Colorado College Asian Studies

Major:

Students majoring in Asian Studies must successfully complete a minimum of 11.5 blocks of Asian Studies and related courses. These courses will include 6.5 (8.5 if elementary language is included) required courses. In addition, students must take at least five electives. Including Elementary Language, the total will be 13.5 blocks.

The structure of the major is described as follows: There must be a minimum of two blocks of language, the one block interdisciplinary core course (PA 290), a disciplinary methods course, five electives, the senior seminar, and two blocks of senior thesis.

REQUIRED COURSES:

1.  Two blocks of an Asian language at the intermediate level or beyond.

2.  The interdisciplinary core PA 290: Studying Asia.

3.  One methodological perspective outside Asia; For example, History of Cultural and Social Anthropology, Critical Practice, Theory and Practice of Literature, Studying History, Political Analysis, Economics of International Trade, and Sociological Research Methods.

4.  Five elective courses from at least two disciplines (three of these courses should be directly relevant to the Asian language the student has studied.  Two of the electives must be at the 300 level; one of these five courses may be a 300 level language course relevant to the major.)

5.  Senior Thesis PA 400 and PA 401.

6.  Senior Seminar PA 406.

List of Previous Thesis Titles

Minor:

Students pursing a minor in Asian Studies must successfully complete a minimum of 6 blocks of Asian Studies and related courses and a 1/2 unit Senior Seminar course (PA 406). These courses include 2 units of beginning language study (Chinese, Japanese, or other Asian languages which are taught through officially-affiliated study abroad programs.) In addition, students must select 4 additional courses from the courses listed under the "Asian Studies" program. One of these 4 courses must be either a 300 level course or an Asian language course at the 200 level. Students are expected to choose their courses with a consideration of coherence and relation to the Asian language they studied.

 

More on Languages:

Policy on Asian Languages: We will accept those languages which are taught through officially- affiliated study abroad programs only as long as the language can form the nucleus for the student's total program of study (e.g., the two primary languages of instruction are Chinese and Japanese, but we will accept Korean if it is through an affiliated program and the student can show that there are enough courses at CC dealing with Korea to make it a cohesive focus).

Students who enter The Colorado College with a background in Chinese or Japanese language will take a placement test administered by the current language faculty. This placement test does not constitute a course waiver, and students will not be able to test out of a language. In such cases, the language requirement for the major can be satisfied in one of three ways: 1) the student can complete four blocks of continued study of the same language above the 202 level; 2) the student can complete four blocks of study of another Asian language; or, 3) the student can complete four additional related courses.

 

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