Asian Studies at Kenyon is an interdisciplinary program that offers both a concentration and a joint major. In the major, students combine their study of Asia with major requirements in one of several departments-Art (specifically, art history), History, Modern Languages and Literatures (specifically, Chinese), or Religious Studies. In addition, students will find courses in Asian studies in anthropology, music, philosophy, political science, and sociology. The program also sponsors films, invites speakers to the College, and promotes other social and cultural events to stimulate campus awareness of the societies of East Asia, South and Southeast Asia, and Western/Central Asia, including the Islamic world.

The Asian Studies curriculum encourages students to acquire the analytical and critical ability to explore the linguistic, literary, and cultural traditions of Asia and to develop the cultural sensitivity and humanistic knowledge needed in our increasingly globalized world. Students come to understand Asia as a culturally diverse region with deeply intertwined histories, and to understand Asian peoples as major actors in regional and world history, rather than as objects of non-Asian peoples' enterprises and observations. An important goal of the curriculum is the development of a critical understanding of the ways in which people of the interrelated regions of Asia have historically defined and expressed themselves.

Beginning Asian Studies

Students hoping to spend all or part of their junior year in China or Japan should begin to study the appropriate language in their first two years at Kenyon. New students interested in Asia who have not yet declared a major or a concentration may enroll in any 100- or 200-level course offered by an Asian studies faculty member, or should consider taking ASIA 201 (The Silk Road), which provides an introduction to the entire region.

Requirements for the Joint Major

The Asian studies major is a joint major with one of the following departments: Art (art history), History, Modern Languages and Literatures (Chinese), or Religious Studies. It provides a structured yet flexible curriculum to enable students to focus their work on Asia while acquiring a solid methodological grounding in an academic discipline. Students must fulfill all the requirements of the departmental major, in addition to the specific requirements of the Asian Studies Program as described below. The Senior Exercise will follow the requirements of the joint department and will focus on the Asian region in which the Asian studies language and study-abroad requirements were fulfilled. (Unlike in a double major, in a joint major there is only one Senior Exercise.) Double-counting of courses for the departmental major and for the Asian Studies Program is permitted.

1. Language study (1 - 2.5 units)

For Asian languages taught at Kenyon-at present Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic-two years of language study are required. Students electing a joint major with Modern Languages and Literatures (Chinese) will take more than two years of language. One semester of intensive language study in a country where the language is spoken will be considered equivalent to a full year at Kenyon. If a second year of Arabic is not available at Kenyon, one year at Kenyon plus an approved summer or semester abroad will satisfy the requirement.

For Asian languages not taught at Kenyon, one year of intensive study abroad (or an approved intensive summer program combined with a semester abroad) will fulfill the requirement. In the case of transfer students, credit will be accepted for a year of Asian language study pursued at another institution.

If the program committee determines that a student possesses native proficiency in an Asian language, both oral and written, it will waive this requirement, but only if the Senior Exercise focuses on populations that speak that language.

2. Study abroad

At least one semester or one summer (minimum six weeks) in an approved study-abroad program is required. The program must be in a country where the student's Asian language is spoken. A full year of study abroad is highly recommended.

3. Foundation courses (1 unit)

At least two courses from the following list, in two different areas and two different departments or programs. Areas are defined as East Asia (China, Japan, Korea), South/Southeast Asia (India, Vietnam, Indonesia), and Western/Central Asia (including the Islamic world). Equivalent courses taken abroad can count as foundation courses.

East Asia:

• ASIA 201: The Silk Road
• ARHS 114: Introduction to Asian Art
• HIST 160: Modern East Asia
• HIST 161: East Asia to 1800
• HIST 162: Modern Japan
• HIST 163 Modern China
• INST 131: China in Transition
• PHIL 212: Early Chinese Philosophy
• RLST 260: Buddhist Thought and Practice
• RLST 270: Chinese Religions
• RLST 275: Japanese Religions

South/Southeast:

• ARHS 114: Introduction to Asian Art
• HIST 156: History of India
• HIST 166: History of the Islamicate World (covers South Asia every other year)
• HIST 260: Medieval Islamic Empires
• RLST 250: South Asian Religions
• RLST 260: Buddhist Thought and Practice

Western/Central Asia:

• ASIA 201: The Silk Road
• HIST 166: History of the Islamicate World
• HIST 260: Medieval Islamic Empires
• HIST 261: The Mongol Empire
• RLST 240: Classical Islam

4. Area courses (1.5 unit)

Students must complete three additional courses in one area. One additional foundation course in the area of the student's focus can count as an area course (i.e. the other two must be from the list below). Courses not specifically focused on Asia will not be counted toward the joint major. Language courses beyond the intermediate level that focus specifically on literature, film, or culture may count as area courses. Equivalent courses taken abroad may also count as area courses. Area courses currently offered at Kenyon include:

East Asia:

