Asian Studies

The Center for Asian Studies offers a broad interdisciplinary undergraduate major and minor in Asian Studies as a well as a Graduate Certificate in Asian Studies. In addition, a number of departments offer graduate training with an emphasis on Asia such as the Leeds School of business which offers the Global Business Certificate: Asian Studies Tracks.

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, see the Bachelor's Degree in Asian Studies below or contact Colleen Berry at colleen.berry@colorado.edu or 303-735-5224.

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 (College of Arts and Sciences 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)
Farsi (sequence of four years offered)
Hindi (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 (East Asia, South Asia, West Asia); 6 credits minimum, lower division.

East Asian Civilization

CHIN 1012 Introduction to Chinese Civilization (3-4 credits)
HIST 1618 Introduction to Chinese History to 1644
HIST 1708 Introduction to Japanese History
JPNS 1012 Introduction to Japanese Civilization (3-4 credits)
HIST 1438 Introduction to Korean History
KREN 1011 Introduction to Korean Civilization
RLST 2620 Religions of East Asia

South Asian Civilization

HIND 1011 Introduction to South Asian Civilization
HIST 1518 Introduction to South Asian History to 1757
RLST 2610 Religions of South Asia

West Asian Civilization

ANTH 1135 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: Mesopotamia 2nd Millennium BC
ARAB 1011 Introduction to Arab and Islamic Civilizations
ARAD 2231 The World of Classical Arabic Literature
FRSI 1011 Introduction to Persian Civilization
HIST 1308 Introduction to Middle Eastern History
RLST 2202 Foundations of Islamic Traditions

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 1135 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: Japan
ANTH 1135 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: Papua New Guinea
ANTH 4020 Explorations in Anthropology: Global Islams
ANTH 4180 Theory in Cultural Anthropology: Nepal and the Himalayas
ANTH 4505 Globalization and Transnational Culture
ANTH 4690 Anthropology of Tibet
ANTH 4750 Culture and Society in South Asia
ANTH 4760 Ethnography of Southeast Asia and Indonesia

ARTH

ARTH 4919 Capstone Seminar: Contemporary Asian Art
ARTH 4919 Capstone Seminar: China!
ARTH 4919 Capstone Seminar: Contemporary Art in the Middle East
ARTH 4919 Capstone Seminar: Contemporary Art of the Himalayas

ECON

ECON 4534 Chinese Economic History in Comparative Perspective

ENGL

ENGL 4018 Global, Transnational and Postcolonial Approaches to Post-1900 Literature: Israel/Palestine
ENGL 4287 Special Topics in LGBT, Mulitcultural and Postcolonial Literature: Post-Orientalism

GEOG (all modern Asian geography courses)

GEOG 3822 Geography of China
GEOG 3832 Geographies of South Asia
GEOG 4762 Geographies of Political Islam
GEOG 4822 Environment and Development in China
GEOG 4832 Geography of Tibet

HIST (all modern Asian history courses)

HIST 1528 Introduction to South Asian History since 1757
HIST 1628 Introduction to Chinese History since 1664
HIST 2110 History of Early Modern Societies: Early Modern China 960-1842
HIST 2166 The Vietnam Wars
HIST 3628 Seminar in Recent Chinese History
HIST 4020 Capstone: Comparative History - British Empire India 1760-1947
HIST 4020 Capstone: Comparative History - Modernity in China and Japan
HIST 4109 WWII in Asia and the Pacific
HIST 4166 The Vietnam War in Politics and Culture
HIST 4328 The Modern Middle East, 1600 to the Present
HIST 4329 Islam in the Modern World
HIST 4338 History of Modern Israel/Palestine
HIST 4538 History of Modern India
HIST 4548 Women in Modern India
HIST 4558 Modern Indian Intellectual History
HIST 4618 Early Modern China 960-1842
HIST 4628 Modern China: Collapse of Imperial Brilliance 1644-1949
HIST 4638 Contemporary China: Radicalism and Reform, 1944 to Present
HIST 4648 Inventing Chinese Modernity, 1800-Present
HIST 4658 China and Islam from the 7th Century to the 20th Century
HIST 4688 Window on Modern China
HIST 4728 Modern Japanese History
HIST 4738 History of Early Modern Japan
HIST 4758 History of Postwar Japan, 1945 to Present
HIST 4109 WWII in Asia and the Pacific
HIST 4329 Islam in the Modern World

