The Minor in Asian Studies

For program coherence, candidates in the minor are encouraged to focus their course work in a theme (e.g., cultural and artistic traditions, economic development, history, language and literature, political systems, religions and philosophy, social systems) or in a geographic area (China, India, Japan, Korea, or Southeast Asia).

Students must select courses from at least three departments and take a minimum of 6 upper-division units. No more than 8 units may be taken from any one program.

Course Requirements for the Minor: 18-20 units

The following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, are required of all candidates for this minor.

2 courses required:

12-14 units selected from:

Note: No more than 8 units from any one department. 6 units must be upper division.

SUBJ NUM	Title	Sustainable	Units	Semester Offered	Course Flags
AAST 152	Introduction to the Asian American Experience		3.0	SP	GE  USD
This course is also offered as SOCI 152. This course examines the Asian experience in the U.S. over the last 150 year by focusing on the experiences of different Asian ethnic groups. The focus is on early arrival and settlement, and contemporary issues in Asian American communities, including immigration, racism, and Asian American identity. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. (000003)
ANTH 373	Pacific Cultures		3.0	INQ
Case studies of peoples of Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Analysis of origins of indigenous peoples and cultures. Discussion of traditional cultures in this ecologically diverse area. 3 hours lecture. (000524)
ARTH 103	Far Eastern Art Survey		3.0	FS	GC
Survey of the major visual arts of India, China, and Japan from the prehistoric to the nineteenth-century period. An emphasis on the traditional Buddhist, Taoist, and Shinto arts. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (000707)
ARTH 461	Chinese and Japanese Art		3.0	FS
In-depth study of Chinese and Japanese visual arts (architecture, painting, sculpture, and other fine arts such as ceramics and woodblock prints) from the pre-historic to the nineteenth-century period. 3 hours lecture. (000844)
ASST 377	Gender in East Asian History		3.0	SP	GE  GC
This course is also offered as HIST 377. Focus on the role gender plays in shaping and defining East Asian history, from 19th century to the present. Analysis of gender construction, sexuality, the family, and issues of universal human rights in context of China, South Korea, and Japan. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (021173)
ASST 399	Special Problems		1.0 -3.0	FS
This course is an independent study of special problems offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. 9 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (000998)
CHNS 101A	Beginning Chinese I		4.0	FS	GE
Introduction to Chinese language and Culture. Emphasis is on the fundamental skills of understanding, speaking, reading and writing Chinese. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (020752)
CHNS 102A	Beginning Chinese II		4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: CHNS 101A. Continuation of CHNS 101A. Emphasis is on the fundamental skills of understanding, speaking, reading, and writing Chinese. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (020753)
CHNS 201	Intermediate Chinese I		4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: CHNS 102A. Students review and expand language skills and cultural concepts introduced in CHNS 101A and CHNS 102A. This course includes composition and reading. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (020754)
CHNS 202	Intermediate Chinese II		4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: CHNS 201. Students review and expand language skills and cultural concepts introduced in CHNS 101A, CHNS 102A, and CHNS 201. This course includes composition and reading. 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (020755)
ECON 375	The Developing Countries		3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ECON 103. This course surveys theoretical approaches and policy options to the problems of development and underdevelopment in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Agricultural transformations, industrial development, balance of payments problems, the role of foreign aid, direct foreign investment, the economic role of international institutions such as the World Bank, and other related topics are included in this course. 3 hours lecture. (002673)
ECON 376	Economics of the Pacific Rim		3.0	FS
Prerequisites: ECON 101 or ECON 102 or faculty permission. A survey and analysis of economic development in the Pacific Rim and its linkages with politics, history, society, and foreign policy. Topics covered include trade, tariffs, subsidies, balance of payments, savings, investment, government deficits, environment, agricultural economics, and economic growth. 3 hours discussion. (002674)
HIST 373	East Asia Before 1800		3.0	FA	GE  GC
Cultural, economic, and political evolution of eastern Asia from antiquity to 1800. Emphasis on common traditional heritage of China and Japan. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (004560)
HIST 374I	East Asia After 1800		3.0	SP	GE  GC  C
Cultural, economic, and political evolution of eastern Asia from 1800 to the present. Emphasis on the transformation of the traditional heritage of China and Japan through revolution and modernization. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education Capstone course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. Formerly HIST 374. (004561)
HIST 377	Gender in East Asian History		3.0	SP	GE  GC
This course is also offered as ASST 377. Focus on the role gender plays in shaping and defining East Asian history, from 19th century to the present. Analysis of gender construction, sexuality, the family, and issues of universal human rights in context of China, South Korea, and Japan. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (021173)
