The Asian Studies Program recognizes the important role that Asia and Asian people play in the world today. Students minoring in Asian studies choose courses from an interdisciplinary curriculum that allows them to explore aspects of Asian society and history that can complement their major field of study, e.g., business administration, history, global and international studies, literature, religious studies, political science, Chinese, or the fine and performing arts. At present, eight different departments contribute their disciplinary perspectives to the Asian studies curriculum.
Asian Studies aims to provide students with the global competence and humility central to success in the world today and in the future. Students minoring in the program will be on their way to fulfilling Nazareth University’s foreign language requirement by studying Chinese, the Asian language presently offered. They also are encouraged to study abroad in an Asian country through currently existing programs (in Japan, Korea, Cambodia, or China) or others under development. The Asian Studies Program also contributes to the university-wide goal of infusing the curriculum with international perspectives and content.
Educating students for global competence, humility, and curiosity entails fostering a deeper understanding of the complex role that Asian regions play in the process of globalization. In our emerging global society the processes of cultural transformation, exchange, and diffusion are not unidirectional, but multilateral. Students will explore the growing influence of Asian societies upon the United States and other parts of the world, and learn how various dimensions of globalization transcend geographic, economic, political, and socio-cultural boundaries.