About the Program

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

The Undergraduate Group Major in Asian Studies is a rigorous but flexible interdisciplinary program designed to help students take advantage of the rich course offerings in the Asian field campus-wide in a way that is not available through individual departments. Utilizing the faculty and facilities of the entire university, these degree programs cut across conventional disciplinary lines and emphasize a basic core of knowledge concerning one particular geographic area of Asia. Within this core, which requires course work in multiple departments and reading knowledge of at least one Asian language, regionally-oriented students have the freedom to plan an individual program according to their particular interests and approaches. No two programs are alike, and students work closely with the Student Affairs Office and with a faculty mentor in designing their customized academic plan.

The Asian Studies: Multi-Area major program (denoted Area 1) is one of three major programs offered by the Group in Asian Studies. It includes all countries and regions of Asia. One of the areas chosen must be either China or Japan. Other areas can include Korea, countries in South Asia, or countries in Southeast Asia. This major is for students who want to pursue a particular theme or topic of study with the coursework distributed across various countries or regions of Asia. Since this is an interdisciplinary major, the coursework will be distributed across departments as well.

A number of Asian Studies majors are double majors, finding the focus on Asia useful for complementing the political science, economics, anthropology, or history of art majors, for example.

For information regarding the other majors offered by the Group in Asian Studies, please see the relevant sections of this Guide:
Asian Studies: China  (Area 2)
Asian Studies: Japan (Area 3)

Declaring the Major

All required courses must be taken for a letter grade. After you have fulfilled the prerequisite courses listed on the Major Requirements tab, students will need to go see the major adviser at the undergraduate office, 101 Stephens Hall, on Mondays and Wednesdays between 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. The major adviser has the necessary paperwork needed to declare the major and put together an academic plan.

Honors Program

The honors thesis program provides an opportunity for eligible Asian Studies undergraduate seniors to complete original and independent research under the mentorship of a faculty thesis adviser. The honors thesis program is a year-long program which may begin in either the fall or spring semester of the senior year. It consists of the completion of ASIANST H195A and ASIANST H195B (3 units each, 6 units total), which includes the writing of the honors thesis. These can count towards two of the five concentration courses required for the major. These courses are independent study courses; there is no instruction or class time involved. All the work for the thesis and these two courses is done independently in consultation with faculty advisers. The honors thesis is expected to be a substantial research paper, both in its length and originality. Although there is no specific length requirement, a typical undergraduate honors thesis contains 40-80 pages of text, a bibliography, and often illustrations and tables. Each thesis is reviewed by two faculty members of your choice. To get a sense of what has been done in the past, visit our website  for a list of theses, or visit the undergraduate major adviser in 101 Stephens Hall for bound copies of theses.

Eligibility requirements for the honors program:

1. Overall UC grade point average (GPA) must be 3.5 or higher at the time of application and when beginning the thesis.
2. Major GPA must be 3.6 or higher at time of application and when beginning the thesis.
3. Students must complete the language requirement, the upper division theories and methods, and history requirements, before embarking on the honors thesis.
4. A completed honors thesis application form and a well-designed research proposal that has the sponsorship of two faculty members must be submitted to the undergraduate adviser.
5. No Incompletes on record at time of application and when beginning the thesis. All incomplete grades must be resolved before a student can submit the honors thesis form.

Recommended application timeline for the honors program: 

February of junior year (fall/spring thesis), or September of junior year (spring/fall thesis). Prepare brief thesis proposal and meet with prospective thesis adviser(s). Get consent of a faculty member to serve as your sponsor. Discuss the project, appropriate methodology and research methods, and preparation of sample bibliography with faculty sponsor. April of junior year (fall/spring); November of junior year (spring/fall): The thesis application form, signed by both the faculty adviser and second reader, due to the undergraduate major adviser in 101 Stephens Hall.

Minor Program

The Group in Asian Studies does not offer a minor program in Asian Studies: Multi-Area. For information regarding other related minors offered by the group, please see the applicable sections in this Guide:
Chinese Studies
Japanese Studies
Korean Studies

Visit Group Website

Major Requirements

In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements, listed on the College Requirements tab, students must fulfill the below requirements specific to their major program.

General Guidelines

1. All courses taken to fulfill the major requirements below must be taken for graded credit, other than courses listed which are offered on a Pass/No Pass basis only. Other exceptions to this requirement are noted as applicable.
2. No more than one upper division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs, with the exception of minors offered outside of the College of Letters & Science.
3. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 must be maintained in both upper and lower division courses used to fulfill the major requirements.

For information regarding residence requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.

