1110 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: Japan
  • ANTH 4690 Anthropology of Tibet
  • ANTH 4750 Culture and Society in South Asia
  • ANTH 4760 Ethnography of Southeast Asia and Indonesia

PSCI (all Asian politics courses)

  • PSCI 3072 Government and Politics of Southeast Asia
  • PSCI 3102 South Asian Politics
  • PSCI 4052 Chinese Politics
  • PSCI 4242 Middle Eastern Politics
  • PSCI 4312 Politics and Language

GEOG (all Asian geography courses)

  • GEOG 3822 Geography of China
  • GEOG 4822 Environment and Development in China

WMST (all Asian women's studies courses)

  • WMST 3220 Women in Islam

Plus all other Asian social science courses

Electives

Students take at least three courses (9 credits, lower division or upper division).

  • ANTH 1100 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: The Tamils
  • ANTH 1105 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: Tibet
  • ANTH 1110 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: Japan
  • ANTH 4690 Anthropology of Tibet
  • ANTH 4750 Culture and Society in South Asia
  • ANTH 4760 Ethnography of Southeast Asia and Indonesia
  • ARAB 3230 Islamic Culture and the Iberian Peninsula
  • ARAB 3330 The Arabic Novel
  • ARAB 3340 Representing Islam
  • ARAB 4250 Arabic Media
  • ARTH 2409 Introduction to Asian Art
  • ARTH 3609 East Asian Ceramics
  • ARTH 3619 The Arts of China
  • ARTH 3629 The Arts of Japan
  • ARTH 4029 The Arts of Islam
  • ARTH 4449 Art of India and Southeast Asia
  • ARTH 4469 Chinese Painting
  • ARTH 4499 Arts of Vietnam in Context
  • ASIA 1000 South and Southeast Asian Civilizations
  • ASIA 4300 Open Topics: Readings in Asian Literature
  • ASIA 4840 Independent Study
  • ASIA 4930 Engage Asia: Internship in Asian Studies
  • CHIN 1051 Masterpieces of Chinese Literature in Translation
  • CHIN 1061 Boudoirs, Books, Battlefields: Voices and Images of Chinese Women
  • CHIN 2441 Film and the Dynamics of Chinese Culture
  • CHIN 3200 Advanced Writing Topics on Chinese and Japanese Literature and Civilization
  • CHIN 3311 The Dao and the World in Medieval China
  • CHIN 3321 Culture and Literature of Ancient China
  • CHIN 3331 Culture and Literature of Late Imperial China
  • CHIN 3341 Literature and Popular Culture in Modern China
  • CHIN 3342 Literary Culture in Contemporary China
  • CHIN 3351 Reality and Dream in Traditional Chinese Fiction
  • CHIN 3361 Women and the Supernatural in Chinese Literature
  • CHIN 3371 Topics in Chinese Film
  • CHIN 3451 Language and Gender in China
  • CHIN 4210 Introduction to Classical Chinese
  • CHIN 4220 Readings in Classical Chinese
  • CHIN 4300 Open Topics: Readings in Chinese Literature
  • CHIN 4750 Daoism
  • CHIN 4900 Independent Study
  • EDUC 4800 Global Education Methods: Asia
  • EMUS 1467 Japanese or Gamelan Ensemble
  • EMUS 3467 Japanese or Gamelan Ensemble
  • FILM 2513 Major Asian Filmmakers
  • FILM 4023 Contemporary Asian Cinema
  • GEOG 3822 Geography of China
  • GEOG 4822 Environment and Development in China
  • HIND1011 Introduction to South Asian Civilizations
  • HIND 2441 Screening India: A History of Bollywood Cinema
  • HIND 3651 Living Indian Epics: The Ramayana and the Mahabharata in the Modern Political Imagination
  • HIND 3661 South Asian Diasporas: Imagining Home Abroad
  • HIND 3811 The Power of the Word: Subversive and Censored 20th Century Indo-Pakistani Literature
  • HIND 3821 The Mahabharata as Literature, Performance, Ideology
  • HIND 3831 The Many Faces of Krishna in South Asia Literature and Culture
  • HIST 1308 Introduction to Middle Eastern History
  • HIST 1408 Introduction to South Asian History
