Asian and Asian American Studies
The program in Asian and Asian American studies supports the study of Asia and transoceanic, transnational Asian diasporas of the world with emphasis on:
studies of Asian histories, languages and cultures within Asia as geographically defined; and
studies of Asian diasporas, with particular focus on Asians of the Americas.
Program
The program encourages work that is interdisciplinary, comparative or global in methodology and theory, as well as work that is specialized locally or regionally. The program also supports work that examines the study of Asia and Asian diasporas as complex nexuses of socio/geo/political regions, economies, histories and ideas, across national and oceanic boundaries. Students benefit from the cross-national work and research agendas of Asianists and Asian Americanists in productive dialog.
Asian and Asian American Studies Major
The major has a common core and three tracks:
Asian American
Asian specialization
Asian comparative
The major requires 11 courses, six of which must be at the 300 or 400 level.
All majors must fulfill the four course common core requirements:
Asian Studies Regional/Continental one of the following:
AAAS 104. Asian Art and Architecture
AAAS 105. Introduction to Asian Philosophy
AAAS 106. East Asian Civilizations
AAAS 369. Contemporary Asian Societies
Asian American Studies either:
AAAS 371. Asian Americas; or
AAAS 267. Asian American History
plus
AAAS 496. AAAS Majors Seminar
The tracks for the major provide students with the opportunity to focus their study in one of three ways. In the Asian American Studies Track, students concentrate on the social, cultural and historical aspects of the experience of Asian Americans and, more broadly, Asians in the Americas. The Asian Specialization Track allows students to focus their study on the language, culture and historical experience of a particular Asian country or region. The Asian Comparative Track emphasizes courses that approach Asia in a comparative manner through courses that deal with two or more countries.
Asian American Studies Track
Four additional Asian American studies courses (AAAS 264, 267, 287A, 371, 395 and 450K);
electives chosen from substantive Asian and Asian American courses, which may include language courses.
Asian Specialization Track
Two intermediate courses (203-204) of an Asian language or demonstrated language proficiency at the 204 level;
four courses relating to the culture/society of their chosen region or culture (AAAS 210, 211, 251, 271, 273, 274, 275, 280A, 317, 341, 374, 472; CHIN 305 or 306; JPN 305 or 306; KOR 305 or 306).
electives chosen from substantive Asian and Asian American courses, which may include language courses. (If the language proficiency requirement is met without taking at least two courses, additional electives must be taken to reach the 11-course requirement for the major.)
Asian Comparative Track
Four comparative courses on Asia treating more than one Asian country (AAAS 106, 186A, 368, 380B, 380C, 414, 473, 480D, 484A);
electives chosen from substantive Asian and/or Asian American courses, which may include language courses.
Majors in Asian and Asian American studies may elect no more than one independent study, and not more than one internship and/or teaching practicum may be counted toward the major. Students may elect to take only one course Pass/Fail. The Asian and Asian American studies program views the grade of D as passing, but unsatisfactory and not acceptable in fulfilling the requirements for the major.
Minor in Asian and Asian American Studies
The minor in Asian and Asian American Studies allows students to supplement their major through participation in a cross-disciplinary program. In order to qualify for the minor, students will need to complete at least six courses distributed as follows:
Two AAAS courses at the introductory level (eight credits);
Three other courses in Asian and Asian American Studies (12 credits) at least two of which must be at the 300 level and above;
AAAS 496, Major Seminar (four credits);
* All students must take at least one course each in Asian Studies and Asian American Studies;
* Up to two Asian language courses may be counted.
Only one course may be taken Pass/Fail. Students must complete at least four of the courses (24 credits) at Binghamton University. Although the Asian and Asian American Studies program views the grade of D as passing, a grade of C or better is necessary for a course to count towards the minor.
Honors
To qualify for honors, students must:
have at least a 3.5 GPA for program courses taken through the seventh semester (excluding courses taken Pass/Fail); and
submit two papers (of at least 12 pages in length each), one from the Majors Seminar and one from another upper-level AAASP course of their choosing. One of these must be a research paper.
The curriculum committee will decide whether the work is of honors quality.
Graduate Certificate
The program offers a graduate certificate in Asian and Asian American studies that expands both the conceptual and methodological approaches regarding Asia. The program seeks to produce research and scholarship that engages Asia Across the World in its many forms, including considerations of hybridities, transnationalisms and global/local tensions.
The program supports learning that is interdisciplinary and engages cultural and social politics in multi-national and comparative contexts, as well as area-specific contexts and builds upon an already strong program that is dynamic and growing.
