Anthropology of Asia

Asia-broadly conceived to include Northeast Asia, China, Southeast Asia, and South Asia-presents a wide array of distinctive but also intricately interconnected societies and cultures which together encompass the majority of the human population. Asian societies and cultures, throughout human history, have interacted with one another across many dimensions of cultural transmission-religion, trade, politics, agriculture, philosophy, technology, migration, language, and arts, including popular culture. In contemporary times, as well, the vibrant interactions within and among Asian societies and their growing impact on global culture makes an understanding of Asian cultural dynamics and social patterns, both in their individual specifics and in cross-cultural commonalities, a crucial component of education for global citizenship. The Anthropology of Asia secondary field includes courses in archaeology as well as social anthropology.

1. Three of the four half-courses must be in the field of anthropology of Asia, and related to at least two different Asian societies.
2. One entry-level half-course in anthropology. Entry-level courses include Anthropology 1600, Anthropology 1010, Social Analysis 70, Foreign Cultures 84, and Social Analysis 28.
3. Three additional half-courses at the 1000 level or above. These courses may include a junior tutorial (Anthropology 98z) on an Asian society, or, with the permission of the instructor and approval by the secondary field adviser, a graduate-level (Anthropology 2XXX) seminar.

Anthropology highly values language as an important aspect of culture and society, and as a critical tool for understanding cultural similarities and differences. Students selecting a secondary field in the Anthropology of Asia are strongly encouraged to pursue the study of an Asian language. Completion of a third-year credit-bearing course in an Asian language may be counted, by petition, as fulfilling one course toward the requirements of the secondary field.