Declaration in or before Summer 2019
Last update: February 2022
Major Overview
Asian Studies draws on the resources of many departments to provide a comprehensive program of study on Asia (especially East Asia). Majors may concentrate on a geographic area, field, or theme(s). By combining language with the study of politics, history, society, art, religion and philosophy, and literature, each student can construct a major tailored to individual interests.
Temple's campus in Japan provides students an experience in the region while taking their coursework. It is possible for students to arrange internships for credit by making contact with an organization willing to accept them and working with a faculty supervisor. The Office of Career Development offers assistance in identifying internship opportunities.
The curriculum gives students a foundation for living or working in Asia, or continuing their studies through developing a knowledge base, cross-cultural sensitivity, analytical thinking, and communication and writing skills in English and an Asian language. After graduation, students find employment in media, government, financial services, trading companies, nonprofit organizations, or educational institutions. Some enter graduate programs in law, business, or academic fields, including Asian Studies.
The Asian Studies program will assist students in:
- understanding the broad foundations of at least one major Asian culture, including the history, culture, and socio-economic-political organization,
- recognizing the utility of different humanistic and social science disciplines in understanding a culture,
- understanding the distinction between theory and data and the links between the two components while drawing generalizations from actual social experience,
- recognizing the way language serves as a foundation of culture,
- understanding the issues and requirements of cross-cultural communication, and
- taking more initiative in educating themselves, to make analytical generalizations, to make ethical choices, and to feel confident in these and other exercises of personal responsibility.