Why Asian Studies?

Students in Asian studies learn the languages, histories, cultures, and societies of Asia and Asia America. Through both classroom learning, immersive experiences, and studying abroad, this interdisciplinary program prepares students with fundamental knowledge and skills to succeed in an increasingly global world.

Our students gain the following marketable proficiencies:

Disciplinary Breadth and Flexibility

Fundamentally multidisciplinary across the humanities and social sciences, students learn multiple ways of knowing the world and its peoples, expanding their range of analytical approaches and problem-solving methods. This emphasis on process encourages open thinking and hones adaptability.

Global Awareness and Critical Perspectives

By studying the economically dynamic and geopolitically important region that is Asia and the multifaceted formations and intricate issues of Asia America, students develop intelligently informed knowledge and critical perspectives to navigate complex international and domestic spheres.

Cross-cultural Communication and Understanding

Knowing another’s language, social expectations, and cultural cues opens doors, smooths relations, and builds mutual respect and trust in business and in leisure.

Empathic Instincts

Learning a foreign language and navigating a foreign culture is a humbling experience that tempers the ego. Students’ empathy is elevated, which is a critical attribute for overcoming biases and prejudices in interpersonal and international relations.

Resilience and Sustainability

Exploring beyond one’s homeland, one’s mother tongue, one’s ethnicity, and one’s comfort zone exercises curiosity, involves commitment, and requires risk-taking. Students become resilient individuals who develop healthy habits of thought and action for sustainable life-long learning.