Asian Area Studies

University of British Columbia

Canada, Vancouver

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University of British Columbia

Canada , Vancouver

Key Facts

Program Level

Bachelor

Study Type

Full Time

Delivery

On Campus

Application Fee

CAD 125

Campuses

Vancouver

Program Language

English

Start & Deadlines

Next Intake Deadlines15-May-2023

Apply to this program

Go to the official application for the university

Duration 4 year(s)

Tuition Fee

CAD 44,942 / year

Next Intake 15-May-2023

Asian Area Studies

About

You can study intense specialization in a single field.

Asian Studies uses multi- and inter-disciplinary approaches to study Asian societies and cultures, past and present. UBC's Department of Asian Studies focuses on approaches to Asia based in the Humanities (language, literature, history, culture, religion, philosophy, gender studies, performance, visual culture) and features strong coverage of East Asia (China, Japan, Korea) and South and West Asia (India, Pakistan, and the Persianate world). It is one of the leading programs of its kind in the world. You can learn Mandarin Chinese, Classical Chinese, Japanese, Classical Japanese, Korean, Cantonese, Punjabi, Hindi-Urdu, Sanskrit, or Persian.

Graduates will value diversity and command a valuable and rare combination of Asia-relevant linguistic and inter-cultural competencies. Graduates become able to contribute to Canada's evolving relationship with Asia in informed, original, and culturally appropriate ways.

Experiential learning and research

Asian Studies majors are strongly urged to broaden and deepen their engagement with Asia by participating in a Go Global-sponsored study abroad experience, taking Asia-related courses in other Faculty of Arts departments, enrolling in the Arts Co-op and Internship Programs, as well as taking advantage of the many alumni, lecture, and other events sponsored by the department.

Campus features

The Asian Library has the largest collection of Asian materials in Canada. Its holdings include the Puban collection of over 45,000 books and unpublished manuscripts and a serial collection of nearly 1,000 Chinese periodicals and newspapers. Among the library's treasures is the oldest book in the UBC Library system, published in China in 986 AD. The collection also includes a 50,000-volume Indic languages collection with materials in Sanskrit, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, and Gujarati.

UBC Asian Library

Gain a deeper understanding of Asian cultures while you study history, literary and religious traditions, languages, as well as gender relations. You'll choose from diverse courses such as "Asian Horror Cinema: National Nightmares and Specters of Trauma,"‌ "The Sikhs: History, Religion and Society,"‌ and "Classical Hindu, Buddhist and Jain Myths and Legends in Translation."‌

Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4

ASIA 100 - Introduction to Traditional Asia
A survey of the histories and cultures of Asia before 1600 and the coming of the Europeans. Emphasis will be given to parallel themes in the development of the civilizations of South, Southeast and East Asia.
ASIA 101 - Introduction to Modern Asia
A survey of the emergence of modern Asia. Aims at an understanding of how the various peoples of Asia have maintained distinctive cultural identities despite centuries of political, economic, social and cultural change.
ASIA 110 - Introduction to the Major Eastern Religions
Introduction to the major Asian religious traditions (Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Christianity, Shintoism, and Shamanism); employs theoretical models drawn from religious studies.

ASIA 208 - Cultural Foundations of South Asia
A survey of South Asian cultures, including language and literature, art, religion, polity and society, as they developed in the past and have been transformed in the modern period.
ASIA 250 - Introduction to Buddhism
Origins, basic teachings, development of Theravada, Mahayana, and Tantric traditions, historical spread first through Asia and later the world, and Buddhism in contemporary societies.
ASIA 254 - Sex, Gender, and Sexuality in Japanese Literature and Film
The integral role that sex, gender, and sexuality play in literary and cinematic works from Japan. Literary works will be read in translation, movies will be subtitled.
ASIA 270 - China in World History
The history of China in a global context, from the earliest times to the most recent past; how China has changed the world and how engagement with the world has changed China.

