Asian Studies University of Colorado at Boulder

Overview

Many students choose the Asian Studies program of the University of Colorado at Boulder as a second major that complements their study of such subjects as history, anthropology, international affairs, asian languages, geography, and even business and economics. As part of the asian studies major requirements, students will receive a thorough grounding in the history of Asia and will study an asian language: Arabic, Chinese, Hindi/Urdu, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Sanskrit or Tibetan. 

Majors are also encouraged to take advantage of the numerous study abroad experiences and international internship opportunities offered through the Center for Asian Studies and CU Boulder Education Abroad. 

All majors complete their asian studies degree with the Senior Capstone in Asian Studies, a cumulative learning experience that guides students in producing an original research paper or creative project that deepens their knowledge of the field and gives them a unique opportunity to explore an asian studies-related topic of their own interest. 

Optional Program Tracks

Students have several options when majoring in asian studies. One is the general asian studies Bachelor of Arts degree. Alternately, if a student wishes to choose a particular area of sub-regional emphasis that will appear on their transcript, they may decide in their coursework to follow one of four available tracks:

• Korea track
• South Asia track
• Southeast Asia track
• West Asia/Middle East track

Learning Outcomes 

With an undergraduate degree in Asian Studies, students will:

• Develop a rich understanding of Asia as a complex and diverse region of critical importance in historical and contemporary geopolitics.
• Learn from Asia through self-critical and respectful, curiosity-based intellectual inquiry (rather than treating it as an object of knowledge), thus gaining a broader, more nuanced understanding of the region and its communities in both the past and present.
• Comprehend the diverse challenges and opportunities facing various Asian countries today, as well as the complexities of the historical factors and events that contributed to these current dynamics.
• Acquire an interdisciplinary approach to a range key issues by learning how these would be viewed, studied and discussed differently by historians, sociologists, anthropologists, geographers, artists and others.
• Gain practical knowledge through hands-on, student-driven research projects, internships in Asia and in Boulder, and study abroad programs in Asia.
• Become skilled critical readers and thinkers, as well as better communicators with the skills to analyze and to communicate complex ideas in a clear, coherent manner.
• Have a basic level of familiarity with an Asian language.
• Grasp the pivotal importance Asia has to life in the U.S. in the 21st century.
• Appreciate the vast diversity within Asia and connections across countries and regions within Asia.
• Have the necessary skill sets and cultural competency to be able to work in Asia and in Asia-related careers such as media, journalism, technology, foreign service, the military, development and education.