Asian Studies

Founded in 1964, the program in Asian Studies is administered by a committee of faculty drawn from multiple departments. It involves a wide variety of courses and activities aimed at enhancing appreciation and understanding of the art, life, and thought of the cultures of Asia, past and present. We concentrate on three regions: East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam), South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tibet), and Central Asia (Afghanistan, Bhutan, Iran, the Islamic former Soviet republics, Manchuria, inner and outer Mongolia, Tibet, Xinjiang). The program consists of courses on Asia in nine departments, extracurricular events on campus, and off-campus studies. An interdisciplinary, regionally-focused major in Asian Studies is offered, which is especially suitable for students with an overriding interest in one or more regions of Asia whose academic needs cannot be met by majoring in a single discipline. Students who do major in single discipline departments are strongly encouraged to minor in East Asian Studies or South Asian Studies, although in exceptional cases a double major with Asian Studies can be approved.

Requirements for the Asian Studies Major

A total of 66 credits:

I. 18 credits in a disciplinary-based department: Art History, Asian Languages, History, Political Science/International Relations, Religion, and Sociology and Anthropology which must include:

  • at least 12 credits in courses related to Asia
  • 6 credits in an appropriate methodology course:
    • ARTH 298 Seminar for Art History Majors
    • CAMS 330 Cinema Studies Seminar
    • HIST 298 Junior-year History Colloquium
    • LCST 245 The Critical Toolbox: Who's Afraid of Theory?
    • POSC 230 Methods of Political Research
    • RELG 300 Theories and Methods in the Study of Religion
    • SOAN 330 Sociological Thought and Theory
    • SOAN 331 Anthropological Thought and Theory

II. 42 additional credits in Asia-related courses (including appropriate off-campus credits, excluding ASST 400 and language-department courses below 228 or their equivalents); these must include:

  • at least 6 credits in each of three distribution areas: Literary/Artistic Analysis, Humanistic Inquiry, and Social Inquiry
  • a maximum of 18 credits at the 100 level
  • a minimum of 24 credits at the 200 level or above

III. 6 credits of Senior Integrative Exercise (ASST 400), normally taken during winter term of the senior year.

The Senior Integrative Exercise, normally is a research paper of 30 pages or more that delves into some aspect of the student's focal region. The project normally is developed by the student during the fall term, and proposed to, and approved by the Asian Studies Committee, which assigns two faculty members as readers and advisers for the project. The first draft of the exercise is due by the end of the ninth week of winter term, and a final draft by the end of the fourth week of spring term. The student defends the project before the two readers, and presents the research publicly to interested members of the community.

IV. A regional focus: East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam), South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tibet), or Central Asia (Afghanistan, Bhutan, Iran, the Islamic former Soviet republics, Manchuria, inner and outer Mongolia, Tibet, Xinjiang) involving:

  • at least 48 credits (exclusive of the Senior Integrative Exercise) related to one's focal region
  • at least 6 credits related to an Asian region different from one's focal region.

Courses by regional focus, subdivided by distribution area:

EAST ASIA:

