2024-2025 Catalog

Asian Studies

The Asian Studies major is intended for students who wish to engage in the study of societies and cultures from the Asian region. Building upon an interdisciplinary and transnational foundation, the Asian Studies major encourages students to pursue one or more disciplinary approaches to the study of Asia, such as art history, diplomacy and world affairs, history, Chinese language and culture, Japanese language and culture, literature, film and media, arts and culture, politics, and religious studies. Students may also explore particular issues of Asia across boundaries and disciplines.

Major

A minimum of 10 courses (to be selected from a pre-approved list of Asia-related courses, and not including the 2 units of senior comps work).

Survey Course

Students must select one course from the list below:

AMST 280/DWA 246The United States and East Asia

4 units

ARTH 160Introduction to East Asian Art

4 units

ASN 221Asian Feminisms

4 units

DWA 253Security in Asia

4 units

HIST 141East Asian Survey

4 units

POLS 227East Asian Politics: China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan

4 units

RELS 160How to Live and Die Well in Buddhist Traditions

4 units

Language

At least two semesters of Chinese or Japanese numbered 201 or above.

Seminar

The following courses may count toward the one-course seminar requirement. Students are encouraged to take the seminar by the end of their junior year and to select from the list below in consultation with their major advisor.

ARTH 360Women in Art in East Asia

4 units

ARTH 365Gender and Art in Japan

4 units

HIST 245/DWA 245China and the World

4 units

HIST 344Contemporary China: Reform, Rise, and Crisis

4 units

HIST 346The Transformation of Urban and Rural China

4 units

HIST 348The Chinese Cultural Revolution and the Global Sixties

4 units

RELS 261Between Empire and Appropriation: Buddhism in the Modern World

4 units

RELS 276Empire and Religion in Asia and the Pacific

4 units

RELS 335Downloading Deities, Mediating Meditation, Streaming Spirits: Religion and Media in Asia

4 units

Electives

Students must select six additional courses. In addition to CHIN and JAPN courses (numbered 201 and above) and any 4-unit ASN course, students may select additional electives from the surveys and seminars listed above or from the list below:

AMST 270Asian American Literature

4 units

AMST 272/ASN 272Asian Immigrants in American Society

4 units

AMST 280/DWA 246The United States and East Asia

4 units

ARTH 160Introduction to East Asian Art

4 units

ARTH 268The Japanese Woodblock Print

4 units

ARTH 360Women in Art in East Asia

4 units

ARTH 365Gender and Art in Japan

4 units

ASN 130Introduction to Korean Society and Culture

4 units

ASN 131Korean Pop Culture

4 units

ASN 150/CSLC 150The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons: Masterpieces of Classical Chinese Literature

4 units

ASN 161/CSLC 161Modern Japanese Literature

4 units

ASN 193Directed Research

2 or 4 units

ASN 221Asian Feminisms

4 units

ASN 252/CSLC 252To Dwell or to Wander: Reading Confucius and Zhuangzi

4 units

ASN 253/CSLC 253The Golden Era: Literature of China's Tang and Song Dynasty

4 units

ASN 260/CSLC 260Popular Culture and Literary Traditions of Early Modern Japan

4 units

ASN 293Directed Research

2 or 4 units

ASN 295/CSLC 295Topics in Asian Studies

4 units

ASN 393Directed Research

2 or 4 units

CSLC 150/ASN 150The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons: Masterpieces of Classical Chinese Literature

4 units

CSLC 252/ASN 252To Dwell or to Wander: Reading Confucius and Zhuangzi

4 units

CSLC 253/ASN 253The Golden Era: Literature of China's Tang and Song Dynasty

4 units

DWA 237Cuba, Vietnam, China: Communism in a Post-Communist World

4 units

DWA 238Identity and Citizenship: The South Asian Diaspora

4 units

DWA 245/HIST 245China and the World

4 units

DWA 253Security in Asia

4 units

EDUC 211Asian American Education in K-16 Contexts

4 units

HIST 141East Asian Survey

4 units

HIST 169/RELS 169Transpacific Movements and Activisms: Asian and Asian American Connections Across the Pacific

4-units

HIST 242Imperial China

4 units

HIST 243Modern China: Colonialism, Nationalism, and Revolution

4 units

HIST 245/DWA 245China and the World

4 units

HIST 248Modern Japan

4 units

HIST 249Modern Korea

4 units

HIST 344Contemporary China: Reform, Rise, and Crisis

4 units

HIST 346The Transformation of Urban and Rural China

4 units

HIST 348The Chinese Cultural Revolution and the Global Sixties

4 units

MUSC 103Music of Asia and the Pacific Islands

4 units

PHIL 213Medieval Arabic-Islamic Philosophy

4 units

POLS 226Contemporary Chinese Politics

4 units

POLS 227East Asian Politics: China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan

4 units

RELS 120How to Live in the Midst of Dying: Religion and Climate Change

4 units

RELS 150Introduction to Islam

4 units

RELS 160How to Live and Die Well in Buddhist Traditions

4 units

RELS 215Shamans, Sages, and Spirits in East Asia

4 units

RELS 252Islam and Capitalism

4 units

RELS 255What is the Shari’a? Justice, Law, and Ethics in Islam

4 units

RELS 256Borderland Buddhisms: Religion in Tibet and the Himalayas

4 units

RELS 258Magic, Morality, and Modernity in China

4 units

RELS 261Between Empire and Appropriation: Buddhism in the Modern World

4 units

RELS 266Sexuality and Gender in Buddhism

4 units

RELS 276Empire and Religion in Asia and the Pacific

4 units

RELS 335Downloading Deities, Mediating Meditation, Streaming Spirits: Religion and Media in Asia

4 units

Students may also apply MAC 244 as an elective if they have enrolled in the "The Female in Japanese Film and Media" or the "Asian American Film and Media" sections of the course.

Students may also apply MAC 246 as an elective if they have enrolled in the "New Waves of Asian Cinema" section of the course.

Students may also apply MAC 248 as an elective if they have enrolled in the "Transpacific Social Justice" section of the course.

Students may also apply MAC 260 as an elective if they have enrolled in the "Women Making Moves" section of the course.

Honors in the Major

Students with an overall GPA of 3.25 and a major GPA of 3.50 may submit an honors research proposal at the end of the fall semester of the senior year. If the proposal is supported by two faculty advisors, the student will enroll in a 2-unit Directed Research in the spring to expand the fall semester senior comprehensive paper into a 40-page paper that will be evaluated to determine whether the student has achieved Honors.

Minor

Five courses (20 units) from the Asian Studies course list. CHIN 201 and JAPN 201 or above may be counted toward the minor. At least two of these courses must be taken at Occidental.