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The study of Asia continues to be relevant and important in this global age. Its influences on the Western world can be seen in economics, politics, music, the arts, entertainment, and religion.

The Asian Studies major at CU-Boulder encompasses a diverse interdisciplinary study of Asia and gives students an opportunity to discover Asia through a wide variety of courses that reflect the astonishing diversity of the region. Many students choose Asian Studies as a second major to complement the study of such subjects as history, international affairs, and geography. As part of your Asian Studies major requirements, you will receive a thorough grounding in the history of Asia and you will study an Asian language: Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Farsi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Sanskrit, or Tibetan. All majors will complete their Asian Studies degree with the Senior Thesis in Asian Studies, an exploration of broad comparative issues that relate to the region of Asia as a whole.

Upon completion of this course of study, you will have a highly individualized but broad familiarity with the region that will allow you to better understand its history and culture as well as its current dynamics.

A degree in Asian Studies provides a broad base of knowledge that can be applied to any number of possible fields, including business, commerce, journalism, politics, publishing, the social sciences, and teaching at all levels. Some students go on to do postgraduate work in business or law, or continue in Asian Studies. As a second major, Asian Studies can open up new job possibilities at home and abroad for prospective engineers, health professionals, teachers, and writers of all types.

Many employers in this increasingly interconnected world seek job applicants with an international perspective. As an Asian Studies major, you will gain unique insight into a region of the world that is increasingly important in world politics, business, and the arts. Your specialized knowledge of Asia will give you an edge in the job market. In addition, an area specialty is an excellent way to lay the groundwork for life-long study of a region, whether as a career or a hobby.

Career Services offers a number of programs and services designed to help you plan your career, including workshops, internships, and placement services after graduation. For an appointment with a career counselor or more information, call (303) 492-6541, stop by Willard Administrative Center 34, or visit www.colorado.edu/careerservices.

The University of Colorado at Boulder catalog provides detailed information on courses offered within the College of Arts & Sciences. For more detailed descriptions of courses offered through Asian Studies, see the department's list of Undergraduate Courses.

Asian Studies majors have access to a wide spectrum of facilities and programs across campus and around the world. The Center for Asian Studies (CAS) organizes Asia-related events on campus and provides several scholarship opportunities for undergraduates studying Asia. The Program for Teaching East Asia (TEA) sponsors innovative workshops for teachers of East Asia. Asian Studies students have access to state-of-the-art language instruction technology at the Anderson Language Technology Center (ALTEC) and access to the East Asian Library, located in Norlin Library, the largest collection of East Asian materials in the Rocky Mountain region. In addition, there are approximately 80 faculty members on the CU-Boulder campus who either specialize in or have research interests in Asia.

One of the most enriching experiences available to any student is studying abroad. The University offers more than 180 programs throughout the world, including 29 in various locations throughout Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Mongolia, Nepal, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. All Asian Studies students are strongly encouraged to study abroad; living a language and culture is the best way to learn about them. You can earn credit that counts as if you had taken courses on the Boulder campus, in some cases fulfilling major and core curriculum requirements. You may spend a few weeks to a full academic year abroad, depending on the program you select.

Prior language study or other prerequisites are necessary for some programs, so early planning for study abroad is essential. Further information about study abroad is available from the Office of International Education (OIE), (303) 492-7741 or http://studyabroad.colorado.edu.

If you graduated from high school in 1988 or later, you are required to meet certain minimum academic preparation standards (MAPS). If you are admitted to CU-Boulder with MAPS deficiencies, you are required to complete at least one MAPS course each term.

The College of Arts and Sciences has adopted the entrance standards listed below. One unit equals one year of high school study or one semester of college coursework.

Natural science - 3 units (including 2 in laboratory science, one of which must be in chemistry or physics)

Social science - 3 units (including one in U.S. or world history and one in geography. If you have U.S. history, you may use 1/2 year of world history and 1/2 year of geography in place of one year of geography.)

Foreign language - 3 units (all must be in the same language and the last year must be level III.)

In addition to the requirements you must fulfill for your major, the College of Arts and Sciences requires you to complete approximately 46 semester hours of credit in the core curriculum. Credits in the major may also apply toward these core hours.

The core curriculum is designed to provide you with a broad education. Courses in the core are distributed through four skills acquisition areas and seven content areas of study. The interdisciplinary Asian Studies program offers over 20 courses in seven core areas that can be used to fulfill core curriculum and major requirements simultaneously.