Major Requirements

1. Lower Division Prerequisites (two courses): ASIANST 10 (Introduction to Asia) and history course (see list below for course options).
2. Language Requirement (four courses):  Two years of Mandarin Chinese, or Japanese, or Korean, or equivalent. Students can take the placement exam (for students who want to take more language courses at UCB) or the proficiency exam (for students who want to waive the language requirement) offered by the East Asian Languages and Cultures Department.
3. Upper Division Requirements (total of eight courses as outlined below):

• Disciplinary Focus: Two courses from the same discipline/department. The first course must be a theories and methods course whose primary focus is to introduce the theories and methods of the chosen discipline. The second course, taken in the same department, must focus on Asia. Note: students who want to take an interdisciplinary theories and methods course can take IAS 102 or ISF 100A or ISF 100B. The course must be paired with an ASIANST 150 topics course.
• History: One upper division course must be a course in Asian history appropriate to the student's concentration.
• Concentration: Five courses:  Students will need to create his/her own emphasis in the form of a theme or topic that can be pursued through five courses on countries and regions of East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. A statement detailing the theme/topic and proposed course list must be submitted to the staff adviser before starting coursework. It is necessary for students to discuss their interest in the multi-area concentration shortly after they declare the major so that the staff adviser can coach them early on in putting together a strong statement. 

Requirements

Language Courses

Students must complete four semesters (end of intermediate level) by taking courses from this list or students can take the placement or proficiency exams offered by the East Asian Languages and Cultures Department.

Theories and Methods Courses

Use this list to find courses (select one course) that satisfy the theories and methods requirement. Students that want to take an interdisciplinary theories and methods course can take IAS 102 or ISF 100A or ISF 100B.

History Courses

Use this list to find courses that satisfy the upper division history requirement. You can also choose courses from this list for your multi-area concentration.

Asia-focused Courses

Use this list to find courses that satisfy the concentration, outside of area, regional elective, and second disciplinary focus course requirements.  This is essentially a list of all Asia-related courses currently offered on campus. Note that this is not an exhaustive list. If you think a course could count, discuss your suggestion with a major adviser.

College Requirements

Undergraduate students in the College of Letters & Science must fulfill the following requirements in addition to those required by their major program.

For detailed lists of courses that fulfill college requirements, please review the College of Letters & Sciences  page in this Guide.

Entry Level Writing

All students who will enter the University of California as freshmen must demonstrate their command of the English language by fulfilling the Entry Level Writing requirement. Fulfillment of this requirement is also a prerequisite to enrollment in all reading and composition courses at UC Berkeley. 

American History and American Institutions

The American History and Institutions requirements are based on the principle that a US resident graduated from an American university should have an understanding of the history and governmental institutions of the United States.

American Cultures

American Cultures is the one requirement that all undergraduate students at Cal need to take and pass in order to graduate. The requirement offers an exciting intellectual environment centered on the study of race, ethnicity and culture of the United States. AC courses offer students opportunities to be part of research-led, highly accomplished teaching environments, grappling with the complexity of American Culture.

Quantitative Reasoning

The Quantitative Reasoning requirement is designed to ensure that students graduate with basic understanding and competency in math, statistics, or computer science. The requirement may be satisfied by exam or by taking an approved course.

Foreign Language

The Foreign Language requirement may be satisfied by demonstrating proficiency in reading comprehension, writing, and conversation in a foreign language equivalent to the second semester college level, either by passing an exam or by completing approved course work.

Reading and Composition

In order to provide a solid foundation in reading, writing and critical thinking the College requires two semesters of lower division work in composition in sequence. Students must complete a first-level reading and composition course by the end of their second semester and a second-level course by the end of their fourth semester.

Breadth Requirements

The undergraduate breadth requirements provide Berkeley students with a rich and varied educational experience outside of their major program. As the foundation of a liberal arts education, breadth courses give students a view into the intellectual life of the University while introducing them to a multitude of perspectives and approaches to research and scholarship. Engaging students in new disciplines and with peers from other majors, the breadth experience strengthens interdisciplinary connections and context that prepares Berkeley graduates to understand and solve the complex issues of their day.

Unit Requirements

• 120 total units, including at least 60 L&S units

• Of the 120 units, 36 must be upper division units

• Of the 36 upper division units, 6 must be taken in courses offered outside your major department

Residence Requirements

For units to be considered in "residence," you must be registered in courses on the Berkeley campus as a student in the College of Letters & Science. Most students automatically fulfill the residence requirement by attending classes here for four years. In general, there is no need to be concerned about this requirement, unless you go abroad for a semester or year or want to take courses at another institution or through UC Extension during your senior year. In these cases, you should make an appointment to meet an adviser to determine how you can meet the Senior Residence Requirement.

