Bachelor of Arts: Asian and Asian American Studies

BA in Asian and Asian American Studies

The Bachelor of Arts in Asian and Asian American Studies (AAAS) highlights diverse histories and cultures in Asia and Asian diasporas and encourages work that is interdisciplinary, comparative, or global in methodology and theory. AAAS majors take wide-ranging courses that foster critical analysis of Asian and Asian diasporic communities across national and oceanic borders and in global and local contexts. Students benefit from the transnational scholarship of both Asianists and Asian Americanists in productive dialogue.

Students majoring in AAAS must choose one of the following three tracks:

• Asian American and Diaspora Studies, with particular focus on the social, cultural, and historical aspects of Asians in the United States and the Americas at large.
• Asian Comparative Studies, with particular focus on comparative studies that encompass two or more Asian countries and/or regions.
• South Asian Studies, with particular focus on the social, cultural and intellectual history of the nations of South Asia.

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Requirements

• Major Requirements

  AAAS Majors must choose one of the following three tracks: 1) Asian American and Diaspora Studies, 2) Asian Comparative Studies, or 3) South Asian Studies.

  Each AAAS Major track requires eleven (11) courses.
  Students must successfully complete the following: 

  • Five AAAS courses in the major track. 
  • One core AAAS course in Asian American and Diaspora Studies.
  • One core AAAS course in Asian Studies.
  • Four elective courses. These courses may be AAAS content courses and/or CHIN/JPN/KOR language courses. 

  Note: There is no language requirement for the AAAS major, however students may choose up to four language courses for electives.

  Upper-level Requirements

  Six of the eleven required courses for the major must be at the 300 or 400 level. These six upper-level courses must include:

  • Two 400-level AAAS seminars, at least one of which must be in the major track. 
  • Four other 300 or 400-level courses, including AAAS content courses and/or CHIN/JPN/KOR language courses

  In addition to the above requirements:

  • Students must earn a C or better for a course to count toward the major.
  • A course must be three or more credits to count toward the major.
  • Any CHIN/JPN/KOR language courses cannot be taken Pass/Fail. 
  • No more than one AAAS (non-language) course may be taken Pass/Fail.
  • No more than one course may be an independent study.
  • Residency Requirement: At least six courses must be taken at Binghamton University.
• Minor Requirements

   The AAAS minor requires six (6) courses.

  Students must successfully complete the following: 

  • One core course in Asian Studies
  • One core course in Asian American and Diaspora Studies
  • Four additional courses. These courses may be AAAS content courses and up to two CHIN/JPN/KOR language courses. 

  Note: There is no language requirement for the AAAS minor, however students may choose up to two Asian language courses for the minor.

  Of the six required courses:

  • Two or more courses must be at the 100 or 200 level.
  • Two or more courses must be at the 300 or 400 level.
  • One or more courses must be at the 400 level.

  In addition to the above requirements:

  • Students must earn a C or better for a course to count toward the minor.
  • A course must be three or more credits to count toward the minor.
  • Language courses (CHIN/ JPN/ KOR) may not be taken Pass/Fail.
  • No more than one AAAS (non-language) course may be taken Pass/Fail.
  • No more than one course may be an independent study.
  • Residency Requirement: At least four courses must be taken at Binghamton University.

Courses for AAAS Majors & Minors

Declare the AAAS Major or Minor

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Asian American and Diaspora Studies

The Asian American and Diaspora Studies program offers students an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Asian diasporic communities. The program's intellectual purview includes the study of Asian communities situated outside Asia, as well as communities that reside as minorities within the continent, with special interest in studies of majority-minority relations. Particular focus is paid to Asians in the Americas, which includes those in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The course offerings are wide-ranging and rigorous, consisting of lower- and upper-division undergraduate courses and advanced-level graduate courses.

Through its diverse curriculum and sponsorship of Asian American- and Asian diaspora-related events, the program provides students with an invaluable education into the historical, cultural, and political dimensions of diasporic and minority experiences. The program endeavors to not only build bridges between but amalgamate distinct but related scholarly arenas, including ethnic studies with area studies; Asian American Studies with African American, Latino, Caribbean, and Native American Studies; and Asian and Asian American scholarship with global, transnational, and diasporic approaches.

The program is also committed to the important task of narrowing the traditional gaps that have hindered beneficial relationships between academy and community, faculty and students, and knowledge and experience.

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Asian American and Diaspora Studies Faculty

South Asia Studies Faculty