Global Asian Studies Minor
Description. Global Asian Studies is an interdisciplinary minor that focuses on the history, culture, and society of regions of Asia, such as East Asia, Northeast Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, as well as of Asian communities outside of Asia. The changing meanings of ‘Asia’ and ‘Asian’ will be examined from past to the present. Focusing on Asia’s prominent role in the world’s political, cultural, social and economic exchanges, this minor equips students to analyze the global impact of various aspects of Asia—including, but not limited to, its politics, economies, ethnicities, belief systems, literatures, languages, social life, arts, and popular cultures—as these have developed through transnational movements of peoples and ideas. But ‘Asia’ and the “Asian’ will also be envisioned in dialogue with other regions and identities. In this minor, students have the opportunity to acquire the basic knowledge and skills that will enable them to engage directly with evidence about Asia, and to analyze global issues of social justice, such as race, class, gender, identity, sexuality, diaspora, migration, immigration, colonialism, and nationalism. Familiarity with Asia will benefit all students who are preparing for careers in today’s globalized world.
Learning outcomes. Students will:
- Identify and explain the global significances—from non-Western and particularly ‘Asian,’ perspectives—of critical events, trends, ideas, and themes originating in the cultures and societies of ‘Asia,’ past and present.
- Visualize and examine ‘Asia’ or the ‘Asian’ in dialogue with other regions or identities in the world. See link below:
https://www.artforum.com/video/joan-kee-s-hope-for-afro-asia-90909
- Understand and articulate the negative effects of ‘othering,’ while engaging positively with various aspects of ‘Asia,’ such as through language acquisition, study aboard, or participation in various cultural opportunities.
- Independently read and evaluate different forms of evidence (primary sources) in multiple disciplines, while forming their own informed opinions and arguments about various aspects of 'Asia' and 'Asians'.
Credits. 18
Program and minor coordinator. Professors Anru Lee, Department of Anthropology (212-237-8571, alee@jjay.cuny.edu), and Toy-Fung Tung, Professor of English (212-237-8705, ttung@jjay.cuny.edu)
Requirements. This minor consists of 18 credits (six courses). Two courses are required and four courses are electives. A maximum of two courses can overlap with a student’s major, other minors or programs. Students may apply a maximum of nine transfer credits to the minor.
Part One. Required Courses
Required
| AST 101 | Cultures and Societies in Asia: Global Issues | 3 |
Select one
Note:
HUM 300 is a variable topics course and will only satisfy this requirement if the topic of the class taken is "Korematsu v. United States".
| ANT 339 | Asian American Identity and Struggles for Justice | 3 |
| HJS 310 | Comparative Perspectives on Justice | 3 |
| HUM 300 | Landmark U.S. Supreme Court Cases: Criminal Justice and Humanities Perspectives | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 6
Advisor’s note: AST 101 can satisfy the Flexible Core: World Cultures and Global Issues area of the Gen Ed Program. In addition, the 300-level courses above all can satisfy the College Option: Justice Core II area of the Gen Ed Program.
Part Two. Electives
Select four
Note:
HUM 300 is a variable topics course and will only satisfy this requirement if the topic of the class taken is "Korematsu v. United States", and if the course is not being used to satisfy part one of the minor.
| ANT 229 | Global Asian Popular Culture | 3 |
| ANT 339 | Asian American Identity and Struggles for Justice | 3 |
| CHI 101 | Elementary Chinese I | 3 |
| CHI 102 | Elementary Chinese II | 3 |
| CHI 201 | Intermediate Chinese I | 3 |
| HIS 264 | China to 1650 | 3 |
| HIS 274 | China: 1650-Present | 3 |
| HIS 281 | Imperialism in Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East | 3 |
| HJS 310 | Comparative Perspectives on Justice | 3 |
| HUM 300 | Landmark U.S. Supreme Court Cases: Criminal Justice and Humanities Perspectives | 3 |
| JPN 101 | Elementary Japanese I | 3 |
| JPN 102 | Elementary Japanese II | 3 |
| JPN 201 | Intermediate Japanese I | 3 |
| JPN 251 | Japanese Manga and Anime: Gender, Culture and Society | 3 |
| LIT 258 | Asians Speak Up! Reimagining Asian Lives from East to West | 3 |
| PHI 351 | Classical Chinese Philosophy | 3 |
| PSC 337 | Chinese Americans in Policing | 3 |
| REL 102 | Eastern Religions | 3 |
| SOC 351 | Crime and Delinquency in Asia | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 12
Six credits of Asian language courses can count towards the elective requirement in the minor. Students may count courses in any Asian language, broadly defined (i.e. Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Burmese, Filipino, etc.), that they have taken at another institution and which are accepted by the College for transfer credit. See the Minor Coordinator for approval of these substitutions. Credits earned through foreign language exams or study abroad programs related to Asia may also count towards the minor.
Students may petition the Minor Coordinator to count one of the following courses towards the minor electives, providing Asia is a major focus of the course as taught that semester: HIS 106 Historical Perspectives on Justice and Inequality, HIS 127 Microhistories: A Lens Into the Past, HIS 282 Selected Topics in History, HIS 352 History & Justice in Wider World, LIT 346 Cultures in Conflict.
Total Credit Hours: 18