Asian Studies: Bachelor of Arts Major and Minor
Description
The Bachelor of Arts, Major in Asian Studies focuses on the diverse cultures of Asia, our country and our community. The degree allows students to develop the knowledge, core competencies, and skills characteristic of a traditional BA program while preparing them to respond creatively and innovatively to a range of challenges in our community and the world. In this four-year integrated interdisciplinary Asian Studies program, students will acquire a number of practical skills that they can employ in their communities locally, in addition to developing the intellectual and cultural skills that will enable them to operate successfully in a rapidly changing world where the leading countries of East and South Asia are becoming increasingly influential.
A Minor in Asian Studies will allow students in other programs to complement their main field of study with courses from the Asian Studies curriculum. The main focus of the Minor in Asian Studies is to produce graduates who combine expertise in their chosen career field with a high level of understanding of Asian cultural norms.
Students in the Asian Studies program will benefit from our faculty’s commitment to teaching excellence, and from the small class sizes at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Arts degrees enjoy high rates of participant satisfaction, and the literacy and analytical skills developed in such programs create constructive members of society who fit well into the workplace.
Career Opportunities
A graduate who combines Asian language skills with an awareness of the region’s cultural and historical heritage will automatically have a number of advantages over someone who does not. The versatility of the BA in Asian Studies will allow students to design programs of study that will prepare them for careers or further study in areas such as public history, primary and secondary education, professional writing, graduate studies, business or self-employment, community service, law or policing, military, non-governmental organizations, public administration, religious studies, and social work.
Program Admission Requirements
In addition to Kwantlen’s General university admission requirements, including the undergraduate-level English Proficiency Requirement, the following program admission requirements apply:
Year One Admission:
- Grade of 'B' in English 12 (or equivalent)
- Grade of 'C' in either Principles of Math 11 (or equivalent) or Applications of Math 12 (or equivalent).
Year Three Admission:
- 60 credits with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 (including all 1100- and 2000-level major/minor program requirements).
- Grade of 'C' in all required 1000-and 2000-level courses, including the English writing requirement (ENGL 1100 and one of either ENGL 1202 or 1204, or equivalent).
- Two Quantitative courses.
- 12 credits of breadth courses
- Grade of 'C' in either Principles of Math 11 (or equivalent) or Applications of Math 12 (or equivalent).
- Second language at the Grade 11 level or 6 credits of post-secondary language courses in the same language. Note: Students need only achieve a passing grade to fulfill this requirement. Beginner's or Introductory Language 11 courses are ineligible to meet this requirement. Students who can demonstrate competency in a second language may request an assessment to have this requirement waived.
Qualifying Year
Students who do not qualify upon initial application to Kwantlen may be eligible for entry to the Qualifying Year. Students who possess at least a 'C' in English 12 (or equivalent) and a passing grade in Principles of Math 11 (or equivalent) or Applications of Math 12 will be able to apply for entry to the BA Qualifying Year. Students will be admitted to the BA program in the second year provided they have successfully completed appropriate qualifying courses. Other applicants who do not qualify are encouraged to consult an Educational Advisor for the appropriate qualifying courses that satisfy the application criteria.
Program Continuance Requirements
Current BA students must meet the following requirements to continue into their 3rd year of study. Registration access to third or fourth year courses is first awarded to students who have completed the following:- 60 credits with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 (including all 1100- and 2000-level major/minor program requirements).
- Grade of 'C' in all required 1000-and 2000-level courses, including the English writing requirement (ENGL 1100 and one of either ENGL 1202 or 1204, or equivalent).
- Two Quantitative courses.
- 12 credits of breadth courses
- Second language at the Grade 11 level or 6 credits of post-secondary language courses in the same language. Note: Students need only achieve a passing grade to fulfill this requirement. Beginner's or Introductory Language 11 courses are ineligible to meet this requirement. Students who can demonstrate competency in a second language may request an assessment to have this requirement waived.
Content
Asian Studies students begin their first year of studies with courses that broadly introduce the countries and cultures of East and South Asia, as well as some of the social science methodologies required in upper level courses. As they progress to more narrowly defined regional courses, students will examine in greater depth the societies, cultures, political systems, economies and histories of the peoples and nations of South and East Asia, as well as their interactions with Canada and the rest of the world.
Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree must complete all requirements in the Bachelor of Arts Framework in addition to their major or minor program requirements.
Asian Studies Major
The following requirements are to be completed for the Bachelor of Arts, Asian Studies Major program.
Lower Level
Students are required to complete 18 credits of lower level Asian Studies designated core courses with at least 12 of these credits at the 2000 level. Language courses cannot be applied to this requirement. Note that many 2000 level courses require specific course prerequisites at the 1000 level. Other ASIA-related courses may also be eligible to meet these requirements.
1000 Level |
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| ASIA 1111 | Religions of India (formerly HUMN 1111) | 3 credits | |
| CUST 1200 / JAPN 1200 | Introduction to Contemporary Japanese Society and Culture | 3 credits | |
| HIST 1150 | Introduction to Traditional East Asia | 3 credits | |
| HIST 1160 | Introduction to South Asian History | 3 credits | |
2000 Level |
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| ASIA 2250 | South Asians Around the Globe | 3 credits | |
| ASIA 2252 | Indian Society Through Popular Film | 3 credits | |
| ASIA 2255 | Women in Modern India | 3 credits | |
| ASIA 2399 | Readings in Asian Studies | 3 credits | |
| GEOG 2185 | Regional Geography of East Asia | 3 credits | |
| GEOG 2190 | Regional Geography of South Asia | 3 credits | |
| HIST 2350 | Late Imperial China | 3 credits | |
| HIST 2375 | Japan under the Shoguns | 3 credits | |
| HIST 2355 | The Chinese Overseas | 3 credits | |
| PHIL 2115 | Asian Philosophy | 3 credits | |
| POLI 2140 | Comparative Politics of Asia | 3 credits | |
| SOCI 2230 | Racialization and Ethnicity in Canada | 3 credits | |
| SOCI 2285 | Gods in the Global Village | 3 credits | |
Upper Level
Students are required to take 30 credits of upper level courses from the following list of core courses approved for the Asian Studies Major, with at least 12 credits at the 4000 level including at least one of:
| ASIA 4350 | Canadian East and South Asian Communities | 3 credits |
Language courses cannot be applied to this requirement. Note that many courses at the 3000 and 4000 levels require specific course prerequisites at the 1000 and 2000 levels.