ASIA 304 - Survey of South and Southeast Asian Performing Arts
An historical perspective of the performing arts of South and Southeast Asia, highlighting the role of music, dance, and the dramatic arts in the lives of actors and audiences. Option to complete a practicum performance.
ASIA 311 - Tibetan Buddhism
Religious terrain of the Tibetan cultural realm, looking at the history and development of Tibetan Buddhism and key ideas of the four main Tibetan Buddhist traditions.
ASIA 326 - Critical Approaches to Manga and Anime
A critical introduction to Japanese manga and anime in the 20th and 21st centuries.
ASIA 327 - Korean Popular Music in Context
History, contexts, and the genres of Korean popular music. Students will analyze specific artists and songs using a range of approaches. While an understanding of basic concepts of music will be helpful, no previous exposure to ethnomusicology or music performance is required.
ASIA 394 - Post-Revolutionary Iranian Cinema
Gender politics, family relationships, and women's social, economic, and political roles in post-revolutionary Iran as shown through Iranian cinema.

ASIA 410 - International Relations in Premodern East Asia
International relations, particularly between Korea and Japan in the premodern East Asian context, focusing on migration, trade, diplomacy, war, collective memory, mutual perceptions, and the context of the Sinocentric international order.
ASIA 451 - Modern Chinese Authors in Translation
Study of one influential modern Chinese author, such as Lu Xun, Shen Congwen, Eileen Chang, Yu Hua, Mo Yan, or Wang Anyi.
ASIA 455 - Adaptations of Japanese Classics
Introduction to literary, stage, and film adaptations of Japanese classics and legends and the ways in which these "new" works appropriate the past to comment on the present.
ASIA 475 - Documenting Punjabi Canada
Exploration of the history of the Punjabi Canadian community through traditional text-based methods and oral history collection (in English or Punjabi).
ASIA 495 - Folk Cultures in the Asian Diaspora
The mediation of folklore (e.g. slang, songs, games, dance, foodways) in the everyday lives of immigrant and transnational Asian communities. Emphasis on Asian-Canadian folklore in Greater Vancouver through digital documentary media production and archival folklore research.

Disciplines

Faculty of Arts

Requirements

Entry Requirements

Graduation from a university-preparatory program at a senior secondary school: General Secondary Education Certificate (Tawjihi). Certificates must be official. Photocopies are acceptable if certified by school principal, head, or counsellor. Notarized copies are not acceptable.

Career

As an Asian Studies graduate you will have a first-hand appreciation of linguistic and cultural difference, and a critically informed understanding of one or more cultures and civilizations of South or East Asia. These assets, along with strong research, writing, and critical thinking skills, set you up for other graduate and professional degrees; work in the Foreign Service, Canada Border Service Agency, and other branches of government; serve in NGOs and not-for-profit organizations; work as translators and interpreters in a variety of contexts; and employment in diverse educational, cultural, and media institutions.

Program graduates

Research analyst, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
Sales Associate, Nishimoto Trading Co.
Job developer, Neil Squire Society
Coordinator/translator, Waterproof Studios
Freelance Japanese-to-English translator
Associate account strategist, Google

UBC stories

"Each course that I took allowed me to expand and develop my capacities and eventually I became an expert in my field of research."
Sarah Youngblutt, Anthropology and Asian Area Studies Read the full story

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Fee Information

Tuition Fee

CAD 44,942 / year

Application Fee

CAD 125

How to Apply

As you complete the online application, keep the following tips in mind:

Start early and take your time. Once you begin the application, you will be able to save it and return to it later – but only up until the deadline. Once you have submitted your application to UBC, you will not be able to edit it. Since the online application can sometimes time out if left open for too long, we recommend working on your personal profile questions outside of the application (where you can run them through a spell-checker) then copy and paste them into your application.
Let the online application guide you. You’ll be asked to provide only the information we need based on your degree choice(s), your previous education, and other factors.
Tell us your full academic history. It’s important to include all of the high schools, colleges, and/or universities you have attended. Don’t leave anything out!
Be accurate. UBC has a number of methods in place to authenticate information provided in the application. These methods include, but are not limited to, contacting references, verifying academic records, and requesting additional documentation to verify your personal profile. If an application is found to contain untrue or incomplete information, UBC may, at its discretion: withdraw an offer of admission; require you to withdraw from UBC; subject you to academic discipline; or share the information provided with other post-secondary institutions, law enforcement agencies, or other third parties.
Use an email address you check frequently. Once you have submitted your application, UBC will communicate with you primarily by email.
Note your UBC student number. Write down your UBC student number somewhere safe. You’ll need it in future correspondence with UBC.