HUMN

HUMN 3341 Literature and Popular Culture in Modern China
HUMN 3841 Tradition and Transgression: Modern Japanese Literature in Translation

IAFS

IAFS 4500 The Post-Cold War World: Contemporary China - International Views
IAFS 4500 The Post-Cold War World: Cultural Revolution - China 1966-79
IAFS 4500 The Post-Cold War World: China in the Global Economy
IAFS 4500 The Post-Cold War World: Afghanistan and Iraq
IAFS 4500 The Post-Cold War World: South Asia-Conflict/Resolution

JWST

JWST 4338 History of Modern Israel/Palestine

JOUR

JOUR 4211 East Asian Media and Culture

PSCI (all modern Asian politics courses)

PSCI 3072 Government and Politics of Southeast Asia
PSCI 3102 South Asian Politics
PSCI 4022 Chinese Foreign Policy
PSCI 4052 Chinese Politics
PSCI 4242 Middle Eastern Politics
PSCI 4312 Politics and Language

RLST (all modern Asian religion courses)

RLST 3820 Topics in Religious Studies: Religion in Modern China
RLST 4250 Topics in Buddhism
RLST 4650 Islam and the Modern World

WMST (all Asian Women's Studies courses)

WMST 3220 Women in Islam
WMST 3410 Gender, Sexuality and Culture in the Modern Middle East

Plus all modern Asian literature courses

ARAB 3230 Islamic Culture and the Iberian Peninsula
ARAB 3330 The Arabic Novel
ARAB 3350 Narrating the City: Literary Mappings of the Urban Landscape
ARAB 3410 Gender, Sexuality and Culture in the Modern Middle East
ARAB 4250 Arabic Media
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 3441 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
JPNS 2441 Japanese Culture through Film and Animation
JPNS 3331 Business Japanese
JPNS 3441 Language and Japanese Society
JPNS 3511 From Rebellion to Calamity: Contemporary Japanese Literature in Translation
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 3851 Studies in Japanese Popular Culture
JPNS 4050 Japanese Sociolinguistics: Japanese Language and Society
JPNS 4210 Contemporary Japanese 1: Current Issues
JPNS 4220 Contemporary Japanese 2: Current Issues
KREN 2441 Film and Korean Culture
KREN 3841 Modern Korean Literature in English Translation

