Minor in Asian Studies
The Minor in Asian Studies is a multidisciplinary minor jointly offered by the following Asian Studies departments/programmes in FASS: Department of Southeast Asian Studies, Department of Malay Studies, South Asian Studies Programme, Department of Japanese Studies, and Department of Chinese Studies.
WHY MINOR IN ASIAN STUDIES?
The Minor in Asian Studies is for students who seek to develop a critical awareness of Asia in terms of it socio-economic, political, language and cultural features and trajectories. The programme utilises an array of multidisciplinary perspectives and intellectual traditions to bring a multifaceted, inter-Asia approach to the dynamics of Asia providing students the opportunity to take courses on a variety of topics concerning Asia based in the humanities, languages, and social sciences.
Students will develop a critical awareness of Asian society and culture, business histories and practices, and the historical, contemporary and the future political and economic dynamics of the vibrant region. Appreciating the value of language for students who intend to work in Asia, the Minor will also count one Asian Language course offered at the Centre of Language Studies (CLS).
CAREER PROSPECTS
Students who supplement their primary majors with training in the Minor in Asian Studies will be able to meet the needs of various industries. These include roles in governance, public service, media, business, technology, enterprise, and across domains from positions that require building clients’ trust through culturally sensitive interpersonal skills, to positions that require quick high-stakes decisions based on acute understanding of domestic and global issues.
Students with a Minor in Asian Studies would be assets in the government sector—Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministries of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Defence, etc.; the business sector—including multiple MNCs with bases in Asia or looking to expand operations in Asia, as well as organisations that help Singapore enterprise expand across Asia such as the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce; as well as to global organisations keen on addressing socio-political challenges in Asia—World Bank, United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Wildlife Foundation, and more.
To graduate with a Minor in Asian Studies, students must pass a minimum of 20 units of courses from a list of recognised courses, including:
- HSA1000 Asian Interconnections (See Note 1)
- 16 units of electives from the list of recognised courses, of which a minimum of 4 units is at level 3000 (See Note 2 and 3)
Note 1: CHS students who completed HSA1000 can double count it towards the CHS common curriculum for integrated course requirement (Asian Studies). It will be considered as a 4 units double-counted course between the Minor and College requirement.
Note 2: The 16 units of electives must be from three or more different Asian Studies departments/programmes (Department of Southeast Asian Studies, Department of Malay Studies, South Asian Studies Programme, Department of Japanese Studies, and Department of Chinese Studies). No more than 8 units may be taken from any one Asian Studies department/programme.
Note 3: A maximum of 1 Asian language, at any level, from the Centre of Language Studies (CLS) may be used to fulfil the electives requirement. These Asian languages are: Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Tamil, Thai, and Vietnamese.