The Asian Area Studies Minor is offered through the Humanities Program, located in the Department for Interdisciplinary Studies (IDST). IDST is the intellectual home for a group of distinct interdisciplinary programs in the humanities and social sciences that serve the teaching, research, and public service missions of the University
The interdisciplinary minor in Asian Area Studies focuses on the great cultural traditions of the Middle East, South Asia (including India), East Asia (China, Japan, and Korea), Southeast Asia, and Central Asia. The majority of the earth’s peoples belong to one of these cultures, influential for many centuries and representing some on the world’s most unique, sophisticated, and important visions of the human experience. Students explore how various Asian traditions explain and represent this experience in literature, philosophy, religion, history, the social sciences, and the arts. Students will work closely with an advisor to shape a program that reflects the student’s interest within a range of offerings available for the program.