"People of antiquity engaged in learning to cultivate themselves. People today engage in learning with an eye toward others." – Confucius, Analects 14.24
Whether you are registered in one course, in the Associate of Arts degree, or in the BA Major or Minor program, welcome to Asian Studies.
Asian Studies takes a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of Asian culture and society, drawing on fields like anthropology, cultural studies, history, religious studies, and sociology. After our popular introductory class, ASIA 1100, we offer courses on particular themes, including cinema, religion, gender, ethnicity, and diaspora studies. Students in the program explore critical issues of cultural and social diversity both in Asia and in the many Asian diasporic communities throughout the world, including here in British Columbia. Our courses help students develop intercultural competencies, as well as research, writing and oral skills. These competencies and skills can help you succeed in many career paths, from international business to social services.
We are grateful to be able to learn together on this land, the unceded ancestral and traditional territories of the Coast Salish peoples, including the qw̓ ɑ:nƛ̓ ə̓ n̓ (Kwantlen First Nation), who gracefully gifted their name to our university. Asian Studies and KPU are working to integrate Indigenous voices and ways of knowing into our courses and working with our students and community to foster decolonization and reconciliation.