Asian Studies Minor
To study Asia, the largest continent, is to enter a multilingual and culturally robust universe shaped by past events and the forces of globalization. UCO’s Asian studies minor is made possible by cross-disciplinary expertise and collaboration. Students will deepen their academic and professional understandings of Asia with faculty in English, history, humanities and philosophy, political science and other departments in the University of Central Oklahoma College of Liberal Arts, and beyond. Courses currently supported by our faculty include Eastern philosophy, war history of China and Southeast Asia, manga and K-dramas, modern languages Chinese and Japanese, Middle East history, contemporary literature of the Asian diasporas and intercultural competencies.
A minor is an optional component of a student’s degree that will be reflected on the student’s transcript. Minors are an excellent way for students to customize their learning experience and craft a degree program that is uniquely theirs. Students can even earn multiple minors to supplement a bachelor's degree. For example, students pursuing a degree in interpersonal communication might find that a minor in sociology is an excellent pairing, while a student pursuing a degree in public administration might add a minor in sustainability issues to help create a cleaner, greener future. In some cases, employers offer bonuses or higher salaries to employees who have a foreign language minor.
The Asian studies minor welcomes all majors — especially students who wish to study and work in Asia. For more information, contact Shun Y. Kiang, Ph.D., director of the Asian studies minor.
Curriculum
You can match up Chinese language skills with a history course on China and Japan, or build on several semesters of Japanese with courses on international marketing or geography. Learning Korean might just speak to you.
A list of majors the Asian studies minor complements.
- History and geography
- English
- Humanities and philosophy
- Modern languages
- Political science
- International business
- Multicultural education
- Sociology
Affiliated Faculty
Department of English
- John Hitz, Ph.D.
- Shun Y. Kiang, Ph.D.
- Tobias Wray, Ph.D.
Department of History and Geography
- Michelle Brym, Ph.D.
- Xiao-Bing Li, Ph.D.
- Xiao Xiao Li, Ph.D.
- Andrew Magnusson, Ph.D.
Department of Humanities and Philosophy
- Syd Morrow, Ph.D.
Department of Modern Languages
- Kaoru Burkhalter, M.A.
- Sophia Clark, Ph.D.
- Xiao Xiao Li, Ph.D.
- Younhee You, M.Ed.
Department of Sociology, Gerontology and Substance Abuse
- Karel Joyce Kalaw, Ph.D.
- James Killian, D.O.
- LaDonna McCune, Ed.D.
- Nicole Wareheim, Ph.D.
Related Programs
The Asian studies minor correlates with the Chinese minor, also available through the UCO College of Liberal Arts. A minor in Chinese explores the Chinese language and culture, including the history and geography of China.