  • ARTH 166 Chinese Art and Culture (not offered in 2017-18)
  • ARTH 209 Chinese Painting (not offered in 2017-18)
  • ARTH 268 Art History in Kyoto Program: History of Gardens and Landscape Architecture in Japan (not offered in 2017-18)
  • ARTH 269 Art History in Kyoto Program: Projects in Japanese Garden Design and History (not offered in 2017-18)
  • ASLN 111 Writing Systems (not offered in 2017-18)
  • ASLN 260 Historical Linguistics
  • ASST 284 Japanese Linguistics in Kyoto Seminar: History and Culture of Japan
  • CHIN 206 Chinese in Cultural Context
  • CHIN 245 Chinese Vision of the Past in Translation
  • CHIN 250 Chinese Popular Culture in Translation (not offered in 2017-18)
  • CHIN 347 Advanced Chinese: Reading the News (not offered in 2017-18)
  • CHIN 360 Classical Chinese (not offered in 2017-18)
  • CHIN 363 Conversation and Composition: The Liberal Arts in Chinese
  • ECON 240 Microeconomics of Development
  • ECON 241 Growth and Development
  • HIST 100 Confucius and His Critics
  • HIST 151 History of Modern Japan (not offered in 2017-18)
  • HIST 153 History of Modern China
  • HIST 156 History of Modern Korea
  • HIST 253 The Cultural Revolution in China
  • HIST 255 Rumors, Gossip, and News in East Asia (not offered in 2017-18)
  • JAPN 206 Japanese in Cultural Context
  • JAPN 231 Japanese Cinema in Translation
  • JAPN 245 Modern Japanese Literature and Manga in Translation (not offered in 2017-18)
  • JAPN 345 Advanced Reading in Modern Japanese Literature: The Short Story
  • JAPN 351 Advanced Japanese through Documentary Film (not offered in 2017-18)
  • JAPN 353 Thinking about Environmental Issues in Japanese
  • MUSC 182 Chinese Musical Instruments
  • MUSC 182J Chinese Musical Instruments (Juried)
  • MUSC 282 Chinese Musical Instruments
  • MUSC 282J Chinese Musical Instruments (Juried)
  • POSC 170 International Relations and World Politics
  • POSC 232 Chinese Foreign Policy
  • POSC 237 Southeast Asian Politics (not offered in 2017-18)
  • POSC 241 Ethnic Conflict
  • RELG 152 Religions in Japanese Culture
  • RELG 153 Introduction to Buddhism (not offered in 2017-18)
  • RELG 254 Zen Buddhism

SOUTH ASIA:

  • ECON 240 Microeconomics of Development
  • ECON 241 Growth and Development
  • ENGL 245 Bollywood Nation
  • ENGL 250 Modern Indian Fiction
  • HIST 161 From the Mughals to Mahatma Gandhi: An Introduction to Modern Indian History
  • HIST 259 Women in South Asia: Histories, Narratives, and Representations
  • HIST 268 Globalization & Local Responses in India Program: History, Globalization, and Politics in Modern India (not offered in 2017-18)
  • HIST 270 Nuclear Nations: India and Pakistan as Rival Siblings
  • HIST 359 Women in South Asia: Histories, Narratives, and Representations (not offered in 2017-18)
  • MUSC 180 Raga: Vocal or Instrumental Study of Hindustani Music
  • MUSC 180J Raga: Vocal or Instrumental Study of Hindustani Music
  • MUSC 181 Sitar
  • MUSC 181J Sitar (Juried)
  • MUSC 248 Music of India
  • MUSC 280 Raga: Vocal or Instrumental Study of Hindustani Music
  • MUSC 280J Raga:Voc/Instr Study Hindustani (Juried)
  • MUSC 281 Sitar
  • MUSC 281J Sitar (Juried)
  • POSC 170 International Relations and World Politics
  • POSC 237 Southeast Asian Politics (not offered in 2017-18)
  • POSC 241 Ethnic Conflict
  • RELG 122 Introduction to Islam
  • RELG 150 Religions of India (not offered in 2017-18)
  • RELG 153 Introduction to Buddhism (not offered in 2017-18)
  • RELG 155 Hinduism: An Introduction
  • RELG 237 Yoga: Religion, History, Practice
  • RELG 238 The Sacred Body
  • RELG 245 Buddha
  • RELG 265 Religion and Violence: Hindus, Muslims, Jews (not offered in 2017-18)
  • RELG 353 Saints, Goddesses, and Whores
  • RELG 362 Spirit Possession (not offered in 2017-18)
  • WGST 241 India Program: Gender & Sexuality in India (not offered in 2017-18)
  • WGST 310 Asian Mystiques Demystified (not offered in 2017-18)

CENTRAL ASIA:

  • ECON 240 Microeconomics of Development
  • ECON 241 Growth and Development
  • RELG 122 Introduction to Islam
  • RELG 153 Introduction to Buddhism (not offered in 2017-18)

V. One year of study of an appropriate Asian language, or its equivalent

For languages offered at Carleton, this will involve completion of a language through 103, or its equivalent. For languages not offered at Carleton, which may be studied through off-campus programs, summer study, or special arrangement at Carleton, it will involve completion of the equivalent of 103. Language (as opposed to literature) courses may not be applied to the major. The following courses do not count towards the 66 credits needed for the Asian Studies major.