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 1135 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: Japan
ANTH 1135 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: Mesopotamia—2nd Millennium BC
ANTH 1135 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: Papua New Guinea
ANTH 4020 Explorations in Anthropology: Ethnography of Southeast Asia
ANTH 4020 Explorations in Anthropology: Global Cultures—Islam
ANTH 4050 Anthropology of Jews and Judaism/Cultures of Israel and Palestine
ANTH 4180 Anthropological Perspectives: Contemporary Issues/Theory in Cultural Anthropology—Nepal and the Himalayas
ANTH 4430 Biblical Archaeology
ANTH 4505 Globalization and Transnational Culture
ANTH 4690 Anthropology of Tibet
ANTH 4750 Culture and Society in South Asia
ANTH 4760 Ethnography of Southeast Asia and Indonesia
ARAB 1011 Introduction to Arab and Islamic Civilizations
ARAB 2231 The World of Classical Arab Literature
ARAB 3230 Islamic Culture and the Iberian Peninsula
ARAB 3231 In the Footsteps of Travelers: Travel Writing in Arabic Language
ARAB 3330 The Arabic Novel
ARAB 3340 Representing Islam
ARAB 3350 Narrating the City: Literary Mappings of the Urban Landscape
ARAB 3410 Gender, Sexuality and Culture in the Modern Middle East
ARAB 4200 Advanced Readings in Arabic
ARAB 4250 Arabic Media
ARAB 4840 Independent Study
ARTH 2409 Introduction to Asian Art
ARTH 3619 The Arts of China
ARTH 3629 The Arts of Japan
ARTH 3929 Special Topics in Art History: Asian Art—Gods, Kings and Power
ARTH 3929 Special Topics in Art History: Art in Asian Religions
ARTH 4169 Topics in Ancient and Classical Art and Archaeology: Persian Empire
ARTH 4269 Art and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East
ARTH 4919 Capstone Seminar: Topics in Art History—Contemporary Asian Art
ARTH 4919 Capstone Seminar: Topics in Art History—China!
ARTH 4919 Capstone Seminar: Topics in Art History—Contemporary Art in the Middle East
ARTH 4919 Capstone Seminar: Topics in Art History—Contemporary Art of the Himalayas
ARTH 4929 Special Topics in Art History—Art of Buddhism
ARTH 4929 Special Topics in Art History—Art of the Himalayas/Tibet
ARTH 4929 Special Topics in Art History—Politics/Propaganda Asian Art
ASIA 4300 Open Topics in Asian Literature and Culture
ASIA 4840 Independent Study
ASIA 4930 Engage Asia: Internship in Asian Studies
CHIN 1051 Masterpieces of Chinese Literature in Translation
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 3334 Chinese Narrative Tradition
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 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
CHIN 4980 Practicle Issues in Chinese Pedagogy
EDUC 4800 Special Topics: Asia
EMUS 1467 World Music Ensemble Japanese
EMUS 1467 World Music Ensemble Gamelan
EMUS 3467 World Music Ensemble Japanese
EMUS 3467 World Music Ensemble Gamelan
ENGL 4018 Global, Transnational and Postcolonial Approaches to Post-1900 Literature: Israel/Palestine
ENGL 4287 Special Topics in LGBT, Multicultural and Postcolonial Literature: Post-Orientalism
FRSI 1011 Introduction to Persian Civilization
FILM 2513 Major Asian Filmmakers
FILM 4023 Contemporary Asian Cinema
GEOG 3822 Geography of China
GEOG 3832 Geographies of South Asia
GEOG 4232 Geography of Tibet
GEOG 4762 Geographies of Political Islam
GEOG 4822 Environment and Development in China
HIND 1011 Introduction to South Asian Civilizations
HIND 3400 Special Topics
HIND 3441 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 3831 The Many Faces of Krishna in South Asia Literature and Culture
HIND 3851 Devotional Literature in South Asia
HIST 1308 Introduction to Middle Eastern History
HIST 1438 Introduction to Korean History
HIST 1518 Introduction to South Asian History to 1757
HIST 1528 Introduction to South Asian History since 1757
HIST 1618 Introduction to Chinese History to 1644
HIST 1628 Introduction to Chinese History since 1644
HIST 1708 Introduction to Japanese History
HIST 1800 introduction to Global History: Maritime Asia 1500-1800
HIST 1818 Introduciton to Jewish History: Bible to 1492
HIST 2110 History of Early Modern Societies: Early Modern China 960-1842
HIST 2166 The Vietnam Wars
HIST 2220 History of War and Society: Warfare and Culture in South Asia
HIST 2220 History of War and Society: Militarism in Japense History
HIST 2220 History of War and Society: Korea through Wars
HIST 2629 China in World History
HIST 3109 Seminar in Asian History
HIST 3328 Seminar in Middle Eastern History
HIST 3628 Seminar in Recent Chinese History
HIST 3718 Seminar in Japanese History
HIST 4020 Capstone: Comparative History—British Empire India 1760-1947
HIST 4020 Capstone: Comparative History—Modernity in China and Japan
HIST 4109 WWII in Asia and the Pacific
HIST 4166 The Vietnam War in Politics and Culture
HIST 4328 The Modern Middle East, 1600 to the Present
HIST 4329 Islam in the Modern World: Revivalism, Modernism and Fundamentalism 1800-2001
HIST 4338 History of Modern Israel/Palestine
HIST 4339 Borderlands of the British Empire
HIST 4348 Topics in Jewish History: Jews under Islam
HIST 4348 Topics in Jewish History: Tel Aviv—Urban History and Culture
HIST 4349 Decolonization of the British Empire
HIST 4378 History of Modern Jewish Muslim Relations
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 Buddha to Ghandi: A History of Indian Nonviolence
HIST 4618 Early Modern China 960-1842
HIST 4619 Women in East Asian History
