Global Asian Studies (Minor)

Faculty from American Studies; Art, Media, & Design; Chinese Studies; Communications; English; International Studies; Japanese Studies; Latin American/Latino Studies; Modern Languages, among others teach courses in Global Asian Studies. Global Asian Studies thus contributes to developing a fuller and more accurate account of global culture, national and ethnic identity formation and examines the particular ways Asian and Pacific Islanders have articulated their identities in the context of national, social and economic struggles for human and civil rights.

 

Because there is no single Asian identity, our program defines the subject of study broadly and inclusively; we study recent migrants and settled communities, ethnic and national groups from East, South, and Southeast Asia including India, China, Japan, Korea, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, as well as the Pacific Islands and the Philippines.

 

Global Asian Studies program is currently a stand-alone minor program within the college of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at DePaul University.

 

The minor program employs interdisciplinary analysis and approaches from the humanities and social sciences. The program faculty draw upon Asian and Asian American communities to combine university scholarship and classroom teaching. A Global Asian Studies minor offers students analytic and critical thinking skills and encourages a lifelong pursuit of strategies for community empowerment and social change.

 

Students take two required courses and four elective courses offered under the rubric of Global Asian Studies to complete the minor. Many of our courses can also be taken to fulfill domain credits. Our faculty also offer Sophomore Seminar in Multiculturalism courses  on Asian American Art, Asian American Experiences in the U.S. and on Immigrant Entrepreneurs, all of which focus on Asian American communities.

 

We also offer several Study Abroad opportunities.

 

This interdisciplinary minor program draws from over twenty faculty members from across the University to contribute to the program. Areas of expertise include: American studies, pan-Asian American studies, art and art history, Chinese studies, creative writing, cultural studies, film studies, history, inter- and pan-ethnic studies, Japanese studies, Latin American and Latino studies, literature, law, media studies, political science, religious studies, sociology, and women and gender studies.

 

In addition to offering courses, which students can take towards the minor and for domain credit, the Global Asian Studies program provides students with quality co-curricular activities.  We bring in speakers and performers of national renown to provide the latest theoretical, scholarly, or popular culture developments in the field of Global Asian Studies.  These co-curricular activities provide a contemporary link between in-class learning and out-of-the-classroom experiences and are open to the public.

 

Global Asian Studies can lead to a number of career paths in law, academia and the non-profit sector.  Students’ career trajectories in our program range from studio art, literature, history, and modern languages to sociology, psychology, sociology, and law. What they have in common is an interest in Asian and Pacific American and diaspora history and issues of social justice. 

 

"From its origins in the civil rights era, Asian American Studies has been an emergent project intellectually and institutionally. It tracks the growth and evolution of a highly heterogeneous population constantly shifting in location, arrival narratives, socioeconomic class, cultural formations, political identifications, and demography." - Association for Asian American Studies

 

As a field it is closely related to American studies, Asian studies, history, international business, political science and government, and sociology.  Our students go on to graduate school where they can continue their investigation of Global Asian-related scholarship or enroll in professional programs, such as law school or social work. Among other occupations, Global Asian Studies related careers include: advertising, marketing, and public relations managers; arts (visual, performing, literary, music) and media; child, family and school social workers; curators; elementary, middle, and high school teachers; government executives and legislators; historians; human resource managers; postsecondary teachers; philanthropy.

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Not all the courses approved for Global Asian Studies are offered each year. We seek to offer the two core courses, GAS 200 and GAS 205, at least once per year.  Study Abroad trips are offered regularly. Our approved elective course offerings vary from quarter to quarter. Please refer to the Program Degree Requirements for a complete list of approved elective courses. Refer to Campus Connect and the Global Asian Studies website for the latest offerings.