  • HIST 1608 Introduction to Chinese History
  • HIST 1708 Introduction to Japanese History
  • HIST 2166 The Vietnam Wars
  • HIST 2629 China in World History
  • HIST 332 Seminar in Middle Eastern History
  • HIST 3628 Seminar in Recent Chinese History
  • HIST 3718 Seminar in Japanese History
  • HIST 4109 WWII in Asia and the Pacific
  • HIST 4166 The War in Vietnam and Its Legacy
  • HIST 4328 The Modern Middle East, 1600 to the Present
  • HIST 4349 Decolonization of the British Empire
  • HIST 4528 Islam in South and Southeast Asia (1000 to the Present)
  • HIST 4538 History of Modern India
  • HIST 4548 Women in Modern India
  • HIST 4558 Modern Indian Intellectual History
  • HIST 4618 Traditional China
  • HIST 4619 Women in Asian History
  • HIST 4628 Modern China
  • HIST 4638 Contemporary China
  • HIST 4648 History of Modern Chinese Intellectual Thought
  • HIST 4658 China and Islam from the 7th Century to the 20th Century
  • HIST 4718 Ancient, Classical, and Medieval Japanese History
  • HIST 4728 Modern Japanese History
  • HIST 4738 History of Early Modern Japan (1590-1868)
  • JOUR 4871 Asian Media
  • JPNS 1051 Masterpieces of Japanese Literature in Translation
  • JPNS 2441 Film and Japanese Culture
  • JPNS 3200 Advanced Writing Topics on Chinese and Japanese Literature and Civilization
  • JPNS 3331 Business Japanese
  • JPNS 3441 Language and Japanese Society
  • JPNS 3811 Classical Japanese Literature in Translation
  • JPNS 3821 Medieval Japanese Literature in Translation
  • JPNS 3831 Early Modern Japanese Literature in Translation
  • JPNS 3841 Modern Japanese Literature in Translation
  • JPNS 4030 Japanese Syntax
  • JPNS 4070 Second Language Acquisition of Japanese
  • JPNS 4080 Kanji in Japanese Orthography
  • JPNS 4300 Readings in Japanese Literature
  • JPNS 4310 Classical Japanese
  • JPNS 4320 Classical Japanese
  • JPNS 4900 Independent Study
  • KREN 2441 Film and Korean Culture
  • KREN 3441 Religion and Culture in Korea
  • KREN 3841 Modern Korean Literature in English Translation
  • KREN 4900 Independent Study MUEL 2772 World Musics: Asia
  • MUSC 4152 East Asian Music
  • PSCI 3072 Government and Politics in Southeast Asia
  • PSCI 3102 South Asian Politics
  • PSCI 4028 Special Topics: Politics of Southeast Asia
  • PSCI 4052 Chinese Politics
  • PSCI 4312 Politics and Language
  • RLST 2600 Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
  • RLST 2610 Religions of South Asia
  • RLST 2620 Religions of East Asia
  • RLST 3200 Hinduism
  • RLST 3300 Foundations of Buddhism
  • RLST 3400 Japanese Religions
  • RLST 3600 Islam
  • RLST 3800 Chinese Religions
  • RLST 3820 Special Topics: Religion in Modern China
  • RLST 4200 Topics in Hinduism
  • RLST 4250 Topics in Buddhism
  • RLST 4650 Islam and the Modern World
  • RLST 4750 Daoism
  • WMST 3220 Women in Islam

and courses (including some study abroad courses) approved by the Asian studies faculty advisor.

Senior thesis or creative project: ASIA 4830 (3 credits, upper division)

Studies an approved Asian topic, following guidelines established by the Asian Studies faculty advisor. To complete this requirement students are to undertake an independent study, working one-on-one under the guidance of a faculty member of their own choosing, and to present their work after it has been completed. It is up to each student to figure out which faculty member he or she would like to work with (in cooperation with the Asian Studies faculty advisor) and to get that faculty member's formal approval. More information is available on the “Academics” tab of the Center for Asian Studies website: http://cas.colorado.edu.