Asian Studies Program
Office: Sturm Hall, Room 345
Mail Code: 2000 E. Asbury Ave, Denver, CO 80208
Phone: 303-871-6663
Email: Hilary.Smith@du.edu
Web Site: http://www.du.edu/ahss/areasofstudy/joint_dual_programs/asian_studies
The Asian Studies Program takes a multi-disciplinary approach to the cultures, history, literature and languages of China and Japan, with an additional focus on South Asian music and religion. We train students to think and write critically about Asian cultures; to conduct original research on issues that are relevant to one or more parts of Asia; and to develop international and intercultural knowledges and skills that are necessary in order to engage meaningfully with people and issues relevant to Asia.
Majors may find their training valuable in a wide range of careers, given that the tiny minority of graduates of American universities who are skilled in Asian languages and cultures rank among the most desirable employees for many public- and private-sector organizations. Careers for majors include government service, education, journalism, international business and any other job requiring knowledge of and cultural understandings about China or Japan. The academic training that majors receive is competitive with similar programs at peer institutions across the United States, providing a firm basis for applying to graduate programs.
Students are required to take at least two years of Japanese, Chinese or another approved Asian language. First-year language courses may not be used to fulfill this requirement. However, the requirement may be waived for transfer students who have already had at least three years of Asian language training or for students who demonstrate competency in the language. The requirement is also waived for native speakers of Japanese, Chinese or another approved Asian language; such students complete 60 credits of non-language study instead.
Asian Studies majors are strongly encouraged to study in Asia for up to one year; excellent programs exist in Japan, South Korea, China, India and many other countries. In many cases, students can use their financial aid and receive University of Denver course credit for successfully completing study abroad programs. Interested students should consult with their Asian Studies advisor and the Study Abroad Office.
A student wishing to pursue an Asian studies major must make an appointment with the program director, Hilary Smith, who assigns an advisor according to the student’s main interests. The student meets quarterly with their advisor for approval of courses taken for the major.
Asian Studies
Bachelor of Arts Major Requirements
(183 credits required for the degree)
60 credits, including the following:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Humanities | 12 | |
| Select three courses from the following: | ||
| Sacred Spaces in Asia | ||
| Survey of Asian Art | ||
| Topics in Chinese Art | ||
| Topics in Japanese Art | ||
| Roots of Yoga and Tantra: Methodologies and Modern Practice | ||
| Imperial China | ||
| Contemporary China in Literature and Films | ||
| Asian Ecocinema and Ecoliterature | ||
| Food in East Asian History | ||
| Imperial China | ||
| Modern China | ||
| Popular Culture of Japan | ||
| Postwar Japan: Changing Perspectives in Literature and Culture | ||
| Samurai and Merchants: Cultures of Tokugawa Japan | ||
| Classical Japanese Literature | ||
| Religions of China & Japan | ||
| Religions of Tibet | ||
| Two years of intermediate and advanced Japanese, Chinese or another approved Asian language 1 | 24 | |
| Advanced Coursework and Research | 8 | |
| Select EITHER two courses below from the same discipline (e.g. two ARTH courses, two ASIA courses, or two CHIN, or two JAPN, or two RLGS), OR any class from the list below PLUS ASIA 3901 | ||
| Sacred Arts of Asia | ||
| Topics in Chinese Art | ||
| Topics in Japanese Art | ||
| Buddhism(s) and Arts | ||
| Asian Studies Directed Readings | ||
| Asian Studies Senior Thesis | ||
| Chinese Science and Global History | ||
| Topics in Japanese Culture | ||
| Cosmopolitan Cosplay: Japanese fashion, costume and sartorial expression | ||
| Modern Hinduism | ||
| Religious Lives: The Dalai Lamas | ||
| Buddhism | ||
| Dharamsala: Myth, Land, and Traditions | ||
| Electives | 16 | |
| Select four courses from the following list. Alternatively, you may choose courses listed in the "Humanities" or "Advanced Coursework and Research" categories above but not already used to fulfill the required credits in those categories. An ASEM counted as an Asian Studies elective cannot also be used to fulfill the common curriculum ASEM requirement: | ||
| Performing India: Performance, Ritual, and the Indian Body Politic | ||
| War and Peace in Japanese Film | ||
| Environmental Culture in East Asia | ||
| Music of Southeast Asia | ||
| Death & Dying in Hindu Traditions | ||
