Asian Studies Minor (AST)
One of the most economically and culturally dynamic regions in the world, Asia is home to more than 60 percent of the world’s people and some of the world’s most highly developed civilizations and richest cultural heritages. The Asian Studies minor enables students to combine study of an Asian language with selected courses in history, religion, politics, and other fields. Students who complete this minor will be culturally and linguistically literate in a rapidly changing region with ever-deepening ties to Kentucky and the United States.
Program Contact: Joanna Lile
| Core Courses | 12 hours |
| Required Course Selections | 6 hours |
| Total | 18 |
Core Courses
Note: Students may take another Asian Language to the intermediate level with approval of the program coordinator.
This course will survey the development of East Asian civilization, covering its origins, cultural influences, and global connections, from prehistoric times to approximately AD 1600.
This course will explore the development of East Asia from about AD 1600 to the present. Students will compare and contrast the similarities and differences among the national experiences in modern East Asia and examine East Asia's cultural and political influence in modern world history.
Required Course Selections
Select six hours/two courses:
At least one course must be from a discipline other than HIS
No more than one of the following courses may be counted towards the minor: ECO410, POS300, POS307, POS40
This course is an introduction to world politics, designed to familiarize students with the ways in which states, international organizations, and non-state actors interact in the international system. It offers an analysis of the general approaches to world politics, emphasizing current issues and problems.
This course will provide an introduction to key theoretical frameworks, concepts, and analytical methods commonly used today in comparative politics, including: the state, political culture, democracy, authoritarianism, development, and national/ethnic identity, to name a few. This course is intended to familiarize students with the most important concepts necessary for the comparison of different political systems and contexts. Students will learn how to apply this understanding in investigating different countries and regions in the contemporary world.
A study of laws among nation-states, with emphasis on rights and duties, territories, diplomacy, settlement of disputes, armed conflicts, and the United Nations system.
Advanced study in one of the world’s major religious cultures. It traces the origin of that culture and surveys its major beliefs, practices, traditions, scriptures (when applicable), values, and modern-day challenges.