Minor in Pacific Asian Studies
College of Liberal & Creative Arts
Dean: Dr. Ifeoma Kiddoe Nwankwo
Pacific Asian Studies Program
Coordinator: See Won Byun
Humanities Building, Room 267
Phone: (415) 338-2319
Email: sbyun@sfsu.edu
Program Learning Outcomes
- identify and explain relationships between and within major societies of the Asia-Pacific
Program Scope
The Minor in Pacific Asian Studies is a multidisciplinary program on the regions and societies of the Asia-Pacific, including China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. In addition to courses focused on different regions, the program emphasizes regional or comparative studies in issue-areas within and beyond the Asia-Pacific. As a university-wide program, the Pacific Asian Studies Minor offers courses in multiple departments spanning humanities and social science disciplines. Enriched by the Bay Area’s historical and cultural ties with the region, SF State’s Pacific Asian Studies Minor builds a wide range of knowledge and skills, preparing students to apply their regional specialization in diverse academic and professional careers.
The minor curriculum is organized around these themes: (A) China/Hong Kong/Taiwan, (B) Japan/Korea/Southeast Asia, and (C) Regional/Comparative. Students must complete at least one semester of an Asian language course, or demonstrate at least basic competency. In consultation with faculty advisors, students are encouraged to complement their minor program with study abroad in Asia. Students should consult the Pacific Asian Studies coordinator to design an individualized plan of study and ensure timely program completion.
Professor
Sanjoy Banerjee (1990), Professor in International Relations. Ph.D. Yale University.
T. Adam Burke (2001), Professor in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism. Ph.D. University of California, Santa Cruz; L.Ac. American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Yukihiro Goto (1990), Professor in Theatre Arts. Ph.D. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Sujian Guo (2002), Professor in Political Science. Ph.D. University of Tennessee.
Andrew K. Hanami (1990), Professor in International Relations, Emeritus. Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley.
Pi-Ching Hsu (1994), Professor in History. Ph.D. University of Minnesota.
Santhi Kavuri-Bauer (2003), Professor in Art. Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles.
Matthew Lee (2001), Professor in Kinesiology. Ph.D. Louisiana State University.
Chris Wen-Chao Li (2000), Professor in Modern Languages and Literatures. M.Phil., D.Phil. Oxford University.
Midori Yamamoto McKeon (1990), Professor in Modern Languages and Literatures. Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley.
Masahiko Minami (1997), Professor in Modern Languages and Literatures. Ed.D. Harvard University.
Hafez Modirzadeh (1998), Professor in Music. Ph.D. Wesleyan University.
Mary E. Scott (1990), Professor in Humanities. Ph.D. Princeton University.
Roblyn Simeon (1996), Professor in International Business. Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley.
Justin Tiwald (2006), Professor in Philosophy. Ph.D. University of Chicago.
Associate Professor
Makiko Asano (2001), Associate Professor in Modern Languages and Literatures. Ph.D. Harvard University.
Jean-Marc F. Blanchard (2003), Associate Professor in International Relations. Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania.
Jessica Elkind (2008), Associate Professor in History. Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles.
Qian Guo (1998), Associate Professor in Geography and Environment. Ph.D. University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Lecturers
Chang, Dupen, Kuo, Liou, Matsumoto, Mick, Muranaka, Yamaguchi
Pacific Asian Studies Minor — 18 units minimum
A minimum of 6 upper-division units are required to complete the minor. No more than 9 units can be completed in transfer.
All coursework used to satisfy the requirements of the minor must be completed with a minimum grade point average of 2.0. No more than 6 units may be completed on a Cr/NCr basis.
Some courses have additional prerequisites that will need to be met to be able to take the course.