HIST 4628 Modern China
HIST 4638 Contemporary China
HIST 4648 Inventing Chinese Modernity, 1800 to Present
HIST 4658 China and Islam from the 7th Century to the 20th Century
HIST 4688 Window on Modern China
HIST 4718 Ancient, Classical and Medieval Japanese History
HIST 4728 Modern Japanese History
HIST 4738 History of Early Modern Japan (1590-1868)
HIST 4758 History of Postwar Japan, 1945 to Present
HIST 4808 Special Topics in World Areas History: Chinese and Japanese Modernity
HUMN 3093 Topics in Humanities: Representing Islam
HUMN 3093 Topics in Humanities: The Arabic Novel
HUMN 3093 Topics in Humanities: Narrating the City
HUMN 3321 Culture and Literature of Ancient China
HUMN 3341 Literature and Popular Culture in Modern China
HUMN 3811 Classical Japanese Literature in Translation
HUMN 3841 Modern Japanese Literature in Translation
HUMN 4100 Writing the World in Traditional China
IAFS 3000 Special Topics in International Affairs: Political Economy/Middle East
IAFS 3000 Special Topics in International Affairs: Turkey—Mediator/Arab Spring
IAFS 3000 Special Topics in International Affairs: Gender, Geopolitics and Islam
IAFS 3300 Economy, Politics and Society in the Middle East
IAFS 3520 Israel
IAFS 3650 History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict
IAFS 4500 The Post-Cold War World: Contemporary China/International Views
IAFS 4500 The Post-Cold War World: Cultural Revolution/China 1966-79
IAFS 4500 The Post-Cold War World: China in the Global Economy
IAFS 4500 The Post-Cold War World: Afghanistan and Iraq
IAFS 4500 The Post-Cold War World: South Asia/Conflict/Resolution
INBU 3300 International Business and Managment
INBU 3301 Doing Business in China
INBU 4151 International Operations in Hong Kong
INBU 4200 International Financial Management
JPNS 1012 Introduction to Japanese Civilization
JPNS 1051 Masterpieces of Japanese Literature in Translation
JPNS 2441 Film and Japanese Culture
JPNS 2811 Heroes and the Supernatural: Word and Image in Old Japan
JPNS 3200 Advanced Writing Topics on Chinese and Japanese Literature and Civilization
JPNS 3331 Business Japanese
JPNS 3441 Language and Japanese Society
JPNS 3551 From Rebellion to Calamity: Contemporary Japanese Literature in Translation
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 3851 Studies in Popular Japanese Culture
JPNS 3861 Imagining the Samurai in Japanese Literature and Culture
JPNS 3871 Horror and the Macabre in Japanese Literature, Film and Culture
JPNS 3881 Environment, Nature and Disaster in Japanese Literature and Culture
JPNS 3891 Travel/Travel Writing in Japanese Literature and Culture
JPNS 4050 Japanese Sociolinguistics: Japanese Language and Society
JPNS 4070 Second Language Acquisition of Japanese
JPNS 4080 Kanji in Japanese Orthography
JPNS 4150 Japanese to English Translation: Theory and Practice
JPNS 4210 Contemporary Japanese 1: Current Issues
JPNS 4220 Contemporary Japanese 2: Current Issues
JPNS 4300 Readings in Japanese Literature
JPNS 4310 Classical Japanese
JPNS 4320 Classical Japanese
JPNS 4400 Critical Theory and Japanese Language and Culture
JPNS 4900 Independent Study
JPNS 4980 Practicle Issues in Japanese Language Pedagogy
KREN 1011 Introduction to Korean Civilization
KREN 2441 Film and Korean Culture
KREN 3841 Modern Korean Literature in English Translation
KREN 4900 Independent Study
MDST 4211 Asian Media Culture
MDST 4341 International Media and Global Crises
MUEL 2772 World Musics: Asia and Oceania
MUSC 2772 World Musics: Asia and Oceania
MUSC 4152 East Asian Music
PHIL 1600 Philosophy and Religion
PHIL 3800 Open Topics in Philosophy: Buddhism as Philosophy
PSCI 3072 Government and Politics in Southeast Asia
PSCI 3102 South Asian Politics
PSCI 4022 Chinese Foreign Policy
PSCI 4028 Special Topics: Politics of Southeast Asia
PSCI 4028 Special Topics: Middle East Politics
PSCI 4052 Chinese Politics
PSCI 4242 Middle Eastern Politics
PSCI 4312 Politics and Language
RLST 2202 Foundations of Islamic Traditions
RLST 2600 Judaism, Christianity and Islam
RLST 2610 Religions of South Asia
RLST 2612 Yoga: Ancient and Modern
RLST 2620 Religions of East Asia
RLST 3100 Judaism
RLST 3200 Hinduism
RLST 3300 Foundations of Buddhism
RLST 3400 Japanese Religions
RLST 3530 Jews and Muslims: The Multiethnic History of Istanbul
RLST 3600 Islam
RLST 3800 Chinese Religions
RLST 3820 Topics in Religious Studies: Religion in Modern China
RLST 3820 Topics in Religious Studies: Buddhist Art and Ritual
RLST 3820 Topics in Religious Studies: Buddhist Literature in Tibet
RLST 3820 Topics in Religious Studies: Islam, Politics and Militancy
RLST 3820 Topics in Religious Studies: The Story of the Quran
RLST 3820 Topics in Religious Studies: Art in Asian Religions
RLST 4200 Topics in Hinduism
RLST 4250 Topics in Buddhism: Buddhist Literature in Tibet
RLST 4250 Topics in Buddhism: Transnational Buddhism
RLST 4250 Topics in Buddhism: Buddhist Ethics
RLST 4250 Topics in Buddhism: Buddhism and Society
RLST 4250 Topics in Buddhism: Buddhist Philosophy
RLST 4250 Topics in Buddhism: Buddhist Esotericism
RLST 4260 Topics in Judaism: Bible in Judaism/Christianity
RLST 4650 Islam and the Modern World
WMST 2600 Gender, Race and Class in a Global Context
WMST 3012 Women and Development
WMST 3220 Women in Islam
WMST 3410 Gender, Sexuality and Culture in the Modern Middle East
WMST 3500 Global Gender Issues
WMST 3730 Women in Buddhism
WMST 4619 Women in East Asian History

