About

About

Mission Statement
The Asian Studies program serves as a base and resource for those engaged or interested in the study of Asian cultures, languages, or thought at UCCS. Through our research, teaching, and service, we aim to facilitate and expand comprehension and appreciation of Asian artistry, culture, geography, history, philosophy, and politics. As an intellectual community, we construe the concepts of “Asia” and “Asian diaspora” broadly and critically, opening the program to a wide variety of cultural perspectives while also emphasizing the need for awareness of the differences among the regions of the continent, as well as the roughly 4.5 billion people who live there.

Why minor in Asian Studies?

With our program, students can engage in a variety of ways with the world’s most populous and diverse continent through art, history, language, philosophy, religion, politics, geography, and culture to name just a few fields of study. Our interdisciplinary minor provides students with the opportunity to study a broad range of topics, and to cultivate a skillset and global awareness critical for 21st Century employment in government, internationally oriented business, journalism, law, and teaching among other careers.

Minor Requirements

At least 18 credit hours of coursework total, with a minimum of 9 credit hours of said course work being upper division (3000+ level). Students must complete at least one course in three of four areas of study: History/Geography of Asia, Philosophy/Religion of Asia, Asia in Modernity, and Languages of Asia. No more than 10 credit hours from a single department can count toward the minor. Students must earn at least a C grade in each course taken toward the minor. Courses taken pass/fail cannot count toward the minor. For completion of the minor, students will submit a portfolio of papers or projects from relevant courses to the director, as well as a reflection statement elaborating how their coursework has provided a broader understanding of Asian history, geography, and culture broadly construed.

Area 1: History/Geography of Asia

  • HIST 1120 - Asian History: The Indian Subcontinent
  • HIST 1130 - Asian History: China
  • HIST 1140 - Asian History: Japan
  • HIST 1600 - Making of the Modern Middle East, part 1
  • HIST 1610 - Making of the Modern Middle East, part 2
  • HIST/WEST 3680 - Islam and the West
  • HIST 4730 - Early China
  • HIST 4760 - Shoguns, Samurai and Seppuku

Area 2: Philosophies/Religions of Asia

  • AH 4470 - Art and Ritual of the South Pacific
  • PHIL 1300 - Introduction to Philosophies of Asia
  • PHIL 3100 - World Religions
  • PHIL 3490 - Philosophies of China
  • PHIL 3500 - Buddhist Philosophy
  • PHIL 3690 - Islamic Philosophy

Area 3: Asia in Modernity

  • AH 3450 - Art of Japan
  • AH 3460 - Islamic Arts
  • ENGL 2610 - Literature: The Global Perspective II
  • HIST 1135 - Contemporary China
  • HIST 3130 - Traditions and Transformations: China to 1800
  • HIST 3890 - History of Colonial India
  • HIST 3980 - The Vietnam War Through Film
  • HIST/WEST 4050 - From the Harem to the War Zone
  • HIST 4710 - Asian American History
  • HIST 4740 - Modern China
  • HIST 4750 - Modern Japan
  • HIST 4770 - Vietnam and the Global Sixties
  • HIST 3280 - Asian American Communities

Area 4: Languages of Asia

  • ARBC 1010 - Beginning Arabic I
  • ARBC 1020 - Beginning Arabic II
  • CHIN 1010 - Beginning Mandarin Chinese I
  • CHIN 1020 - Beginning Mandarin Chinese II
  • JPNS 1010 - Beginning Japanese I
  • JPNS 1020 - Beginning Japanese II
  • JPNS 2110 - Intermediate Japanese I
  • JPNS 2120 - Intermediate Japanese II
  • JPNS 3000 - Advanced Japanese I
  • JPNS 3010 - Advanced Japanese II
  • JPNS 3200 - Japanese Culture and Civilization
  • JPNS 3210 - Special Topics in Japanese

Current Course List (listed by area of study and alphabetically by department) *

Requirements (PDF)