HIST 475	Modern China		3.0	FA	GC
This course explores tradition and new trends in 18th and 19th century China, the Western impact and the Chinese response, the nationalist and the communist movements, changes in values and the society after 1949, and the ongoing economic reforms. 3 hours seminar. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (004661)
HIST 476	Modern Japan		3.0	SP	GC
History of Japan from the end of exclusion (about 1853) to the present, with emphasis on the modernization of Japan and the road to Pearl Harbor. 3 hours seminar. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (004660)
INST 446D	International Relations of the Pacific Basin		3.0	SP
This course is also offered as POLS 446D. 3 hours lecture. (004873)
JAPN 101	First-Semester Japanese		4.0	FS	GE
Introduction to the Japanese language and culture. Emphasis on the development of fundamental skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing with clear understanding of basic sentence structures. Acquisition of Hiragana and Katakana characters (phonetic symbols). 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (005334)
JAPN 102	Second-Semester Japanese		4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: JAPN 101 or faculty permission. Continuation of JAPN 101. Special attention to different verb forms and essential auxiliary expressions. Appropriate language use in a variety of social settings. Acquisition of 110 Kanji characters (ideographic symbols). 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (005335)
JAPN 201	Third-Semester Japanese		4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: JAPN 102 or faculty permission. Review of major grammatical structures and further development of the student's cultural awareness and proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing Japanese. Special attention to logical discourse development. Acquisition of 200 Kanji characters (ideographic symbols). 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (005336)
JAPN 202	Fourth-Semester Japanese		4.0	FS	GE
Prerequisites: JAPN 201 or faculty permission. Continuation of review of major grammatical structures and further development of the student's cultural awareness and proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing Japanese. Special attention to refining and expanding discourse. Acquisition of 300 Kanji characters (ideographic symbols). 3 hours discussion, 2 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course. (005337)
JAPN 330	Japanese Culture and Civilization		3.0	INQ	GC
An introduction to Japanese history and geography, as well as Japanese art forms, literature, philosophy, education, economy, customs, language, and politics. Course also includes a comparison of Japanese and American organizational theories. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (000993)
PHIL 202	Philosophy East and West		3.0	FS	GC
A philosophical analysis of major ideas in Chinese, Japanese, and Indian thought and their relationship to basic philosophical developments in the west. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (007185)
POLS 415D	Comparative Government: Asia		3.0	SP
An examination of the politics of Asia. Emphasis may vary among East, South-East, and South Asia. The study of the response of Asian political systems to the dual challenges of modernization and Western pressure will be combined with an analysis of contemporary political institutions and events. 3 hours lecture. (007535)
POLS 446D	International Relations of the Pacific Basin		3.0	SP
This course is also offered as INST 446D. 3 hours lecture. (004873)
RELS 212	Religions of India		3.0	FA	GE  GC
This course provides an introduction to the religions and cultures of India and the surrounding region known as South Asia. The main traditions that are examined are Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, and Sikhism, all of which have deeply influenced the wider culture and each other throughout their evolution over the centuries in India. Students become acquainted with their doctrinal, philosophical, devotional, ritual, and social features. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (008181)
RELS 310	Chinese Religions		3.0	INQ
An exploration of the religious dimension of Chinese culture, focusing on the Confucian, Buddhist, and Chinese Buddhist traditions (with particular attention to Chan/Zen) and their relations with each other. 3 hours seminar. (021194)
RELS 313	Buddhism		3.0	FS	GC
A discussion of the roots and transformation of the Buddhist teachings in India, China, Japan, and Tibet. Special emphasis will be given to major trends and problems in contemporary Buddhism. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (021199)
RELS 366	Mysticism: East and West		3.0	SP
A comparative study of mysticism from both historical and thematic perspectives. Major figures and traditions (including Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) will be reviewed as well as current theoretical debates in the study of mysticism. 3 hours seminar. (008185)
SOCI 152	Introduction to the Asian American Experience		3.0	SP	GE  USD
This course is also offered as AAST 152. This course examines the Asian experience in the U.S. over the last 150 year by focusing on the experiences of different Asian ethnic groups. The focus is on early arrival and settlement, and contemporary issues in Asian American communities, including immigration, racism, and Asian American identity. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. (000003)
SOCI 370	Population and Migration		3.0	FA	GE  GC
A study of the demographic patterns of mortality, fertility, migration, and refugees. Considered are influences such as inequality, economic development, environmental changes, and war on global populations. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (008957)