3000 Level |
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| ANTH 3130 | The Sikhs: Culture, Religion and Society | 3 credits | |
| ANTH 3330 | East Asian Archeology | 3 credits | |
| HIST 3350 | China in the Twentieth Century | 3 credits | |
| HIST 3360 | British India, 1857–1947 | 3 credits | |
| HIST 3361 | The Indian Subcontinent since 1947 | 3 credits | |
| HIST 3370 | Modern Japan | 3 credits | |
| HIST 3380 | World War II in the Pacific | 3 credits | |
| JAPN 3310 / CUST 3310 | Japanese Culture and Business | 3 credits | |
| JAPN 3320 / CUST 3320 | Japanese Culture Through Film | 3 credits | |
| LBED 3120 | Study of Cultures | 3 credits | |
| POLI 3146 | Government and Politics of India | 3 credits | |
| POLI 3240 | Chinese Government and Politics | 3 credits | |
| PSYC 3343 | The Psychology of Prejudice | 3 credits | |
| SOCI 3230 | International Migration and Ethnic Communities | 3 credits | |
4000 Level |
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| HIST 4450 | China and the West | 3 credits | |
| HIST 4455 | Sages and Statecraft in China | 3 credits | |
| HIST 4460 | Gandhi in History | 3 credits | |
| HIST 4470 | The Samurai | 3 credits | |
| HIST 4480 | The American Experience in Vietnam | 3 credits | |
| PSYC 4700 | Culture and Psychology | 3 credits | |
| SOCI 4275 | Diversity and the Media | 3 credits | |
Courses with a primary focus on Asian Studies content and/or issues but which are not included in this list may be considered as credits for the Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies upon request for course substitution by students declared in the program.
Language Requirement (Major only)
Students in the Bachelor of Arts, Asian Studies Major program must complete at least 12 credits in a single approved Asian language. It is strongly recommended that these courses be completed in years one and two. The Asian Studies language requirement satisfies the language requirement of the BA Framework. Students who can demonstrate oral and written competency in an approved East of South Asian language may request an assessment to have the BA Asian Studies language requirement waived in part or in full.
Students are strongly encouraged to take at least one course in Linguistics (LING 1100 or 1300), understanding that this does not take the place of studying an Asian language.
Students may choose from the following Asian language courses: |
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| JAPN 1100 | Basic Japanese I | 3 credits | |
| JAPN 1101 | Basic Japanese II | 3 credits | |
| JAPN 2200 | Intermediate Japanese I | 3 credits | |
| JAPN 2201 | Intermediate Japanese II | 3 credits | |
| JAPN 3300 | Upper Intermediate Level Japanese I | 3 credits | |
| JAPN 3301 | Upper Intermediate Level Japanese II | 3 credits | |
| JAPN 4400 | Advanced Japanese I: Conversation | 3 credits | |
| MAND 1100 | Beginner’s Mandarin I | 3 credits | |
| MAND 1101 | Beginner’s Mandarin II | 3 credits | |
| MAND 2200 | Intermediate Mandarin I | 3 credits | |
| MAND 2201 | Intermediate Mandarin II | 3 credits | |
| MAND 3300 | Mandarin for Dialect Speakers I | 3 credits | |
| MAND 3301 | Mandarin for Dialect Speakers II | 3 credits | |
| MAND 3310 | Upper Intermediate Mandarin I | 3 credits | |
| MAND 3311 | Upper Intermediate Mandarin II | 3 credits | |
| MAND 3312 | Chinese Language and Culture | 3 credits | |
| PUNJ 1100 | Introductory Punjabi I | 3 credits | |
| PUNJ 1101 | Introductory Punjabi II | 3 credits | |
| PUNJ 2200 | Intermediate Punjabi I | 3 credits | |
| PUNJ 2201 | Intermediate Punjabi II | 3 credits | |
| PUNJ 3300 | Canadian-Punjabi Literature | 3 credits | |
Asian Studies Minor
The following minor requirements are to be completed for the Bachelor of Arts, Asian Studies Minor program.
There is no language requirement for the Asian Studies minor beyond the language requirement of the BA Framework.
Lower Level
Students are required to complete 12 credits of lower level Asian Studies approved core courses (as listed under the requirements for the Major in Asian Studies) with at least 6 of these credits at the 2000 level. Language courses cannot be applied to this requirement. Note that many 2000 level courses in ASIA, SOCI, GEOG, POLI, and HIST require specific course prerequisites at the 1000 level.
Upper Level
Students are required to take at least 15 credits of approved Asian Studies courses (as listed under the requirements for the Major in Asian Studies), with a minimum of 9 credits at the 3000 level and 6 credits at the 4000 level. Language courses cannot be applied to this requirement.
Graduation
Upon successful completion of the major program, students are eligible to receive a Bachelor of Arts, Major in Asian Studies.
Upon successful completion of the minor program, students are eligible to receive a Minor in Asian Studies as part of a Bachelor of Arts program.