| India and Historical Film | ||
| Japanese Film | ||
| Comparative Democratization: East and West | ||
| Dance in India | ||
| Testimony, Memory and Allegory: the Representations of the Chinese Cultural Revolution | ||
| Strange Beasts: Nuclear Japan | ||
| Religion and Politics in China | ||
| China and the Global Economy | ||
| The Asian Economies | ||
| Comparing Politics around the World | ||
| Politics of China | ||
| Comparative Democratization: East and West | ||
| Politics of Japan | ||
| Total Credits | 60 | |
| 1 | Contact the department program director, Professor Hilary Smith, for questions about language credits. |
Minor Requirements
24 credits, including the following. Please consult the list of courses under the major requirements above for approved Asian Studies courses. Note: Up to eight credits of intermediate or advanced language study may be used to fulfill requirements for the minor.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Humanities | 12 | |
| Select three courses from the following: | ||
| Sacred Spaces in Asia | ||
| Survey of Asian Art | ||
| Topics in Chinese Art | ||
| Topics in Japanese Art | ||
| Roots of Yoga and Tantra: Methodologies and Modern Practice | ||
| Imperial China | ||
| Contemporary China in Literature and Films | ||
| Asian Ecocinema and Ecoliterature | ||
| Food in East Asian History | ||
| Imperial China | ||
| Modern China | ||
| Chinese Science and Global History | ||
| Popular Culture of Japan | ||
| Postwar Japan: Changing Perspectives in Literature and Culture | ||
| Samurai and Merchants: Cultures of Tokugawa Japan | ||
| Classical Japanese Literature | ||
| Religions of China & Japan | ||
| Religions of Tibet | ||
| Modern Hinduism | ||
| Buddhism | ||
| Electives | 12 | |
Select three courses from the list of major electives | ||
| Total Credits | 24 | |
Requirements for Distinction in the Asian Studies Major
- Minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA
- Minimum 3.75 major GPA
- Nomination by an Asian Studies faculty member or the program director
- Submission of a portfolio of representative work completed in the major
- Completion of a thesis project that goes beyond a normal Asian Studies senior thesis
BA in Asian Studies
The following course plan is a sample quarter-by-quarter schedule for intended majors. Because the bachelor of arts curriculum allows for tremendous flexibility, this is only intended as an example; that is to say, if specific courses or requirements are not available in a given term, students can generally complete those requirements in another term. More importantly, students should focus on exploring areas of interest, including Common Curriculum requirements and possible minors or second majors, and maintaining a course load which will allow for completion of the degree within four years.
Ideally, Common Curriculum requirements other than Advanced Seminar should be completed during the first two years. Students should anticipate taking an average course load of 16 credits each quarter.
Ways of Knowing courses in the areas of Analytical Inquiry: Society and Culture and Scientific Inquiry: Society and Culture introduce students to University-level study of disciplines in the arts, humanities and social sciences. Credits earned in Ways of Knowing courses may also apply to a major or minor.
The sample course plan below shows what courses a student pursuing this major might take in their first two years; beyond that, students should anticipate working closely with their major advisor to create a course of study to complete the degree.
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| FSEM 1111 | 4 | WRIT 1122 | 4 | WRIT 1133 | 4 |
| Scientific Inquiry: The Natural and Physical World | 4 | Scientific Inquiry: The Natural and Physical World | 4 | Scientific Inquiry: The Natural and Physical World | 4 |
| Scientific Inquiry: Society and Culture | 4 | Analytical Inquiry: Society and Culture or Scientific Inquiry: Society and Culture | 4 | Analytical Inquiry: Society and Culture or Scientific Inquiry: Society and Culture | 4 |
| Foreign language1 | 4 | Foreign language1 | 4 | Foreign language1 | 4 |
| 16 | 16 | 16 | |||
| Total Credits: 48 | |||||
| Second Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| Foreign Language1 | 4 | Foreign Language1 | 4 | Foreign Language1 | 4 |
| Approved RLGS Course | 4 | Analytical Inquiry: Natural and Physical Word | 4 | Major Elective | 4 |
| Minor or Elective | 4 | Major Elective | 4 | Minor or Elective | 4 |
| INTZ 25012 | 2 | Minor or Elective | 4 | Minor or Elective | 4 |
| 14 | 16 | 16 | |||
| Total Credits: 46 | |||||
- 1
Majors are required to take two years of intermediate and advanced Japanese, Chinese or another approved Asian language. Please note that 1st-year language study may NOT be counted for credit toward the major.