Note: Courses taken through UC Extension do not count toward residence.

Senior Residence Requirement

After you become a senior (with 90 semester units earned toward your BA degree), you must complete at least 24 of the remaining 30 units in residence in at least two semesters. To count as residence, a semester must consist of at least 6 passed units. Intercampus Visitor, EAP, and UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) units are excluded.

You may use a Berkeley Summer Session to satisfy one semester of the Senior Residence requirement, provided that you successfully complete 6 units of course work in the Summer Session and that you have been enrolled previously in the college.

Modified Senior Residence Requirement

Participants in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) or the UC Berkeley Washington Program (UCDC) may meet a Modified Senior Residence requirement by completing 24 (excluding EAP) of their final 60 semester units in residence. At least 12 of these 24 units must be completed after you have completed 90 units.

Upper Division Residence Requirement

You must complete in residence a minimum of 18 units of upper division courses (excluding EAP units), 12 of which must satisfy the requirements for your major.

Student Learning Goals

Learning Goals for the Major

1. Demonstrate specialized knowledge of China, Japan or of multiple areas with a thematic concentration.
2. Acquire language skills in one foreign language depending on the student's area of focus (Mandarin Chinese for a China emphasis; Japanese for a Japan focus; Chinese, Japanese or Korean, as appropriate for the multi-area thematic concentration).
3. From perspectives of more than one discipline, understand the study of China or Japan or, in the case of the multi-area thematic concentration, of countries and regions of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia.
4. Apply approaches of one selected discipline to the study of China or Japan or, in the case of the multi-area thematic concentration, of countries and regions of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia.
5. Demonstrate understanding of research methods in that discipline.
6. Acquire relatively deeper knowledge of one Asian culture other than China or Japan.
7. Demonstrate basic knowledge of the multiplicity of countries and cultures that make up the region.
8. Acquire knowledge of historical flows in the region.
9. Develop understanding of contemporary trends.
10. Formulate well-organized and well-supported arguments.
11. Show evidence of critical thinking skills.

Download the explanation/representation of how undergraduate student learning goals intersect with curriculum requirements.

Academic Opportunities

Berkeley Student Journal of Asian Studies

The Berkeley Student Journal of Asian Studies is an interdisciplinary student journal that bridges research at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The Journal strives to broaden the study of Asian across disciplinary lines and to expand the Asian Studies community by promoting leadership and scholarship of Asia. For information on submissions and to view copies of previous journals, please visit their website .

Study Abroad

Opportunities to study in Asia are abundant, and students are encouraged to take advantage of them. Those who qualify for the UC Education Abroad Programs (EAP) are often eligible for substantial scholarships. Many courses taken abroad transfer easily to the major. We accept up to 12 semester units for the major and two courses for the minor. Students should consult with the undergraduate major adviser for approval of courses taken through an education abroad program. For further information, contact the Berkeley Programs for Study Abroad at 160 Stephens Hall, 510-642-1356, and/or check out the EAP website  for the UC system. 

Courses

This is a list of courses offered by the Asian Studies major only.  For a comprehensive list of all Asia-related courses currently offered on the Berkeley campus, look at the Asia-focused list under "Major Requirements."

Faculty and Instructors

+Indicates this faculty member is the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award.

Faculty

Jinsoo An, Assistant Professor.

Robert Ashmore
Research Profile

Paola Bacchetta, Associate Professor. Ethnicity, postcolonial theory, transnational feminist and queer of color theories, theories of the inseparability of gender, theories of the inseparability of sexuality, theories of the inseparability of, theories of the inseparability of class, theories of the inseparability of nation, theories of the inseparability of religion, global political and religious conflict (especially Hindu nationalism and racializations of Muslims and Islam), theories of resistance and transgression, right-wing movements, geographic areas of specialization outside the U.S- India and France.
Research Profile

Weihong Bao, Assistant Professor.