Requirements
A minimum of three graduate courses in Asian and Asian American studies.
Because the program is global in perspective, students are required to take courses in both Asian studies and Asian American studies to obtain a certificate.
A maximum of one independent study course with appropriate program faculty may count toward the certificate.
Current Asian Studies Courses
AAAS 104/ARTH 104. Introduction to Art/Architecture of the Asian World
AAAS 105/PHIL 105. Introduction to Asian Philosophy
AAAS 106HIST 106. Introduction to East Asian Civilizations
AAAS 238/HIST 238. Science and Technology in the Modern World
AAAS 259/GEOG 259. East Asia, Land and People
AAAS 262/SOC 262. Gender and Society
AAAS 267/HIST 267. Asian American History
AAAS 271/HIST 271. Japan to 1600
AAAS 273/HIST 273. Chinese Civilization
AAAS 274/HIST 274. Modern China
AAAS 275/SOC 275. Labor and Society in Contemporary Japan
AAAS 311/IBUS 311. Introduction to International Business
AAAS 317/ECON 317. Economy of China
AAAS 341/HIST 341. China and the West
AAAS 368/ANTH 368. Modern Development in China and Japan
AAAS 369/SOC 369. Sociology of Contemporary Asia
AAAS 371/ENG371. Asian Americas
AAAS 372/HIST 372. 20th Century Japan
AAAS373/ARTH 373. Asian Metropolises: Culture, Power and Space
AAAS 374/SOC 374. China in the 20th Century (also HIST 374)
AAAS 377/SOC 377. Sociology of Colonialism
AAAS 380/SOC 380. Gender and Media in South Asia
AAAS 395. Community Internship
AAAS 397. Independent Study
AAAS 414/ECON 414. Economic Development: East Asia
AAAS 414/IBUS 455. Doing Business in China and the Asian Pacific
AAAS 431/PHIL 431. Metaphysics
AAAS 472/HIST 472. Chinese Women and the Family
AAAS 473/HIST 473. Imperialism in East Asia
AAAS 474/HIST 474. Colonial Culture in India and Indonesia
AAAS 496. Majors Seminar in Asian and Asian American Studies
CHIN 101. Elementary Chinese I*
CHIN 102. Elementary Chinese II*
CHIN 111. Elementary Written Chinese I
CHIN 112. Elementary Written Chinese II
CHIN 202. Singing Chinese
CHIN 203. Intermediate Chinese I*
CHIN 204. Intermediate Chinese II*
CHIN 241 Classical Chinese Literature in Translation (also AAAS 241)
CHIN 280. Chinese Literature in Translation*
CHIN 305. Advanced Chinese I*
CHIN 350. Business Chinese*
CHIN 491. Teaching Practicum*
CHIN 492. Teaching Practicum*
JPN 101. Elementary Japanese I*
JPN 102. Elementary Japanese II*
JPN 203. Intermediate Japanese I*
JPN 204. Intermediate Japanese II*
JPN 210 (also AAAS 210). Introduction to Japanese Culture*
JPN 305. Advanced Reading and Composition I*
JPN 306. Advanced Reading and Composition II*
JPN 491. Practicum in College Teaching*
JPN 492. Practicum in College Teaching*
KOR 101. Elementary Korean*
KOR 102. Elementary Korean II*
KOR 203. Intermediate Korean I*
KOR 204. Intermediate Korean II*
KOR 210. Korean Civilization* (also AAAS 211)
KOR 218. Structure of Korean (also AAAS 218)
KOR 240. Korean Literature and Culture: Pre 20th Century (also AAAS 240)
KOR 305. Advanced Reading and Composition I*
KOR 306. Advanced Reading and Composition II*
KOR 310. Language, Culture and Society of Korea (also AAAS 311/ANTH 567/LING 335/567)
KOR 439. East Asian Linguistics (also AAAS 439)
KOR 491. Practicum in College Teaching*
KOR 492. Practicum in College Teaching*
MUS 111. Music Cultures: Far East, Asia
Current Asian American Studies/Asian Diaspora Courses
AAAS 264/HIST 264. Immigration and Ethnicity in the United States
AAAS 267/HIST 267. Asian American History
AAAS 278/SOC 278. Immigration to Contemporary America
AAAS 371/ENG 371. Asian American Literature
AAAS 450K/ENG 450K. Race as Metaphor
ENG 593R. Literature of the Asian Diaspora (seniors accepted with instructors consent)
*Listed under the Department of German, Russian and East Asian Languages in this publication.