- 2
INTZ 2501 is required for any student who studies abroad, and may be taken in any quarter within the year prior to studying abroad.
ASIA 2102 Topics in Chinese Art (4 Credits)
Selected topics in Chinese Art. Content changes. Course may be taken more than once. Cross listed with ARTH 3841.
ASIA 2105 Topics in Japanese Art (4 Credits)
Selected topics in Japanese Art. Content changes. Course may be taken more than once. Cross listed with ARTH 3842.
ASIA 2701 Topics in Asian Studies (1-4 Credits)
ASIA 2704 Buddhism (4 Credits)
Buddhist life and thought from origins to present in India, Tibet, Japan and China. Cross listed with RLGS 3820.
ASIA 2714 Roots of Yoga and Tantra: Methodologies and Modern Practice (4 Credits)
This class will explore the pluralistic origins of yoga and tantra both within South Asia and a global context, the relationship between yoga (union, control) and tantra (ritual/material technologies), how they function as a ritual/spiritual practices, and conclude by examining how yoga and tantra have become popular, transnational phenomena The first half of the class focuses on the history of yogic/tantric traditions, texts, and communities while the second is devoted to study of the the guru/śiṣya (teacher/student) relationship as the foundation of modern yoga. Some of the issues we will engage include different conceptions of the human self, how and why particular cultural and religious practices cross geographical and cultural boundaries, the role of the guru, and secularization.This course counts toward the Analytical Inquiry: Society and Culture requirement. Cross listed with RLGS 2114.
ASIA 2850 Imperial China (4 Credits)
In this class, students learn about change and continuity in imperial China, from the third century BC to 1911 AD. Over the course of this more than two thousand years, what we refer to as "China" changed a great deal politically, economically, and socially. We will explore many of these changes, while at the same time keeping an eye on the continuities that continued to characterize the place and its people over the long term. Cross listed with HIST 2850.
ASIA 3701 Topics in Asian Studies (1-4 Credits)
Specialized topics in Asian Studies. Topic varies per offering. Check with the Asian Studies program director for more information. Open to majors and non-majors May be repeated for credit.
ASIA 3875 Chinese Science and Global History (4 Credits)
This class introduces students to the ideas and contexts of pre-modern Chinese science and critically examines ways in which modern historians have incorporated science and technology into their global narratives about China and the West. Intended for students familiar with the methods of historical inquiry. No prior knowledge of Chinese history is expected. Cross listed with HIST 3875.
ASIA 3901 Asian Studies Directed Readings (4 Credits)
Students will read deeply in a specific field of scholarship directed by a core faculty member in the Asian Studies program and will write a methodological essay that discusses the scholarship in their chosen field of research. This is the first part of a required, two-quarter sequence that will culminate in the senior thesis. Enrollment is restricted to Asian Studies majors.
ASIA 3902 Asian Studies Senior Thesis (4 Credits)
Students will pursue a primary document research project under the supervision of their core faculty member in Asian Studies. The goal of this course is the writing and completion of the senior thesis in Asian Studies. Prerequisite: ASIA 3901.
ASIA 3980 Asian Studies Internship (1-4 Credits)
Provides academic credit for off-campus internships in areas related to the Asian Studies major. The purpose of the internship is the gain valuable work experience, explore various career options, develop job competencies and/or apply theoretical knowledge to practical concerns of the world. Must be an Asian Studies major and have cumulative GPA of 3.0 and have taken at least two Asian Studies content courses, not counting language training. Requires approval of Asian Studies director.
ASIA 3991 Independent Study (1-4 Credits)