Asian Studies
Looking to add a global edge to your career after graduation? The interdisciplinary ASN focus and minor expands your knowledge of the world through the study of how traditional cultures across the Asian continent and North Africa inform present-day decision-making. You can choose from a wide variety of courses in history, art history, political science, geography, music, religion, and languages (Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese) within the department of Comparative Cultural Studies and across many colleges at NAU.
Courses
Interested in learning more about focusing in Asian Studies? Contact Program Coordinator Dr. Zsuzsanna Gulacsi for more information about pursuing a focus or minor in Asian Studies.
Study Abroad
NAU students may earn credits through exchange programs in Asia and the Middle East. Contact the Center for International Education for more information. Interested in studying abroad to fulfill a minor in Asian Studies? Meet with one of the Asian Studies faculty and review the Asian Studies courses available.
Learning outcomes
Students who pursue an emphasis in Asian Studies will gain the following skills:
Critical thinking Accordion Closed
Graduates with a focus in Asian Studies will have learned to assess the validity of arguments, evidence, and conclusions in scholarly publications regarding global knowledge of Asian Studies based on historical, cultural, linguistic, social scientific, and artistic analyses.
Critical reading Accordion Closed
Graduates with a focus in Asian Studies will have acquired skills to identify and evaluate Asian studies perspectives, values, and claims made in original works and the scholarship regarding those works.
Effective writing Accordion Closed
Graduates with a focus in Asian Studies will have demonstrated the ability to articulate a thesis, provide comprehensive analysis of evidence, and suggest well-grounded conclusions in a variety of professionally executed documents.
Civil discourse Accordion Closed
Graduates with a focus in Asian Studies will know how to conduct themselves among their peers in terms of offering and being receptive to constructive criticism in regard to a global understanding of cultural differences and social conditions. ASN graduates will have the ability to negotiate cultural differences in social and professional contexts.
Interdisciplinarity Accordion Closed
Graduates with a focus in Asian Studies will have familiarized themselves with interdisciplinary methods fundamental to global scholarly work in Asian Studies pertaining to a minimum of three disciplines covered in the Asian Studies minor curriculum, such as art history, geography, history, humanities, languages, comparative literature, musicology, philosophy, political science, and religious studies.
Accordion Closed
Global Asian Studies awareness
Graduates with a focus in Asian Studies will gain an awareness of, and respect for, differing cultural viewpoints. Graduates will understand how expressions of human values and aspirations pertaining to various cultures are created and received, will evaluate conflicting claims, and will be able to apply this understanding to interpersonal and professional settings in their various post-graduate careers.