Asian Studies Certificate

The graduate certificate in Asian Studies Students offers students a multi-disciplinary course of study that will provide them with in-depth training in a special area that may be particularly useful as they pursue careers in such fields as Academia, Law, Public History, Education, Business, and even Medicine, where they will practice their profession abroad or use their international experience to expand their understandings of these regions as they work with topics on or populations from diverse societies in Asia. The certificate complements any graduate major in the university and is also appropriate for students with a graduate degree wishing to return to the university for mid-career training.

Requirements

Two years of an Asian language (or equivalent), which serve as the program’s core requirement, plus a minimum of 15 credits of approved electives.

A minimum of a 3.0 GPA in the courses that will fulfill the certificate. The student must be in good standing in his/her major department, if enrolled in a degree program.

Language Core

Two years of an Asian language offered by the University of Akron or any other accredited institution. Students may also fulfill the language requirement by demonstrating competency in the equivalent of a fourth-semester-level of that language at the FS-1 level (U.S. Dept. of State) or equivalent level. Currently, the University of Akron offers Chinese and Japanese:

3560 101 Beginning Japanese (4 credits)
3560 102 Beginning Japanese 2 (4 credits)
3560 201 Intermediate Japanese (3 credits)
3560 202 Intermediate Japanese 2 (3 credits)
3500 101 Beginning Chinese (4 credits)
3500 102 Beginning Chinese 2 (4 credits)
3500 201 Intermediate Chinese (3 credits)
3500 202 Intermediate Chinese 2 (3 credits)

Multi-Disciplinary Electives

Students must complete four of the following courses (3-4 credits each). At least one course must be outside the student’s major department. Exceptions or substitutions are only made with the director’s approval. Credits will be provided with the director’s approval for study and certain experiences abroad in Asian countries.

3370 695 Field Studies in Geology*(3 credits)
3400 500 Women in Revolutionary China (3 credits)
3400 501 Japan and the Pacific War, 1895-1945 (3 credits)
3400 516 Modern India (3 credits)
3400 596 Special Studies (3 credits)
3400 610 Comparative Studies in World Civilization (4 credits)
3400 640 Reading Seminar: China (4 credits)
7100 501 Special Topics**(3 credits)

*Field Studies in Geology abroad counts for double credits

**Recent 500-level special-topics courses in the Art History Department have included “The Art of India,” “The Art of China,” “The Art of Korea and Japan,” and “The Art of Buddhist Japan.”

Courses with comparative content are encouraged. Any course that has significant Asian content (and for which the student has presented substantial written work on an Asian topic) may count as an elective with the director’s approval. Students should consult with the director for help planning an appropriate course of study.