Asian Studies
Introduction
Coordinator - L.S. Kawamura
The Asian Studies program is a collaborative offering of the Faculties of Communication and Culture, Humanities and Social Sciences. It includes a BA in East Asia, a minor/concentration in South Asian Studies and minors in East Asian Studies, Chinese and Japanese already offered through the Faculties of Communication and Culture and Humanities. This umbrella structure provides an institutional basis for the strengthening of interdisciplinary offerings in East Asia and for future developments of a similar nature in the areas of South Asia and the ASEAN nations. The program is designed for students with an interdisciplinary interest in Asia. Career opportunities for graduates of this program exist in government departments, the diplomatic services or private corporations with business concerns in the area. Students may wish to consider undertaking a double Major with a disciplinary subject such as Political Science or Philosophy, especially if they are contemplating proceeding to graduate work. Combinations with other interdisciplinary majors could well be considered also. As well, the East Asia Major may be combined with a Development Studies, Chinese or Japanese Minor; in no case, however, may the same course count towards both the Major and the Minor. See the relevant faculty sections of this Calendar for further information on these Minors. Disciplinary Minors should also be considered. |
BA in East Asian Studies
Admission
First-year and transfer students wishing to enrol in the East Asia Major within the Asian Studies program must meet minimum admission requirements as set out in the Academic Regulations section at the front of this Calendar. All applicants must have included English Language Arts 30-1, and Pure Mathematics 30 (or Mathematics 31) or a language (other than English) at the 30 level, or their equivalents. All students must satisfy the Effective Writing Requirement as outlined in the Academic Regulations section (at the front) of this Calendar. Upon admission to the East Asia Major, students are required to have their schedule of courses approved by the Co-ordinator of the Asian Studies program. Students are advised to read and carefully consider all regulations and, in cases of doubt as to the precise meaning of any statement or regulation, to consult with the Co-ordinator of the Asian Studies program or the Associate Dean (Student Affairs) of one of the three faculties (Communication and Culture, Humanities, or Social Sciences). |
Requirements
1. Successful completion of an approved program equivalent to 20 full courses. (a) A minimum grade point average of 2.00 must be achieved over all 20 courses. (b) Not more than three full "D" or "D+" grades will be allowed in the 20 courses. (c) Not more than one full "D" or "D+" grade may be in the Major field. 2. (a) Not more than 10 of the required 20 courses may be transferred from other institutions and counted towards the degree. (b) Students may transfer a maximum of four full-course equivalents in their major field and a total maximum of 10 full-course equivalents from other institutions. 3. Successful completion of at least seven full-course equivalents in the Major field. 4. At least one full-course equivalent must be from the Faculty of Social Sciences. 5. At least 12 full-course equivalents numbered 300 or above. 6. A minimum grade of C- in General Studies 300. 7. A minimum of twelve full-course equivalents must be taken from courses offered in the Faculties of Communication and Culture, Humanities, Science and Social Sciences. A maximum of one full-course equivalent activity course (Dance Education Activity/Theory and Physical Education Activity/Theory) may be credited towards degree program requirements. 8. Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.00 over the major field. | |
The requirements for the Major field (item 3 above) will be composed of the following: | |
Foundational: one full-course equivalent (East Asia 300) Frameworks/Methods: one full-course equivalent Language: two full-course equivalents (minimum) Capstone: one full-course equivalent (East Asia 500) Optional Courses: to bring total to a minimum of seven full-course equivalents. | |
Foundational Course | East Asia 300 |
Conceptual Frameworks and Methods Requirement | One half-course offered from each of the Faculties of Social Sciences and Humanities (total: one full-course equivalent). These courses will provide the conceptual framework in at least two disciplines to prepare for an interdisciplinary study of the East Asian region. The specific list of courses reflects the likely emphases of the Capstone course, East Asia 500, and thus provides the conceptual framework for advanced study. |
Faculty of Humanities | Comparative Literature 203 Philosophy 201 Religious Studies 205 |
Faculty of Social Sciences | Anthropology 203 Economics 203 (pre/corequisite Economics 201 or consent of the Department) Geography 251 Linguistics 201 Political Science 201 Sociology 201 |
Language Component | Students will be required to complete at least two full-course equivalents in either Chinese or Japanese language from the following courses: |
Capstone Course | East Asia 500 |
Optional Courses | A minimum of four half courses and a maximum of 10 half courses must be chosen from the following options. Within a student's overall program, a minimum of one and one-half full-course equivalents at the 400/500/600 level must be completed (including East Asia 500). The following courses are grouped by Faculty for convenience. So grouped, students may choose to concentrate in an arts and civilization stream (broadly speaking, Fine Arts, Humanities) or a contemporary issues stream (broadly speaking, Communication and Culture, Social Sciences, Policy and Education, Haskayne School of Business). Students are free, however, to choose any combination of the courses from any of these Faculties towards their Major. At least two full-course equivalents and not more than five full-course equivalents from the following: |
Faculty of Communication and Culture | Development Studies 201 or 375 East Asian Studies 317 (may be counted towards the Major only if completed prior to entrance into the East Asia Major), 319, 321 |
Faculty of Humanities | Japanese 309, 311, 313, 317, 341, 461 Humanities 305 Religious Studies 203, 313, 323, 359, 595 (when applicable), 603 (when applicable) |
Faculty of Social Sciences | Anthropology 303 (when applicable), 323, 427 History 209, 315, 317, 389, 405 Political Science 501 (when applicable) |
Other Faculties | Strategy and Global Management 573 |
Regulations
Students in the East Asia Major within the Asian Studies program are governed by the Academic Regulations of the three Faculties (Communication and Culture, Humanities, and Social Sciences) as well as the Academic Regulations section (at the front) of this Calendar. With two exceptions, the three Faculties have the same academic regulations. These exceptions are the criteria for determining probationary status and dismissal and the grade point average criterion needed to carry more than five courses in any one academic session. In both cases, students in the East Asia Major within the Asian Studies program will follow the regulations listed in the Faculty of Humanities section of this Calendar. For all other regulations, students may consult the Calendar section for any of the three faculties. |
Minor in East Asian Studies
The minor in East Asian Studies is offered by the Faculty of Communication and Culture. Program details can be found in the Communication and Culture section of this Calendar. |