Asian and Asian American Studies Department

Asian and Asian American Studies
California State University, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA 90032

[email protected]
323.343.5773

Asian and Asian American Studies is an interdisciplinary program with an emphasis on the connections between Asian Studies and Asian American Studies. The program is built on the foundation of languages, literature, cultures and histories of Asia and the experience of Asians and Pacific Islanders as a racial minority in the US. Together, the cross-disciplinary basis of the degree program uniquely positions our students to better understand both the global and the local dimensions of social, cultural, economic and political connections between Asia and Asian America. 

The primary objectives of the academic program are: 1) to explore and study historical and contemporary transnational links between Asia and Asian America, between diasporas and their homelands, and the flexible and dynamic mutual social, cultural, economic and political influences they have on each other; 2) to provide background on cultural continuity and reconstructions as immigrant and diasporic groups are formed and as they settle in new homelands; and 3) to explore interactions and mutual influences as different cultural groups interact with multiethnic, multicultural and multi-religious communities such as the United States.

The AAAS Department is committed to educating our students to be successful in the rapidly globalizing world. To this end we aim to provide the best preparation for career opportunities in education, government, private enterprise, and multinational corporations.