Languages available at Carleton through special arrangement may include: Uzbek (Adeeb Khalid), Tamil (Kristin Bloomer).

VI. Normally, at least one term of off-campus study in Asia Students interested in studying in Asia may apply to one of a number of overseas programs. Carleton College has several of its own term-long off-campus studies programs. The Japanese Linguistics in Kyoto Off-Campus Seminar offers courses in Japanese history and culture in addition to linguistics.  Gardens, Landscape and Built Environment in Japan also brings students to Kyoto where they study gardens and architecture through field study. The Carleton program in Political Economy and Ecology of Southeast Asia provides opportunities for students to learn about social and ecological changes in Thailand, Lao PDR and Myanmar. The Carleton program, India: Glabalization and Local Responses, focuses on social structures and institutions in India and the intersections with development, sustainability and gender relations.

Carleton also cooperates with several other colleges to sponsor the Associated Kyoto Program, which takes 50 students and seven faculty members to Japan for an academic year. Carleton also participates in a one-year program at Waseda University sponsored by the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM). The ACM Program in India consists of five months stay in Pune, where students study Marathi, take academic courses centered on India, and investigate an independent study topic. The program in Hong Kong at the Chinese University, also for students from ACM institutions, normally lasts one year, though a semester-long program is also possible. Carleton, Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Swarthmore, Grinnell and Holy Cross jointly sponsor the Intercollegiate Sri Lanka Education Program (ISLE), in which students and a faculty member study at the University of Peradeniya near Kandy, the old capital in the middle of the island. Opportunities to study in Asia also are available through a variety of non-Carleton programs and non-consortial programs.

Courses taken on off-campus programs may be applied to the major. Because of the paucity of Carleton courses in South Asian languages or on many aspects of Central Asia, off-campus programs generally form an important component of the major for those who focus in those two Asian regions.

Asian Studies Courses (ASST)

ASST 284 Japanese Linguistics in Kyoto Seminar: History and Culture of Japan This course is an introduction to several aspects of Japanese society, taking advantage of the location of the Linguistics OCS seminar in Kyoto. It consists of readings and lectures about important events in historical and contemporary Japan, and will include visits to sites that illuminate those events in important ways. In addition to Kyoto and nearby places, there will be excursions to Tokyo and Hiroshima.  Prerequisite: Participation in OCP Kyoto Seminar. 6 credits; HI, IS; Spring; Mike Flynn
ASST 319 Buddhist Studies India Program: History of South Asian Buddhism This course provides students with an introduction to the history of South Asian Buddhism. Using primary and secondary sources and resources available to us in Bodh Gaya, we evaluate competing perspectives on the history of Buddhism and debate significant historical and ethical questions. How did Buddhism relate to other ancient Indian religions? What was the relationship between Buddhism and ancient Indian political, social, and economic structures? How did Buddhism change during its 2000 years in India? What impact did South Asian Buddhism have on the ancient and medieval world? What is the relationship between modern Buddhism and ancient Buddhism? Prerequisite: Participation in GEP India Program. 7-8 credits; NE; Fall; Arthur P McKeown
ASST 391 Buddhist Studies India Program: Independent Study Project Students spend three weeks of the program engaged in independent study of a topic related to Buddhist Studies, utilizing the unique resources available in India and neighboring countries. At the completion of the Independent Study period, students return to the Burmese Vihar, where their work is reviewed by their advisor and presented to the group. Prerequisite: Participation in GEP India Program. 3-4 credits; NE; Fall; Arthur P McKeown
ASST 400 Integrative Exercise 1-6 credit; S/NC; Fall, Winter; Arnab Chakladar