About East Asian Studies

In recent years, the center of the global economy has shifted to the Pacific Basin. The United States is on one side of this vast area, and the Asia Pacific region is on the other. East Asia, with the world’s greatest concentration of population and its most volatile economies, comprise the epicenter of Asia Pacific. It has, therefore become imperative for Americans to understand an area that includes China, Japan, the two Koreas, Hong Kong, Taiwan Mongolia, Southeast Asia and Far Eastern Russia.

America’s role in the world, its economic competitiveness, and its ability to meet the challenges of the new millennium – all rely on a clear perception of the history, politics, economics, sociology, culture and languages of East Asia. Learning about East Asia is in fact learning about those forces that affect our country, our jobs, our businesses, our households and indeed ourselves.

The East Asian Studies minor, totaling 20 credits, is offered by a faculty with various disciplines in anthropology/sociology, political science, business/ economics, psychology, and languages. Its two interdisciplinary foundation courses of three credits each are: East Asia: History and Politics of China, Japan, and Korea, and peoples and cultures of Asia. These basic courses provide the student with a broad historical, political and cultural background to the region as a whole. One 200-level course and two additional 300-level courses also are required from an approved list of course offerings. An East Asian language course of the appropriate level may be substituted for these requirements. Many other upper division courses on the politics and history of specific East Asian countries, courses in law, religion, immigration, business, sociology, and others, are offered each year.