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Asian Studies

Coordinator: Associate Professor Reo Matsuzaki (Political Science)

The Asian studies minor examines the variety of cultural expressions of peoples living in areas of South, Southeast, East, and Central Asia, as well as in diasporic conditions. It includes study from a number of different areas such as anthropology, economics, fine arts, history, language, literature, music, philosophy, political science, religion, sociology, and theater and dance. It also encourages students to draw on their knowledge of Asian languages, as well as on their study-away experiences in Asia. The minor consists of six courses, one of which is a “capstone” course, involving an expanded writing assignment that draws upon knowledge gained in other courses taken for the minor.

Course requirements:

  • Five courses with a focus on a country within South, Southeast, East, and Central Asia, as approved by the minor coordinator, subject to the following conditions:
    • The courses must come from three different academic fields and have a central topic or theme.
    • At least one of the courses must be at the 300 level or above and must be taken at Trinity’s Hartford campus.
    • A maximum of two courses from a student’s study-away experience may be included.
    • No courses may be taken pass/fail.
    • A maximum of two Asian language courses may be counted toward this group of five courses.
  • A final “capstone” course in Asian studies, taken during the student’s final year, in which the student produces an expanded final paper that draws upon knowledge gained through other courses taken for the minor, in consultation with the instructor. This course must be an upper-level (300- or 400-level) course that fulfills the “writing intensive” requirement or involves the writing of a major research paper (more than 20 pages).
  • One of the above six courses may fulfill the requirements for another minor; two of the above may fulfill any requirements associated with a major.

A student’s minor program of courses must be approved by the coordinator before declaring the Asian studies minor, and students majoring in Asian studies are ineligible for the Asian studies minor.