The Classroom Experience

The interdisciplinary program in Asian Studies focuses on the study of the language and cultures of Asia. In addition to Asian languages (Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean), we list a wide variety of courses on Asia’s diverse histories and cultures, taught by our own faculty and colleagues from the departments of anthropology, art history, economics, history, international relations, politics, religion, and gender studies. If you are a first year student, we also offer helpful advice on selecting courses.

A 19th Century painting from a series of brush paintings by Qing Dynasty artist Sun Wen, depicting scenes from the novel Dream of the Red Chamber.
An opportunity to read closely and inquisitively Cao Xueqin’s eighteenth-century masterpiece—The Story of the Stone.
Androgyny and Gender Negotiation in Contemporary Chinese Women's Theatre (AS-215s)
Contemporary Chinese Women's Theatre: explore how the thriving of Yue Opera was a product of China’s social changes and the women’s movement.
Newspaper Reading and Journalistic Practices in China (AS-312-01)
Develop skills to read newspapers and watch news reports in Chinese and explore today’s pressing issues through Chinese/English mass media (AS-312-01).
Film Clap Board Graphic
Study advanced Chinese and China’s social life and customs through contemporary Chinese films produced by internationally acclaimed Chinese directors.
Japanese Paper Making (ARTST-269)
Offered every spring: the fragility, structural strength, and surprising longevity of the material become grounds for philosophical investigations.
After the failure of the Chinese republic, group of young writers, educated in both China and the West, headed toward a new direction in Chinese literature
Business Chinese (AS315)
Students will learn about the business environment of China, including business models of specific, influential Chinese companies and international firms.