Founded in 1964, Carleton’s Program in Asian Studies is administered by a committee of faculty drawn from multiple departments. It involves a wide variety of courses and activities aimed at enhancing appreciation and understanding of the art, life, and thought of the cultures of Asia, past and present.
We concentrate on three regions:
East Asia
- China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam
South Asia
- Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tibet
Central Asia
- Afghanistan, Bhutan, Iran, the Islamic former Soviet republics, Manchuria, inner and outer Mongolia, Tibet, Xinjiang
The program consists of courses on Asia in nine departments, extracurricular events on campus, and off-campus studies. An interdisciplinary, regionally-focused major in Asian Studies is offered, which is especially suitable for students with an overriding interest in one or more regions of Asia whose academic needs cannot be met by majoring in a regular department. Students who major in other departments may minor in East Asian Studies or South Asian Studies.