• ARHS 235: Art of China
• ARHS 238: Chinese Art Since 1840
• ARHS 239: Contemporary Chinese Art
• CHNS 321, 322: Advanced Chinese Language and Culture
• CHNS 324: Modern China through Film and Fiction
• CHNS 325: Chinese Literary Tradition
• CHNS 326: Women of the Inner Chambers
• HIST 262: Japan to 1850
• HIST 263: Imperial China
• HIST 353: Tibet Between China and the West
• HIST 450: Topics in Chinese History
• HIST 452: Women, Gender, and State in China
• JAPN 322: Advanced Japanese: Language and Culture
• JAPN 323: Advanced Reading and Composition
• JAPN 325: Introductory Japanese Linguistics
• PHIL 212: Early Chinese Philosophy
• PSCI 346: Riots, Ballots, and Rice: Comparative Asian Politics
• RLST 360: Zen Buddhism
• RLST 471: Confucianism
• RLST 481: Daoism
• SOCY 221: Global Religions in Modern Society
• SOCY 249: Knowledge of the Other: Journey to the East

South/Southeast Asia:

• HIST 260: Medieval Islamic Empires
• HIST 345: History of the Indian Ocean
• HIST 353: Tibet Between China and the West
• HIST 356: Vietnam
• HIST 358: Imagined India: Film and Fiction
• MUSC 206: Seminar in Ethnomusicology
• MUSC 485: Asian Music Ensemble
• PSCI 346: Riots, Ballots, and Rice: Comparative Asian Politics

Western/Central Asia:

• HIST 258: Ottoman Empire
• HIST 261: The Mongol Empire in World History
• HIST 365: Middle East through Film and Fiction
• HIST 370: Women and Gender in Modern Middle East
• RLST 440: Seminar on Sufism
• RLST 443: Voices in Contemporary Islam
• RLST 447: Islam in North America

5. Senior Seminar: Asia in Comparative Perspective (.5 unit)

This course is required for both the joint major and the concentration. It is offered every spring under the direction of a selected Asian Studies faculty member and meets in a seminar format. Topics will vary with the instructor. Majors and concentrators must take the course in their senior year, unless there are special circumstances preventing them from doing so.

6. Senior Exercise

The Senior Exercise will follow the requirements of the joint department. It will focus in a significant way on the Asian area in which the language and study-abroad requirements were fulfilled, and will be supervised by an Asian Studies faculty member in the joint department.

7. Honors

Honors in the Asian Studies joint major will follow the requirements for honors in the joint department. The supervising faculty member in that department will present the honors proposal to the Asian Studies faculty for approval early in the fall semester. An Asian Studies faculty member in the joint department will participate in the project's evaluation.

Requirements for the Concentration

The concentration in Asian studies enables students to integrate their studies of the histories, cultures, and societies of Asia in a comparative and interdisciplinary format. It comprises three elements: (1) at least one year of language study; (2) 1.5 units of coursework in at least two departments other than Modern Languages and Literatures and representing at least two regions of Asia; and (3) the senior seminar.

1. Language study

For Asian languages taught at Kenyon-at present Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic-one year of instruction is required. The equivalent of one year of approved college-level Asian language instruction at another accredited academic institution will also meet the requirement, as will an approved intensive summer program.

For Asian languages not taught at Kenyon, one semester of intensive language study in a country where the language is spoken, or an approved intensive summer program, will be considered equivalent to a full year at Kenyon. In the case of transfer students, credit will be accepted for a year of Asian language study with a grade of C+ or better pursued at another institution.

If the program committee determines that a student possesses native proficiency in an Asian language, both oral and written, it will waive the requirement.

The program committee strongly recommends that students continue language study beyond the first year.

2. Area and disciplinary coursework

Students are required to take 1.5 units (three semester courses) about Asia other than language courses. These courses must be from the list of courses offered under Asian Studies at Kenyon but may also include relevant courses taken in study-abroad programs. Students must take at least one course representing a region different from that of their language study. For example, students who are primarily focused on East Asia and are studying Chinese or Japanese at Kenyon (or taking Korean abroad or off-campus) must take at least one course focused on South/Southeast Asia or Western/Central Asia (see lists under Requirements for the Joint Major). A course that covers more than one region of Asia-e.g., Asian Art, The Silk Road, or Comparative Asian Politics-will also fulfill this requirement.

Courses not specifically focused on Asia will not be counted toward the concentration. Where any doubt arises, please ask a member of the Asian Studies faculty. Double-counting for a student's major and the concentration is permitted.

3. Senior Seminar: Asia in Comparative Perspective

This course is required for both the joint major and the concentration. It is offered every spring under the direction of a selected Asian Studies faculty member and meets in a seminar format. Topics will vary with the instructor. Majors and concentrators must take the course in their senior year, unless there are special circumstances preventing them from doing so.

Off-Campus study

Off-campus study in Asia is not required for the concentration but it is highly recommended. Students should consult with Asian Studies faculty members and the director of the Center for Global Engagement to learn about the numerous opportunities available to Kenyon students to study in Asia for one semester or a year. Summer language-study programs are also available for students who need to prepare for off-campus study or desire to learn an Asian language not offered at Kenyon (e.g., Hindi, Urdu, Korean,Vietnamese).