Asian Studies: Bachelor of Arts Major

Description

The Bachelor of Arts, Major in Asian Studies degree allows students to develop the knowledge and skills characteristic of a traditional BA program while preparing them to respond creatively to the challenges they will encounter in an increasingly interconnected world. In this four-year interdisciplinary program, students will not only acquire practical skills that they can employ in their multicultural communities locally, they will also develop the intellectual and cultural skills required to operate successfully in a world where the nations of East and South Asia are increasingly influential.

Asian Studies students begin their first year of studies with courses that broadly introduce the countries and cultures of East and South Asia, as well as some of the social science methodologies required in upper level courses. As they progress to more narrowly defined regional courses, students will examine in greater depth the societies, cultures, political systems, economies, and histories of the peoples and nations of South and East Asia, as well as their interactions with Canada and the rest of the world.

Courses in the Asian Studies program tend to be reading and writing intensive. Therefore, we recommend that students complete the English requirements for the BA degree within their first two years at KPU.

Admission Requirements

Students pursuing a major in Asian Studies must be admitted to the Faculty of Arts.

Declaration Requirements

Students intending to graduate with this Faculty of Arts Bachelor’s degree must declare the credential by the time they complete 60 credits of undergraduate coursework. At the time of declaration, the student must satisfy all of the following requirements:

In good academic standing with the University
Completion of a minimum of 18 credits of undergraduate coursework, including the following with a minimum grade of “C”:
- 3 credits of ENGL at the 1100 level or higher
- 6 credits at the 1100 level or higher in the Major area

Curricular Requirements

Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree must complete all requirements in the Bachelor of Arts Framework in addition to their major or minor program requirements.

Note: A first-year English course, ENGL 1100, is a requirement of this program. This course has prerequisites that may require a student to complete additional preparatory courses.

Asian Studies Major

The following requirements are to be completed for the Bachelor of Arts, Asian Studies Major program.

Lower Level

Students are required to complete 18 credits of lower level Asian Studies designated core courses with at least 12 of these credits at the 2000 level. Language courses cannot be applied to this requirement. Note that many 2000 level courses require specific course prerequisites at the 1000 level.

Courses with a primary focus on Asian Studies content and/or issues but which are not included in this list may be considered as credits for the Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies upon request for course substitution by students declared in the program. Students must consult with a Arts Degree Advisor or the Asian Studies Degree Coordinator to confirm eligibility.

1000 Level
	ASIA 1111	The Religions of India (formerly HUMN 1111)	3 credits
	ASIA 1311	Religions of East Asia	3 credits
	CUST 1200 / JAPN 1200	Introduction to Contemporary Japanese Society and Culture	3 credits
	HIST 1150	Introduction to Traditional East Asia	3 credits
	HIST 1160	Introduction to South Asian History	3 credits
2000 Level
	ASIA 2120	Introduction to Chinese and Japanese Cinema	3 credits
	ASIA 2150 / HIST 2150	Tea in China and Japan	3 credits
	ASIA 2151	Folklore of China and Japan	3 credits
	ASIA 2156 / HIST 2156	Martial Arts of China and Japan	3 credits
	ASIA 2250	South Asians Around the Globe	3 credits
	ASIA 2252	Indian Society Through Popular Film	3 credits
	ASIA 2355 / HIST 2355	The Chinese Overseas: A Global History of Chinese Migration	3 credits
	ASIA 2399	Readings in Asian Studies	3 credits
	GEOG 2185	Regional Geography of East Asia	3 credits
	GEOG 2190	Regional Geography of South Asia	3 credits
	HIST 2350	Late Imperial China	3 credits
	HIST 2375	Japan under the Shoguns	3 credits
	PHIL 2115	Asian Philosophy	3 credits
	POLI 2140	Comparative Politics of Asia	3 credits
	SOCI 2230	Racialization and Ethnicity in Canada	3 credits
	SOCI 2285	Gods in the Global Village	3 credits

Upper Level

Students are required to take 30 credits of upper level courses from the list of core courses approved for the Asian Studies Major, with at least 12 credits at the 4000 level. Language courses cannot be applied to this requirement. Note that many 3000 and 4000 level courses require specific course prerequisites at the 1000 and 2000 levels.

Courses with a primary focus on Asian Studies content and/or issues but which are not included in this list may be considered as credits for the Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies upon request for course substitution by students declared in the program. Students must consult with an Arts Degree Advisor or the Asian Studies Degree Coordinator to confirm eligibility.

