Asian Studies at Texas A&M
The Asian Studies Program at Texas A&M University is an interdisciplinary program offering an undergraduate minor in Asian Studies. The requirements for the minor include six hours of Asian Studies humanities courses, six hours of Asian Studies social sciences courses, a three-hour Asian studies capstone course, and three hours of Asian Studies electives. Also, up to six hours of upper division Asian language courses (300 level or higher) may count toward the minor.
The world today extends far beyond the borders of Texas and the United States. Indeed the largest region of the world is Asia. The Asia Pacific region currently contributes more than 45 percent of the world’s gross domestic product. Moreover, of all the states in the U.S. in the year 2000, Texas has the 4th largest number of Asians, over 560,000 persons, or almost 3 percent of the population of Texas. In 2005, Asians constituted 3.4 percent of the total student population of A&M, and 66 percent of A&M’s international student population. There were more than 2,300 Asian-born students on our campus in the Fall of 2005. Students at Texas A&M University need to know about Asia, its peoples, cultures, histories, and languages. Our students will of necessity be engaged in travel, commerce, and other forms of exchange with Asia, and with the peoples of Asia wherever they may live. What better way to develop an understanding of Asia than to minor in Asian Studies?