AND other courses (including some study abroad and special topics courses) approved by the Asian Studies faculty advisor.

Minor Program

To minor in Asian Studies, students must take 21 credits minimum, 12 of which must be upper-division (usually four three-credit courses). Students take Gateway to Asian Studies (ASIA 2000), two courses in Traditional Asian Civilizations (two different civilizations) and one in Modern Asia. The remaining credits are fulfilled through a variety of available electives, which can be selected from any non-language Asian Studies courses listed under the major. When these courses are completed, students take the Asian Studies Capstone. For more information on the minor, see http://www.colorado.edu/cas/academics/asian-studies-minor.

Certificate Program(s)

Graduate Certificate in Asian Studies

Program Requirements

12 hours (four courses, unless otherwise determined) of approved graduate courses
Specialization allowed in East Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia or West Asia/Middle East
Two courses in a single discipline or department
Two courses from outside of the discipline or department
Thematic courses that have at least 50% Asia content may also be counted, dependent on approval by the Certificate Director and Committee
Up to three credit hours may be taken a independent study on an Asia-related topic at the 5000 level or higher with approval from the Certificate Director
Nine credits must be at or above the 5000 level
Two years' college-level proiciency in an Asian language relevant to specialization (does not count toward the certificate credit hours)
All coursework must be completed with a B or higher

For more information on the Graduate Certificate, see www.colorado.edu/cas/academics/asian-studies-graduate-certificate.

Global Business Certificate: Asian Studies Track

This certificate entials courses focusing on global topics related to Management, Marketing and Finance plus additional requirements that build up on the students' understanding of the functional areas of business and provide them with an appreciation of the global environment. The certificate supplies students with a framework for developing the appropriate mindset to be effective in a global marketplace, with an emphasis in Asia.

For more information on this certificate, see http://www.colorado.edu/business/student-resources/global-initiatives/global-business-certificate.

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