Asian American Studies Undergraduate Minor

[For current, upcoming, and past course offerings, click on the "Courses" link in the right-hand menu.]

The minor enables students to pursue an academic concentration in the rapidly growing field of Asian American Studies (AAS). 

Since its inception in the late 1960s, AAS has developed into a vitally important part of higher education, focusing primarily on the histories, cultures, and communities of peoples of Asian descent in the United States. 

Interdisciplinary by nature, AAS is conducted within and draws upon such areas of study as history, literary studies, sociology, political science, anthropology, and the arts. 

By minoring in Asian American Studies, students will have the unique opportunity to explore a range of questions and issues—such as immigration and racialization, ethnic and cultural identity formation, gender and sexuality, war and imperialism, transnational social linkages, and cross-cultural expressive practices—that are central to a critical understanding of our contemporary world.

 

Asian American Studies Courses (9 credits)

  • African American and African Studies/Comparative Studies/Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies 4921: Intersections: Approaches to Race, Gender, Class, and Sexuality
     
  • Comparative Studies 2321: Introduction to Asian American Studies
     
  • Comparative Studies 4803/English 4587: Studies in Asian American Literature and Culture
     
  • East Asian Languages and Literatures 3446: Asian American Film
     
  • History 2079: Introduction to Asian American History
     
  • History 3612/Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies 4401: Asian American Women: Race, Sex, & Representations

 

Elective (3 credits)

The elective can be fulfilled through several means: 

  • By taking a fourth Asian American Studies course (any listed above)
  • By taking a course that focuses on Asian history and culture
  • By taking a course that focuses on race and ethnicity in the United States
  • Or by doing an independent study in any of the above areas

 

Courses that explore Asian history and culture or with U.S. ethnic/racial minorities can fulfill the elective requirement include:

  • African American and African Studies
  • Anthropology
  • Art Education
  • Chinese
  • Communication
  • Comparative Studies
  • East Asian Languages and Literatures
  • Economics
  • Education
  • English
  • Geography
  • History
  • History of Art
  • International Studies
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Linguistics
  • Music
  • Philosophy
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Social Work
  • Sociology
  • Theatre
  • Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies  

 

Notes

  • Language courses (i.e., Chinese 1101) do not count toward the AAS minor
     
  • Please also see the Arts and Sciences advising sheet linked above for specific examples
     
  • *Contact individual faculty members for independent research or fieldwork
     
  • Courses that engage significantly with Asian American content may count toward the 9 AAS credit hours with approval of the minor advisor.
     
  • Please contact the advisor and/or consult the "Courses" tab on the website for further information.
     
  • No more than six credit hours at the 2000-level may count toward the minor. Up to six credit hours may overlap with General Education requirements.
     
  • 1000-level courses cannot count toward the minor.
     

For more information about the Asian American Studies minor, contact:

  • Pranav Jani
  • Associate Professor, Department of English
  • Program Director and Academic Advisor, Asian American Studies Program
  • jani.4@osu.edu