BY SAIGOPAL RANGARAJ ‘23
The Asian Studies program at Colorado College provides students with the opportunity to study the world’s most populous continent and its diverse peoples and nations through an interdisciplinary lens covering Asian languages, religions and more. The Asian Studies program offers three 12 unit major tracks – East Asia, South Asia or Global Asia. The first two tracks focus on a sub-region of Asia, while the third offers students the flexibility to study Asia and its connections to the world and to Asian diaspora communities. Each of these interdisciplinary major tracks requires students to take courses in Literature & Arts, Humanistic Inquiry, and Social Science Inquiry. Students majoring in Asian Studies will be required to conduct independent research and write a thesis. The major also provides students the flexibility to take language courses, either Japanese or Chinese (Mandarin) which are offered at CC or an approved Asian language course at an accredited institution. Students can also opt for an interdisciplinary minor in Asian Studies. The minor requires 6 blocks of Asia focussed courses in at least two disciplines.
While CC offers a broad range of Asia-focussed courses, the Asian Studies Program provides students with the opportunity to study abroad through CC blocks away, as well as partner programs in the region. For example, the blocks that students can take include DA230: Performance Away: India and the CC in China Program which offers language classes over Blocks 7 & 8. Previous blocks abroad have traveled to Bali, Hong Kong and Japan to name a few locations that one can explore while studying the major. Partner programs are another great opportunity to study in Asia. These include the ACM program Japan Study program affiliated with Waseda University, ISDSI’s Sustainable Development in Thailand program, or Kansai Gaidai’s Experience Japan program. A full list of all study abroad courses can be found on the Center for Global Education and Field Studies’ website.
Study Abroad programs can be an exciting time to explore a new culture or language, but they come with added financial burdens and uncertainty. The Asian Studies program provides students with the opportunity to have a more immersive language study experience by providing grants for students pursuing advanced language study. The Prize for Asian Language Studies provides students with a $500 grant to support the cost of attending the CC-approved language study program.
The opportunities to study Asia do not end in the classroom. The Asian Studies Program also supports independent work by students interested in Asia and Asian diasporas. The GAYLORD PRIZE for independent study/research in Asian Studies provides students with a grant of up to $1200 to conduct independent research and other projects that enhance understanding of the Asian region and Asian diasporic experiences.
The Asian Studies Program at Colorado College aims to provide students with the resources and skills to study Asia and push the academic frontier on knowledge generated about this amazing continent. Take the plunge by attending a talk, signing up for a class, or getting in touch with a professor. We can’t wait to see how you define your Asian studies journey!
