Welcome to Asian Studies

Language, history, culture

The Asian Studies Minor equips students with linguistic and cultural knowledge that will give them a professional advantage in a world that is increasingly shaped by Asian nations like China, India, and Japan.  The diverse course offerings within the minor foster a deeper understanding of cultures that offer alternative answers to the great questions of the humanities and social sciences, including perspectives that are often overlooked in traditional Western curricula.  The study of the history, philosophies, religions, languages, cultures, and political systems of Asian nations also gives students new insights into Western culture and leads them to an appreciation of the complexities of the social and political challenges in the world today.

The Asian Studies Minor offers courses in East Asian, South Asian, and Central Asian studies, anchored by language instruction in Chinese and Japanese.  Sanskrit and Uyghur languages are occasionally taught as well.  The minor allows students the flexibility to explore the interaction of various disciplines through courses chosen from the departments of Religious Studies, History, Languages and Cultures, Philosophy, and Sociology.  Students may concentrate on a particular area of Asia or focus on the interaction of multiple cultural spheres on the continent.

About Asian Studies
Program Requirements
Current Course Offerings
Faculty & Staff
Resources 

About Asian Studies

Mission: The Asian Studies minor allows students to integrate material from diverse perspectives, and allows for the coordination of efforts of professors who up to now have endeavored on an individual basis to offer their students alternatives to Western courses of study.

Loyola has long had a diverse range of courses in Asian studies in its curriculum. These courses are now organized into a coherent minor. The introductory Japanese language course began in the spring semester of 1998 and was soon supplemented in the following years by intermediate and advanced Japanese language courses, Chinese, and Asian culture and history courses. In addition to courses offered by the Department of Languages and Cultures, the Departments of Religious Studies, History, Philosophy, and Sociology also have incorporate various aspects of Asian studies.

Providing opportunities to expand horizons

The most important foreign policy and economic relationships in the world today involve the United States, China & Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. No university in the U.S. can afford to ignore the political and cultural interactions that are taking place in East Asia. China alone represents a full 20 percent of the population of the planet.

The Asian Studies Minor is an integral part of the goal of Loyola University New Orleans to give students opportunities to deepen their interests and knowledge of Asian traditions, history, politics, religion, and literature. The minor is an interdisciplinary endeavor, involving students and faculty of the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Business. Course offerings have been organized into a coherent program that will cover a broad range of both historical and contemporary international issues. Loyola students will be given the opportunity to prepare themselves to participate in the study-abroad programs in China and Japan that are coordinated by the Center for International Education “to promote the internationalization of the university." The Asian Studies Minor also enhances the university’s efforts to seek students from throughout the region, the nation, and the world and to broaden student and faculty interest and understanding of broader global issues.

Program Requirements

The Asian Studies minor is a 21 credit hour program (7 courses) with a wide selection of courses to chose from. Participating students will take language classes in either Chinese or Japanese, as well as a selection of historical and cultural courses to complete the program.

Recent course offerings include:

• Punishment and Power in Modern Japan
• Islam in China, China in Islam
• Modern China
• Buddhist Philosophy
• Modern Japanese Culture

Itemized academic program & course requirements for Asian Studies can be found in the University Bulletin.  

Current Course Offerings

For a list of current course offerings, students can use the Course Section Search on the Loyola Online Records Access (LORA) system to find courses that are eligible for the Asian Studies program. Before declaring Asian Studies as a minor, please contact the program director. 

Faculty

The Asian Studies program is directed by Young Soo Kim, Assistant Professor of Political Science. 

Participating faculty also include: 

• Timothy Cahill
• Catherine Wessinger 

Resources

We hope you will explore the resources listed below.

• Center for International Education