The 30 credits of upper level courses must include at least one of the following capstone courses:

	ASIA 4350	Canadian East and South Asian Communities	3 credits
	ASIA 4900	Directed Research Project in Asian Studies	3 credits

The remaining upper level credits are to be completed from the following list of core courses approved for the Asian Studies Major:

3000 Level
	ANTH 3130	Sikh Culture, Religion and Society	3 credits
	ANTH 3330	East Asian Archeology	3 credits
	ASIA 3140 / HIST 3140	Environment and Society in East Asia	3 credits
	ASIA 3149 / HIST 3149	Hong Kong: Past, Present, and Future	3 credits
	ASIA 3150 / HIST 3150	East Asian Immigrants to North America	3 credits
	ASIA 3151	Gender in East Asia	3 credits
	ASIA 3152	Ethnicity in China and Japan	3 credits
	ASIA 3154	Chinese Cinema and Society	3 credits
	ASIA 3230	Islam in South Asia	3 credits
	ASIA 3240	Sikh Gurus and their Teachings	3 credits
	ASIA 3255	Gender in South Asia	3 credits
	ENGL 3345	Diasporic Literatures	3 credits
	HIST 3350	China in the Twentieth Century	3 credits
	HIST 3360	British India, 1857–1947	3 credits
	HIST 3361	The Indian Subcontinent since 1947	3 credits
	HIST 3370	Modern Japan	3 credits
	HIST 3380	World War II in the Pacific	3 credits
	JAPN 3310 / CUST 3310	Japanese Culture and Business	3 credits
	JAPN 3320 / CUST 3320	Japanese Culture Through Film	3 credits
	JAPN 3350 / CUST 3350	Contemporary Japanese Society and Culture: Field School	6 credits
	POLI 3146	Government and Politics of India	3 credits
	POLI 3240	Chinese Government and Politics	3 credits
	SOCI 3230	International Migration and Ethnic Communities	3 credits
4000 Level
	ASIA 4350	Canadian East and South Asian Communities	3 credits
	ASIA 4351	Advanced Topics in Asian Cinema	3 credits
	ASIA 4499	Selected Topics in Asian Studies	3 credits
	ASIA 4900	Directed Research Project in Asian Studies	3 credits
	HIST 4450	China and the West	3 credits
	HIST 4455	Sages and Statecraft in China	3 credits
	HIST 4460	Gandhi in History	3 credits
	HIST 4470	The Samurai	3 credits
	HIST 4480	The American Experience in Vietnam	3 credits
	JAPN 4320 / CUST 4320	Understanding Japanese Culture through Literature	3 credits
	POLI 4125	The Politics of Multiculturalism in Canada	3 credits
	SOCI 4275	Diversity and the Media	3 credits

Language Requirement (Major only)

Students in the Bachelor of Arts, Asian Studies Major program must complete at least 12 credits in a single approved Asian language. It is strongly recommended that these courses be completed in years one and two. The Asian Studies language requirement satisfies the language requirement of the BA Framework. Students who can demonstrate oral and written competency in an approved East or South Asian language may request an assessment to have the BA Asian Studies language requirement waived in part or in full. Students requesting an assessment must contact the Asian Studies Degree Coordinator for further details.

Students may choose from the following Asian language courses:
	JAPN 1100	Basic Japanese I	3 credits
	JAPN 1101	Basic Japanese II	3 credits
	JAPN 2200	Intermediate Japanese I	3 credits
	JAPN 2201	Intermediate Japanese II	3 credits
	JAPN 3300	Upper Intermediate Level Japanese I	3 credits
	JAPN 3301	Upper Intermediate Level Japanese II	3 credits
	JAPN 4400	Advanced Japanese I: Conversation	3 credits
	JAPN 4410	Advanced Japanese for Business	3 credits
	MAND 1100	Beginner’s Mandarin I	3 credits
	MAND 1101	Beginner’s Mandarin II	3 credits
	MAND 2200	Intermediate Mandarin I	3 credits
	MAND 2201	Intermediate Mandarin II	3 credits
	MAND 3300	Mandarin for Dialect Speakers I	3 credits
	MAND 3301	Mandarin for Dialect Speakers II	3 credits
	MAND 3310	Upper Intermediate Mandarin I	3 credits
	MAND 3311	Upper Intermediate Mandarin II	3 credits
	MAND 3312	Chinese Language and Culture	3 credits
	MAND 4321	Business Chinese I	3 credits
	MAND 4323	Business Chinese II	3 credits
	MAND 4481	Modern Chinese Literature I	3 credits
	MAND 4483	Modern Chinese Literature II	3 credits
	PUNJ 1100	Introductory Punjabi I	3 credits
	PUNJ 1101	Introductory Punjabi II	3 credits
	PUNJ 2200	Intermediate Punjabi I	3 credits
	PUNJ 2201	Intermediate Punjabi II	3 credits
	PUNJ 3300	Canadian-Punjabi Literature	3 credits

Credential Awarded

Upon successful completion of the major program students are eligible to receive a Bachelor of Arts. Transcripts will indicate a Major in Asian Studies.