Core (9-12 units)
Category A: China/Hong Kong/Taiwan Studies
Select 3-4 units from the following:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CHIN 401 | Advanced Chinese | 3 |
| CHIN 411/I R 413/JOUR 411 | Media Chinese | 3 |
| CHIN 501 | Introduction to Classical Chinese | 3 |
| CHIN 507 | Traditional Chinese Culture | 3 |
| CHIN 521 | Chinese Modern Fiction | 3 |
| CHIN 600 | Topics in Chinese Language, Literature, and Culture in English | 3 |
| CHIN 601GW | The Poetic Tradition - GWAR | 3 |
| CHIN 602 | The Narrative Tradition | 3 |
| GEOG 575 | Emerging China | 3 |
| HH 210 | The Dao of Well-Being in Chinese Tradition | 3 |
| HH 383 | Chinese Perspectives in Holistic Health | 3 |
| HH 420 | Qigong Body-Mind Energetics | 3 |
| HH 530 | Eastern Nutrition and Herbs | 3 |
| HIST 360 | Ancient Chinese Civilization | 3 |
| HIST 361 | Imperial China | 3 |
| HIST 362 | History of Modern China | 3 |
| HUM 370 | Biography of a City: Asian Cities | 3 |
| HUM 530 | Chinese Civilization | 3 |
| HUM 531 | Images of Modern China | 3 |
| IBUS 592 | Doing Business in Greater China | 3 |
| I R/PLSI 325 | Chinese Foreign Policy | 4 |
| I R/PLSI 404 | Politics of China | 4 |
| KIN 148 | Elementary Kung Fu | 1 |
| KIN 175 | Elementary Tai-Chi Chuan | 1 |
| PHIL 511 | Chinese Philosophy and Religion | 3 |
Category B: Japan/Korea/Southeast Asia Studies
Select 3-4 units from the following:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CMX/HUM 541 | Manga | 3 |
| CWL 432/HUM 532 | From Ghost Stories to Short Stories: Japanese Fiction in Comparative Contexts | 3 |
| HIST 376 | History of Southeast Asia | 3 |
| HIST 384 | History of Modern Korea | 3 |
| HUM 370 | Biography of a City: Asian Cities | 3 |
| IBUS 596 | Doing Business in Japan | 3 |
| JAPN/MLL 200 | Art of Japanese Writing and Calligraphy | 3 |
| JAPN 302 | Japanese Reading and Grammar | 3 |
| JAPN 309 | Advanced Readings in Japanese I | 3 |
| JAPN 390 | Business Japanese | 3 |
| JAPN 401 | Topics in Japanese Culture | 3 |
| JAPN 510 | Modern Japanese Literature | 3 |
| PLSI 418 | Political Transitions in East & Southeast Asia | 4 |
Category C: Regional/Comparative Studies
Select 3-4 units from the following:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ANTH 315 | Regional Ethnography | 3 |
| ARTH/HUM 205 | Asian Art History | 3 |
| CINE 103/I R 202 | Asian Popular Culture in Global Perspective | 4 |
| DANC/TH A 408 | Performance in Asia and the Asian Diaspora | 3 |
| HH 381 | Holistic Health: Eastern Perspectives | 3 |
| HH 540 | Meditation for Health and Wellness | 3 |
| HH 545 | Mind-Body Healing in Tibetan Culture | 3 |
| HIST 364 | Sex and Gender in East Asia | 3 |
| I R 303 | Post-Western World: Political, Economic, and Cultural Challenges | 1 |
| I R/MLL 345 | Conflict and Cooperation in Asia | 4 |
| MUS 513 | Asian Musical Diaspora | 3 |
| PHIL 210 | Great Thinkers: East and West | 3 |
| PHIL 502 | World Religions | 3 |
| PHIL 509 | The Buddhist Tradition | 3 |
| PLSI/I R 411 | East Asian Politics | 4 |
| PLSI 419 | Comparative Political Economy | 4 |
Pacific Asian Language Requirement (3-4 units)
Students completing the Pacific Asian Studies Minor are required to complete at least one semester of a language course relevant to the regions studied in the minor, or request that this requirement be waived based on existing competency in one of these languages. Courses that can be used include lower or upper division language courses in Chinese, Japanese or Korean. The waiver will be evaluated by the Pacific Asian Studies coordinator or faculty advisors based on prior coursework or native proficiency in an appropriate language.
Electives (3-9 units)
Select electives from at least two of the above three categories as needed to reach 18 units for the minor. Courses that are used to satisfy core requirements may not also be used as electives.
Study Abroad Courses
Students completing the Pacific Asian Studies Minor are encouraged to participate in study-abroad programs. With the Pacific Asian Studies coordinator’s approval, courses completed in certified SF State Study-Abroad programs may be substituted for the minor requirements.