Asian Studies*

Asian Studies Program
College of Arts and Sciences
714 Clemens Hall
North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260
(716) 645-3474
Fax: (716) 645-3473
Web: Asian Studies
Thomas Burkman, Director
E-mail: asian-studies@buffalo.edu

*Not a baccalaureate degree program

The Program
The Asian studies program supports teaching, research, study abroad, and cultural events concerning Asia. The current focus of the program lies in the region of China, Japan, and Korea, with a secondary focus on Southeast Asia.

Several Asian languages are taught in the Department of Linguistics. Chinese, Japanese, and Korean are each offered through the fourth-year level. Undergraduate minors may be elected in these languages. Intensive first-year Chinese, Japanese, and Korean are offered in the summer through UB's World Languages Institute. Two years of Arabic are taught in the classroom setting. Through supervised self-instruction, students may learn Thai, Vietnamese, and Hindi; contact the World Languages Institute for details.

Students may study abroad in Asia, undertaking language study, nonlanguage classes, and graduate research. UB students can spend an academic year, a semester, or a summer at fine universities in China, India, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Academic credit can be transferred to UB. For information, refer to the Study Abroad section on page 260.

Students who wish to focus on Asia in their academic program have several options:

1. Special Major in Asian studies, Chinese studies, or Japanese studies. The director of Asian studies will advise students who wish to design a special major



2. Asian studies track of the international studies major, administered by social sciences interdisciplinary



3. Minor in East Asian studies*, administered by the Asian Studies program through Social Sciences Interdisciplinary



4. Minor in Chinese, administered by the Department of Linguistics



5. Minor in Japanese, administered by the Department of Linguistics



6. Minor in Korean, administered by the Department of Linguistics

*As a companion to a major in an academic or professional field, the interdisciplinary minor in East Asian studies broadens and enriches the student's academic experience. It conveys skills and concepts needed for appreciating the rich civilizations of China, Japan, and Korea and for dealing professionally with Asian peoples. The minor is a valuable credential for graduate study and an international career.

Every semester, the Asian Studies program offers courses exploring the history, literature, and social dynamics of the Asian American experience. One in ten undergraduates at UB is an Asian American.

Asian Studies (AS)

110 The Asian American Experience
The Asian American experience from the beginning of Asians' and Pacific Islanders' entry into North America in the eighteenth century to the present. Investigates this phenomenon in connection with national and transnational power relations, economic structures, and political realities. Also considers the construction of American identities in the United States and their impact on Asian American communities and individuals. Goals are to develop a historical and multicultural perspective on the Asian American experience, to enlarge students' capacities for analytical and critical thinking, and to achieve a better understanding of the diversity within Asian American communities and of Asian Americans' social status in North America. LEC

117 Asian American Authors (3)
Focuses on Asian American literature and the social contexts for the formation of Asian American literary traditions and genres. Introduces students to major Asian American literary texts and authors, including recurrent themes, new modes of narratives, and innovative techniques. Addresses the impact of Asian Pacific histories and cultures on specific writers, while locating Asian American literature within the historical and cultural contexts of North America, particularly the formation and effects of racial and national identities in the United States and Canada. LEC

220 Culture and the Arts in East Asia (3)
Introduces traditional and contemporary aesthetics, thought, literature, and theatre of East Asia. The arts of China, Japan, and Korea have fascinated observers in the West for centuries, and reveal much about the rich cultures and vibrant societies of East Asia. The course is team-taught by Asian specialists in the humanities from several UB departments. LEC

270 Asian American Women Writers (3)
Examines Asian American women's writings and the social, cultural, and historical contexts that shape their thematic concerns, narrative strategies, and poetic styles. Through Asian American women's prose and poetry, we seek to understand the formation of gender, racial, and sexual identities, and their effects on Asian American women's literary traditions and innovations. Examines the relations between gender and genre, between race and class, and between culture and sexuality. LEC

348 Asian Americans and the Visual Media (3)
Investigates Hollywood representations of Asians and Asian Americans and Asian Americans' self-representations. Through a comparative analysis of Hollywood films and Asian American films and videos, seeks to achieve a better understanding of the tactics and specific historical contexts for constructing identities of "race," gender, ethnicity, and sexuality. This understanding provides a historical and critical perspective for examination of both the content and technique of Asian Americans' films and videos. LEC

394 Topics in Asian Studies (3)
LEC

395 Topics in Asian American Studies (3)
LEC

East Asian Studies - Minor

Acceptance Criteria
Minimum grade of "C" in any of the courses required for the minor

Advising Notes
A minimum grade of "C" must be achieved in each course in the minor. For more information, see the director of Asian studies.

Except for the language proficiency requirement, courses applied to another minor or major may not be applied to this minor.

Required Courses

Language Proficiency
Four courses: Intermediate proficiency in an East Asian language, as certified by the completion of CHI202, JPN202, KOR202, VIE194, or an approved course in another Asian language.

Students who satisfy the language requirement through a means other than coursework must take two advanced courses in addition to the three required below; only one of the two may be in the student's major department.

Core Course
One of the following: AS 220 Culture of the Arts in East Asia, HIS182 Asian Civilization II or PSC229 East Asian Political Economy

Advanced Courses
Three approved East Asian courses at the 300/400 level. Two must be outside the student's major department. One 300/400-level language course or two semesters of business Chinese, Japanese, or Korean may be counted toward the advanced-course requirement.

Total required credit hours - 30-31

Academic Affairs

Phone: (716) 645-6003

Fax: (716) 645-2549

Last updated: Thursday, 09-Dec-2004 15:21:16 EST