In addition to the college core curriculum, as an Asian Studies major you must complete the following requirements:

1. Maintain an overall and Asian Studies grade point average of at least a 2.00 (C) and complete all Asian Studies courses with a C- or better.

2. Complete a minimum of 40 credit hours of Asia-related courses. At least 18 credit hours must be in upper-division courses.

3. Complete ASIA 1000 (Introduction to South and Southeast Asian Studies - 3 credits) or HIST 1408 (Introduction to South Asian History – 3 credits).

4. Complete EALC 1011 (Introduction to Traditional East Asian Civilizations - 4 credits) or EALC 1021 (East Asian Civilizations: Modern Period - 4 credits).

5. Complete two courses in Asian history (6 credits). Choose from the following 3-credit-hour courses:

HIST 1408 Introduction to South Asian History,
HIST 1608 Introduction to Chinese,
HIST 1708 Introduction to Japanese History,
HIST 2166 The Vietnam Wars,
HIST 3628 Seminar in Recent Chinese History,
HIST 3718 Seminar in Japanese History,
HIST 4538 History of Modern India,
HIST 4618 Traditional China,
HIST 4628 Modern China,
HIST 4638 Contemporary China,
HIST 4648 History of Modern Chinese Intellectual Thought,
HIST 4718 Ancient, Classical, Medieval Japanese History,
HIST 4728 Modern Japanese History,
other approved courses.

6. Complete three sequential semesters of a single Asian language (9-15 credits). Choose from the following Asian languages:

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

7. Complete at least one course each in the Social Sciences and in the Humanities.

9. Complete additional credit hours to accumulate the 40 credits needed for the major (remember that at least 18 credit hours must be in upper-division courses), selected from the following 3-credit-hour courses:

ANTH 1100 Exploring a Non-Western Culture: The Tamils,
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,
ARTH 2409 Introduction to Asian Art,
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,
ASIA 1000 South and Southeast Asian Civilizations,
ASIA 4300 Open Topics: Readings in Asian Literature,
ASIA 4840 Independent Study,
CHIN 1051 Masterpieces of Chinese Literature in Translation,
CHIN 1061 Voices and Images of Chinese Women,
CHIN 2441 Film and the Dynamics of Chinese Culture,
CHIN 3311 The Tao 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 Modern Chinese Literature in Translation,
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 3441 Language and Chinese Society,
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,
CHIN 4950 Honors Thesis,
EALC 1011 Introduction to Traditional East Asian Civilizations,
EALC 1021 Introduction to Modern East Asian Civilizations,
ECON 4433 Economics of the Pacific Area,
EMUS 1467/3467 Japanese or Gamelan Ensemble,
EMUS 2772 World Musics – Asia,
FILM 2513 Major Asian Filmmakers,
GEOG 3822 Geography of China,
GEOG 4822 Environment and Development in China,
HNDI 3811 Subversive Indo-Pakistani Literature,
JPNS 1051 Masterpieces of Japanese Literature in Translation,
JPNS 2441 Film and Japanese Culture,
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, 4320 Classical Japanese,
JPNS 4900 Independent Study,
JPNS 4950 Honors Thesis,
KREN 1011 Introduction to Korean Civilization,
KREN 3441 Korean Thought and Religion,
KREN 4900 Independent Study,
PSCI 3072 Government and Politics in Southeast Asia,
PSCI 4028 Special Topics: Politics of Contemporary Japan,
PSCI 4052 Political Systems of China, Japan, and Korea,
RLST 2610 World Religions: India,
RLST 2620 World Religions: China and Japan,
RLST 3200 Hinduism,
RLST 3250 Gandhi: Life and Teaching,
RLST 3300 Indian Buddhism,
RLST 3400 Japanese Religions,
RLST 3600 Islam,
RLST 3800 Chinese Religions,
RLST 4200 Topics in Hinduism,
RLST 4250 Topics in Buddhism,
RLST 4650 Islam and the Modern World,
RLST 4700 Confucianism,
RLST 4750 Daoism,
RLST 4760 Sufism,
and courses approved by the Asian Studies Faculty Advisor.

10. Any of the above courses beyond the specific course requirements of the major can be included in the elective hours required for the major.

Note: These requirements apply to degree programs undertaken beginning Spring Semester 2002. If you began your studies prior to that date and have questions on degree requirements, please contact the undergraduate advisor.