Asian Studies Minor
Faculty: Associate Professor Geisz (Philosophy and Religion), Co-Coordinator; Associate Professor Littell-Lamb (History), Co-Coordinator; Assistant Professor Coleman (Government and World Affairs).
The minor in Asian studies focuses on the history, culture and politics of East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. It provides students with an understanding of the interdisciplinary field of Asian studies. Students take 24 credit hours of courses from lists of eligible electives. The minor helps prepare students for careers in business, government and nonprofit/nongovernmental organizations, and it is designed to enhance the marketability of those applying to law schools, MBA programs and graduate programs in various disciplines.
Requirements for a minor in Asian studies:
Students must complete 24 credit hours, distributed as follows from lists A through E.
Degree Requirements
A. Asian history foundation requirement (at least 4 credit hours):
Students must take one or more of the following courses:
B. Asian philosophy/religion foundation requirement (at least 4 credit hours):
Students must take one or more of the following courses:
PHL 330: may be taken and counted toward the minor more than once, if topic varies
C. Asian language requirement (8 or more credit hours):
Students must either (1) successfully complete at least 8 credit hours of the following courses; (2) demonstrate proficiency in an approved Asian language by attaining the “novice advanced” level on the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) administered by the American Council of Teaching Foreign Languages (ACTFL); or (3) receive an official waiver for this requirement by being determined to be a native speaker of an approved Asian language by the chair of the Department of Languages and Linguistics.
(Students who take options 2 or 3 must take the 8 or more credit hours they would otherwise have taken to meet the Asian language requirement by taking additional courses from lists A, B or D.)
D. Asia-focused electives:
Students may count up to 8 credit hours of coursework from the following list toward the 24 credit hours required for the Asian studies minor. (Those students who complete the Asian language requirement by demonstrating proficiency via an OPI interview or by receiving an official “native speaker” waiver may count up to 16 credit hours from the following list.)
LAN 100: only if the language/culture is Chinese, Japanese or some other language/culture of East Asia, Southeast Asia or the Indian Subcontinent
LAN 105: only if the language/culture is Chinese, Japanese or some other language/culture of East Asia, Southeast Asia or the Indian Subcontinent
E. Asia-in-comparison electives (up to 4 credit hours):
Students may count up to 4 credit hours of coursework from the following list of eligible electives toward the minor:
| COM 261 | World Cinema | 4 |
| COM 401 | Intercultural Communication | 4 |
| COM 443 | Communication and Cultural Studies | 4 |
| ENG 312 | Contemporary World Literature | 4 |
| ENG 337 | Multiethnic U.S. Literature and Film | 4 |
| HIS 102 | World History to 1500 | 4 |
| HIS 103 | World History from 1500 to the Present | 4 |
Total Credit Hours: 24