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The Asian Studies minor involves courses from multiple departments in the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences, Mathematics and Education. The Departments of Government, History and Sociology, Languages and Linguistics, and Philosophy and Religion all contribute required courses to the minor.

Minor in Asian Studies

The minor in Asian studies focuses on the history, culture, and politics of East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. It provides students with an understanding of the interdisciplinary field of Asian studies. Students take 24 credit hours of courses from lists of eligible electives. The minor helps prepare students for careers in business, government and nonprofit/non-governmental organizations, and is designed to enhance the marketability of those applying to law schools, MBA programs and graduate schools in various disciplines.

Requirements for the minor in Asian studies: 24 credit hours, distributed as follows from lists (A), (B), and (C), and possibly (D) and (E):

A. Asian History Foundation Requirement (at least 4 credit hours). Students must take one or more of the following courses:

CourseCourse NumberCourse NameCredit Hours
HIS217China’s Modern Centuries4
HIS221Japan’s Modern Centuries4
HISH/GWAH317China’s Revolutionary Twentieth Century4

B. Asian Philosophy/Religion Foundation Requirement (at least 4 credit hours). Students must take one or more of the following courses:

CourseCourse NumberCourse NameCredit Hours
PHLREL237/217Indian and Asian Philosophy4
PHL320Chinese Philosophy4
PHL330Asian Philosophy Special Topics (may be taken and counted toward the minor more than once, if the particular topic varies)4

C. Asian Language Requirement (8 or more credit hours, unless proficiency is demonstrated in one of the other allowable ways):

Students must either (i(1)) successfully complete at least 8 hours of the following courses, (ii(2)) demonstrate proficiency in an approved Asian language by attaining the “novice advanced” level on the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) administered by the American Council of Teaching Foreign Languages (ACTFL) or (iii(3)) receive an official waiver for this requirement by being determined to be a native speaker of an approved Asian language by the chair of the Department of Languages and Linguistics. (Students who take options (ii(2)) or (iii(3)) must take the 8 or more credit hours they would otherwise have taken to meet the Asian language requirement by taking additional courses from lists (A) [above], (B) [above] or (D) [below]):

CourseCourse NumberCourse NameCredit Hours
CHI101Elementary Chinese I(1)4
CHI102Elementary Chinese II(2)4
CHI201Intermediate Chinese I(1)4
CHI202Intermediate Chinese II(2)4
CHI351-359Topics in Chinese8
JPN101Elementary Japanese I(1)4
JPN102Elementary Japanese II(2)4
JPN201Intermediate Japanese I(1)4
JPN202Intermediate Japanese II(2)4
JPN351-359Topics in Japanese8

D. Asia-Focused Electives:

Students do not need to take any courses off of this list, but they may count up to 8 credit hours of coursework from the following list toward the 24 credit hours required for the Asian studies minor. (However, those students who complete the Asian language requirement by demonstrating proficiency via an OPI interview or by receiving an official “native speaker” waiver may count up to 16 credit hours from the following list.)

CourseCourse NumberCourse NameCredit Hours
ART278Far East4
ENG324Post-Colonial Literature and Theory4
ENG326Buddhism and Literature4
THR330Special Topics in Theatre: Asian Theatre4
GWA365Politics of East Asia4
HIS/GWA296America and Vietnam4
HIS227Traditional China4
HIS293Special Topics: Traditional Japan4
HIS327Women and Gender in East Asia4
LAN100Language and Culture (only if the language/culture is Chinese, Japanese, or some other language/culture of East Asia, Southeast Asia, or the Indian Subcontinent)4
LAN105Language for Travel (only if the language/culture is Chinese, Japanese, or some other language/culture of East Asia, Southeast Asia, or the Indian Subcontinent)4

E. Asia-In-Comparison Electives (up to 4 credit hours):

Students do not need to take any courses off of this list, but they may count up to 4 credit hours of coursework from the following list of eligible electives toward the minor.

CourseCourse NumberCourse NameCredit Hours
COM261World Cinema4
COM401Intercultural Communication4
COM443Communication and Cultural Studies4
ENG312Contemporary World Literature4
ENG337Multi-Ethnic U.S. Literature and Film4
GWAH/HISH232Imperialism and Nationalism in Asia and Africa4
HIS102World History to 15004
HIS103World History from 1500 to the present4

See the course catalog for more information about the minor in Asian studies.

Maya Todd

"I found immense support from biology faculty and pre-health advisors throughout my time at UT. My science courses certainly prepared me very well for medical school, but more importantly, I always felt comfortable reaching out to faculty for help and advice. I truly believe that the relationships I built at UT are the reason why I am where I am today."

Katie Sherman ’22, B.S in Biology; Indiana University School of Medicine '26