Asian Studies
is an interdisciplinary major that covers the huge and diverse area
stretching
from Japan to the Mediterranean and from the Siberian tundra to the
Southeast and South Asian tropics.
The Asian studies major allows students to focus on a specific language,
to travel abroad for intensive language and cultural study, and to
delve deeply into Asian cultures using the tools of a number of disciplines.
Courses which count toward the Asian Studies major and minor may
be found in the departments of anthropology, art, economics, English,
geography, history, international relations, philosophy, politics,
religion, and gender studies.
This interdisciplinary approach demands that students become active
and intelligent partners in designing their majors by choosing
courses appropriate to their own skills and interests.
At the core of an Asian Studies major lies the study of the cultures
and languages of East Asia, the Middle East and South Asia. Mount
Holyoke currently offers instruction in Chinese, Japanese and Arabic.
Asian
Studies majors concentrate on the regions defined by those languages.
