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The cultures of Asia are among the world’s oldest and most enduring and they also play an increasingly important role in modern world affairs. Emigrant peoples of Asia have reshaped the cultures of the rest of the world in profound ways, expanding what is thought of as Asia beyond national and continental boundaries, to include diaspora cultures in North and South America, Europe, Australia, and Africa. Asia's many distinct and interrelated civilizations are thus both ancient, dating to the Neolithic era, and widespread, geographically spanning the globe. The economic and political centers of Asia include the two most populous nations in the world and two of the three largest economies in the world. Thus, Asian Studies challenges students to explore some of the most influential and widespread cultures on the globe.
Because of this wide-ranging historical and geographic
scope, Asian Studies must employ an interdisciplinary approach. The core
requirement for the study area is thus a team-taught, interdisciplinary course
which offers students an opportunity
to explore the breadth of disciplinary approaches to this study area. Further
Asian Studies courses may be found in the departments of Art and Art History,
Economics, History, English, International Languages and Cultures, Music, Philosophy
and Religious Studies, and Dramatic Arts. This "area studies" approach
demands that students take an active and conscious part in designing their Asian
Studies program. universities. Students
may pursue the study of other Asian languages through study abroad programs in
India, Vietnam, Japan, or other Asian countries.
The Asian Studies
faculty strongly 
recommends
that students anchor their study of Asia in language study and study abroad.
In addition to Chinese language offerings on-campus,St.
Mary's offers a study abroad program at Fudan University in Shanghai, one of China's
most distinguished
attend language programs at other universities and colleges in the U.S. Any study of Asia and its cultures is not complete without the study of an Asian language.
Participation in the study area is possible in any major, and
in addition to broadening student horizons in the liberal arts, it provides excellent
preparation for a future career in the U.S. Foreign Service, the United Nations,
international non-governmental organizations, multinational business, and advanced
academic studies.
Students must declare their participation in the Asian Studies study area by the end of the first week of their senior year, and they are strongly encouraged to declare by the end of their junior year. It is suggested that they seek an adviser from participating faculty.
