Core Curriculum Requirements

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 dozens of  courses in seven core areas that can be used to fulfill core curriculum and major requirements simultaneously.

Major Requirements

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 39 credit hours of Asia-related courses. At least 18 credit hours must be in upper-division courses (may include language courses).

3. Students must complete one of the following courses:

  • HIST 1408 (Introduction to South Asian History – 3 credits)
  • HIND 1011 (Introduction to Indian Civilization - 3 credits)
  • FRSI 1011 (Introduction to Persian Civilization - 3 credits)
  • ARAB 1011 (Introduction to Arab and Islamic Civilizations - 3 credits)

4. Students must complete one of the following courses:

  • HIST 1608   Intro to Chinese History (Dept of History, 3 credits)
  • CHIN 1012  China Civ survey (ALC, 4 credits)
  • HIST 1708   Intro to Japanese History (Dept of History, 3 credits)
  • JPNS 1012  Japan Civ survey (ALC, 4 credits)

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

  • HIST 1308  Introduction to Middle Eastern History
  • HIST 1408  Introduction to South Asian History
  • HIST 1608  Introduction to Chinese History
  • HIST 1708  Introduction to Japanese History
  • HIST 2166  The Vietnam Wars
  • HIST 2629  China in World History
  • HIST 3328  Seminar in Middle Eastern History
  • HIST 3628  Seminar in Recent Chinese History
  • HIST 3718  Seminar in Japanese History
  • HIST 4109  WWII in Asia and the Pacific
  • HIST 4166  The War in Vietnam and Its Legacy
  • HIST 4328  The Modern Middle East, 1600 to the Present
  • HIST 4349   Decolonization of the British Empire
  • 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   Modern Indian Intellectual History
  • HIST 4618   Traditional China
  • HIST 4619   Women in Asian History
  • HIST 4628   Modern China
  • HIST 4638   Contemporary China
  • HIST 4648   History of Modern Chinese Intellectual Thought
  • HIST 4658   China and Islam from the 7th Century to the 20th Century
  • HIST 4718   Ancient, Classical, Medieval Japanese History
  • HIST 4728   Modern Japanese History
  • HIST 4738   History of Early Modern Japan (1590 - 1868)
  • 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 three years offered)
  • Chinese (sequence of four years offered)
  • Hindi (sequence of three years offered)
  • Farsi (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

7. Complete at least one three-credit course each in the Social Sciences and in the Humanities. Social Science courses include the following (courses with specific approved sections are in bold):

  • ANTH 1100  Exploring a Non-Western Culture: The Tamils
  • ANTH 1105  Exploring a Non-Western Culture: Tibet
  • 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
  • ECON 4433 Economics of the Pacific Area
  • GEOG 3822 Geography of China
  • GEOG 4822 Environment and Development in China
  • JOUR 4871 Asian Media
  • PSCI 3072    Government and Politics in Southeast Asia
  • PSCI 3102    South Asian Politics
  • PSCI 4052    Chinese Politics
  • PSCI 4242    Middle Eastern Politics
  • PSCI 4312    Politics and Language
  • WMST 3220 Women in Islam
  • and other classes upon faculty advisor approval

8. Complete ASIA 4830 (Senior Thesis or Project in Asian Studies - 3 hours)

Studies an approved Asian topic, following guidelines established by the Asian Studies faculty advisor. To complete this requirement students are to undertake an independent study, working one-on-one under the guidance of a faculty member of their own choosing, and to present their work after it has been completed. It is up to each student to figure out which faculty member he or she would like to work with (in cooperation with the Asian Studies faculty advisor) and to get that faculty member's formal approval. After the student has gotten a faculty member's formal agreement to serve as advisor, the student is required to complete the Asian Studies Senior Thesis form located here. The student should keep one copy of the completed form, give one copy to the faculty member who will supervise the work, and give one copy to the Asian Studies faculty advisor. This process should be completed by no later than the end of the second to last semester of the student's college career. More information is available here.

9. Complete additional credit hours to accumulate the 39 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 (*courses with specific approved sections are in bold):

  • ANTH 1100  Exploring a Non-Western Culture: The Tamils
  • ANTH 1105  Exploring a Non-Western Culture: Tibet
  • 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
  • ARAB 1011  Introduction to Arab and Islamic Civilizations
  • ARAB 3230 Islamic Culture and the Iberian Peninsula
  • ARAB 3330  The Arabic Novel
  • ARTH 2409  Introduction to Asian Art
  • ARTH 3609 East Asian Ceramics
  • 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
  • ARTH 4499/5499 Arts of Vietnam in Context
  • ASIA 4300  Open Topics: Readings in Asian Literature
  • ASIA 4840  Independent Study
  • ASIA 4930 Engage Asia: Internship in Asian Studies
  • CHIN 1051  Masterpieces of Chinese Literature in Translation
  • CHIN 1061  Boudoirs, Books, Battlefields: Voices and Images of Chinese Women
  • CHIN 2441 Film and the Dynamics of Chinese Culture
  • CHIN 3200  Advanced Writing Topics on Chinese & 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 3341  Literature and Popular Culture in Modern 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 3441  Chinese Language and 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
  • EALC 4950    Internship
  • EDUC 4800   Global Education Methods: Asia
  • EMUS1467/3467/5467 Japanese or Gamelan Ensemble
  • FILM 2513     Major Asian Filmmakers
  • FILM 4023     Contemporary Asian Cinema
  • FRSI 1011      Introduction to Persian Civilization
  • GEOG 3822   Geography of China
  • GEOG 4822   Environment and Development in China
  • HIND1011      Introduction to South Asian Civilizations
  • HIND 2441    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     Subversive Indo-Pakistani Literature
  • HIND 3821    The Mahabharata as Literature, Performance, Ideology
  • HIND 3831   The Many Faces of Krishna in South Asia Literature and Culture
  • JOUR 4871    Asian Media
  • JPNS 1051    Masterpieces of Japanese Literature in Translation
  • JPNS 2441    Film and Japanese Culture
  • JPNS 3200  Advanced Writing Topics on Chinese & Japanese Literature and Civilization
  • JPNS 3331    Business Japanese
  • 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 2441  Film and Korean Culture
  • KREN 3441  Religion and Culture in Korea
  • KREN 3841  Modern Korean Literature in Translation
  • KREN 4900  Independent Study
  • MUEL 2772   World Musics – Asia
  • MUSC 4152  East Asian Music
  • PSCI 3072    Government and Politics in Southeast Asia
  • PSCI 3102    South Asian Politics
  • PSCI 4052    Chinese Politics
  • PSCI 4242    Middle Eastern Politics
  • PSCI 4312    Politics and Language
  • RLST 2600   Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
  • RLST 2610   Religions of South Asia
  • RLST 2620   Religions of East Asia
  • RLST 3200   Hinduism
  • RLST 3300   Foundations of Buddhism
  • RLST 3400   Japanese Religions
  • RLST 3600   Islam
  • RLST 3800   Chinese Religions
  • RLST 3820   Special Topics: Religion in Modern China
  • RLST 4200   Topics in Hinduism
  • RLST 4250   Topics in Buddhism
  • RLST 4650   Islam and the Modern World
  • RLST 4750   Daoism
  • WMST 3220  Women in Islam
  • and courses (including some study abroad 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.

For More Information

Please contact Faculty Advisor Colleen Berry colleen.berry@colorado.edu

or Undergraduate Advisor Christine Luft christine.luft@colorado.edu

To change your major to Asian Studies, go to http://advising.colorado.edu.