Andrew E. Barshay, Professor. Social thought, modernism, social sciences in modern Japan, marxism, Japanese history, Japanese-Russian relations.
Research Profile

Patricia Berger, Professor. China, buddhist art, East Asian studies, history of art, Asian architecture and art.
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+ Robert Berring, Professor. China, law, contracts, Chinese law.
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Mary Elizabeth Berry, Professor. Late medieval and early modern Japan.
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Mark L. Blum, Professor. Buddhism, Japan, culture and society, modernization.
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Benjamin Brinner, Professor. Indonesia, Java, Bali, Israel, musical memory, situated musical cognition, musical interaction, improvisation, gamelan, music and oral narrative.
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Dana Buntrock, Professor. Architecture, construction industry, East Asian studies, architectural practice in Japan.
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Pheng Cheah, Professor. Nationalism, rhetoric, legal philosophy, feminism, 18th-20th century continental philosophy & contemporary critical theory, postcolonial theory & anglophone postcolonial literatures, cosmopolitanism & globalization, social & political thought.
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Pradeep Chhibber, Professor. Political parties, South Asia, electoral politics, politics of India.
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Renee Y. Chow, Professor. Urban design, architectural design.
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Catherine Ceniza Choy, Professor. Asian American history, Filipino American studies, immigration history, adoption studies, nursing history.
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Lawrence Cohen, Professor. Social cultural anthropology, medical and psychiatric anthropology, critical gerontology, lesbian and gay studies, feminist and queer theory.
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Alexander C. Cook, Assistant Professor. East Asia: China.
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Margaret Crawford, Professor.

Mark Csikszentmihalyi, Professor. Early China, Confucianism, Taoism, Daoism, Comparative Religion.
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Jacob Dalton, Associate Professor. Religion, ritual, Tibet, Buddhism, Tantra, Dunhuang.
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Lowell Dittmer, Professor. Comparative politics, Chinese politics, informal politics, East Asian international relations.
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Penelope Edwards, Assistant Professor.

Barry Eichengreen, Professor. Europe, China, economic growth, international economics, international finance, international monetary economics, economic history.
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+ Munis D. Faruqui, Associate Professor. Economics, price theory models of anticompetitive exclusive dealing, switching costs, network effects, formal standardization.
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Thomas Gold, Professor. Post-socialism, China, sociology, East Asian studies, comparative institutions, Pacific Rim societies, Taiwan, globalization and development.
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+ Robert P. Goldman, Professor. Literary theory, South and Southeast Asian studies, Sanskrit literature, Indian epic studies, and psychoanalytically oriented cultural studies.
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Junko Habu, Professor. Japan, anthropology, archaeology, climate change, sustainability, East Asia, Jomon hunter-gatherers.
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Jeffrey Hadler, Associate Professor. Islam, art, culture, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, history, literature, Minangkabau, Sumatra.
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S. Katherine Hammond, Professor. Public health, environmental health sciences.
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Yoko Hasegawa, Professor. Pragmatics, syntax, east asian languages and cultures, acoustic phonetics, semantics, sociolinguistics of Japanese, cognitive linguistics.
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Heather Haveman, Professor. Organizational theory, economic sociology, historical sociology, entrepreneurship, organizational development.
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+ H. Mack Horton, Professor. Performativity, east asian languages and cultures, classical poetry, diary literature, cultural context, anthology of vernacular poetry, Man'yoshu, poetry and poetics.
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You-tien Hsing, Professor. China, geography, political economy of development in East Asia, the process of international economic restructuring, cultural and institutional configuration in the processes of Taiwanese direct investment, growth in Chinese cities, business networks.
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Andrew F. Jones, Professor. East asian languages and cultures, Chinese popular music, sonic culture, media technology, modern Chinese fiction, children's literature, literary translation.
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Ling Hon Lam, Assistant Professor.

Gregory Levine, Associate Professor. East Asian studies, history of art, Japanese art and architecture, histories of collecting, history of museums, Buddhist art and architecture, Buddhist visual culture.
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John Lie, Professor. Social theory, political economy, East Asia.
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Xin Liu, Professor. History and/of anthropology, contemporary trends in social theory, social/cultural anthropology, comparative societies, capitalism and culture, America and China/East Asia.
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Peter Lorentzen, Assistant Professor. Development, China, political economy, game theory, authoritarianism.
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Saba Mahmood, Professor. Religion, secularism, gender, ethics and politics, minorities, Islam, the Middle East, and South Asia.
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Russell L. Merritt, Adjunct Professor.

James Midgley, Professor. Development, social development, social policy, community development, International social welfare, global poverty and inequality.
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Laura Nelson, Associate Professor. Gender, medicine, and politics, Cultural, political, and experiential aspects of breast cancer in South Korea, How, why, and to what effect constructions of gender, class, and race are mobilized and manipulated in South Korea, Structures of cultural temporality (future, present, or past orientation) and anti-poverty policies (US and South Korea).

