Program Overview

Asian Studies Major

The Asian Studies major at CU-Boulder offers an interdisciplinary exploration of Asia, allowing students to delve into the region's rich diversity through a wide range of courses. Many students choose Asian Studies as a second major to complement fields like history, international affairs, and geography. As part of the major, students will gain a solid foundation in Asian history and have the opportunity to study an Asian language, such as Arabic, Chinese, Hindi/Urdu, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Sanskrit, or Tibetan. The program culminates in ASIA 4830, a capstone course where students will explore a research topic of interest to them in depth. Exemplary papers from this course will have the opportunity to be published in the Colorado Journal of Asian Studies.

Upon completing the program, students will have received a broad and personalized education in Asian Studies, equipping them with a deep understanding of the region's history, culture, and contemporary dynamics.

Asian Studies Advisors

Faculty Advisor

Lauren Collins is a scholar whose work explores the global study abroad industry as well as memory politics in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Americas. She oversees the curricular aspects of the Asian Studies program, teaching lecture courses that introduce students to this incredibly diverse region and in-depth seminars that explore topics such as urbanization, environmental issues in Southeast Asia, and the politics of memory. Lauren also enthusiastically advises students interested in conducting their own research on various aspects of culture, history, and politics in Asia, broadly construed.

Academic Advisor

Christine Luft is the academic advisor for the Asian Studies program.

Program Details

• The study of Asia is highly relevant and important in this global age, with influences on the Western world seen in economics, politics, music, the arts, entertainment, and religion.
• The Asian Studies major offers an interdisciplinary exploration of Asia, allowing students to delve into the region's rich diversity through a wide range of courses.
• Students will gain a solid foundation in Asian history and have the opportunity to study an Asian language.
• The program culminates in ASIA 4830, a capstone course where students will explore a research topic of interest to them in depth.
• Exemplary papers from this course will have the opportunity to be published in the Colorado Journal of Asian Studies.
• A minor in Asian Studies is also available.
• The University of Colorado offers minors in Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese, and a certificate in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies, which provide further opportunity for regional specialization within the Asian Studies major.

Center for Asian Studies

The Center for Asian Studies is located at UCB 366, Denison Arts & Sciences, 1080 Broadway, Boulder, CO.

Additional Information

• CAS Initiatives:
  • Tibetan and Himalayan Studies
  • Southeast Asian Studies
  • Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum (CLAC)
  • Partnerships for International Strategies in Asia (PISA)
  • A Tale of Two Asias: Living In and Beyond the Nuclear Age
  • China Made: Asian Infrastructures and the ‘China Model’ of Development
• Asian Studies Major:
  • Core Curriculum and Major Requirements
  • General Education Requirements
  • Facilities, Programs, and Opportunities
  • Career Possibilities
• Asian Studies Minor
• Cost of Attendance
• Asian Studies Graduate Certificate
• Certificate in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies
• Course Lists
• Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships
• Study Abroad in Asia
• Summer Language Programs
• Colorado Journal of Asian Studies
• Careers