Michael Nylan, Professor. Gender, history, East Asian studies, early China, the fifth century BC to the fifth century AD, with an emphasis on the sociopolitical context, aesthetic theories and material culture, belief.
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Kevin O'Brien, Professor. Social movements, Chinese politics, peasant politics.
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D. Cuong O'Neill, Associate Professor. Modern Japanese Literature, East Asian Cinema, Global Modernism, visual studies.
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Aihwa Ong, Professor. Cultural anthropology, anthropology, transnationalism, citizenship, global cities, migration, Southeast Asia, urbanism.
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Nancy Lee Peluso, Professor. Political ecology/resource policy and politics/forests/agrarian change/property and access.
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T.J. Pempel, Professor. Political science, comparative politics, political economy, East Asian studies, contemporary Japan, Asian regionalism.
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Raka Ray, Professor. Feminist theory, gender, social movements, South and Southeast Asian studies, relations between dominant subaltern groups in India, women´_s movements in India.
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David Roland-Holst, Adjunct Professor.

Jeffrey Romm, Professor.

Miryam Sas, Professor. Comparative literature, 20th century avant-gardes, Japanese literature, film, theater and dance, contemporary art, critical theory, gender theory.
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Robert Sharf, Professor. East asian languages and cultures, medieval Chinese buddhism, Chan buddhism, Japanese buddhism, Zen buddhism, Tantric buddhism, buddhist art, ritual studies, methodological issues in the study of religion.
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Rachel Stern, Assistant Professor.

Nicolas Tackett, Associate Professor. Ethnicity, elites, China, cities, national identity, social networks, medieval history, death ritual, Tang Dynasty, Song Dynasty, Liao Dynasty.
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Alan Tansman, Professor. Modern Japanese Literature, literary and cultural theory, aesthetics and politics, Comparative Responses to Violence, literary history.
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Sylvia C. Tiwon, Associate Professor. Indonesia, South and Southeast Asian studies, literature and gender, cultural studies of Southeast Asia, discourse oral, print, electronic, socio-cultural formations at the national and sub-nation level, non-governmental organizations.
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+ Laura D'Andrea Tyson, Professor. High-technology competition, US industrial and technology policies, international economy, US trade policy, US competitiveness, emerging market economies, multinational companies in the US economy, gender gap (economic participation, educational attainment, political empowerment and health), research and development tax credit.
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Khatharya Um, Associate Professor. Education, memory, Southeast Asian Studies, Asian American histories and communities, Southeast Asian diaspora, refugees, international migration, transnational and diaspora studies, genocide studies.
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Paula Varsano, Associate Professor. Phenomenology, translation, comparative literature, aesthetics, epistemology, classical Chinese poetry and poetics (3rd-11th centuries), traditional Chinese literary theory.
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Steven Vogel, Professor. Political science, political economy or comparative political economy, the Japanese model of capitalism, Japanese politics.
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Sophie Volpp, Associate Professor. East asian languages and cultures, history of performance, gender theory, the history of sexuality, material culture, material objects in late-imperial literature.
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Alexander Von Rospatt, Professor. Ritual studies, Nepalese studies, Buddhist traditions of South Asia, doctrinal history, Newar Buddhism.
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Qiang Xiao, Adjunct Professor.

Wen-Hsin Yeh, Professor. History, East Asian studies, Qing and Modern China.
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Qing Zhou, Associate Professor. Culture, family, child development, developmental psychopathology, immigrants.
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Peter B. Zinoman, Associate Professor. Vietnam, Vietnam War, Vietnamese literature, Southeast Asian history, communism, nationalism, colonialism.
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Emeritus Faculty

Joan Bieder, Senior Lecturer SOE Emeritus. History of Jewish communities in South East Asia.
Research Profile

Vasudha Dalmia, Professor Emeritus.

George L. Hart, Professor Emeritus. South and Southeast Asian studies, Tamil studies, classical Sanskrit, South Indian religion and culture, Indian civilization, Indian literature, Indian religion.
Research Profile

Gillian Hart, Professor Emeritus.

Patrick V. Kirch, Professor Emeritus. Historical anthropology, Oceania, ethnoarchaeology, Melanesia, Polynesia, environmental archaeology, prehistoric agricultural systems, human paleoecology, ethnobotany.
Research Profile

Hong Yung Lee, Professor Emeritus. Political science, East Asian studies.
Research Profile

James Lincoln, Professor Emeritus.

Kaiping Peng, Professor Emeritus. Psychology, East Asian studies, social cultural sychology, reasoning and judgment across cultures and domains, inter-ethnic, racial relations, cross-cultural communication and understanding.
Research Profile

Bonnie C. Wade, Professor Emeritus.

Carolyn Wakeman, Professor Emeritus.