
The Major
Students gain a sophisticated understanding of one of the four cultural areas—Japan, China, South Asia and West Asia—that make up our department.
The MajorWe study the languages, societies and cultures of major civilizations that stretch from the Arab World to Japan. Students expand their knowledge and challenge assumptions about this large and vital part of the world.
Students gain a sophisticated understanding of one of the four cultural areas—Japan, China, South Asia and West Asia—that make up our department.
The MajorAs part of the Five College Arabic Language Initiative, we offer a full sequence of courses in Arabic.
Arabic LanguageWe offer a coherent sequence of Mandarin Chinese courses from the elementary through the advanced.
Chinese LanguageWe teach Japanese using the “stage-step” method. Students learn to speak, read, write and listen in Japanese.
Japanese LanguageAmherst has long ties with Japan’s Doshisha University, founded by Amherst graduate Joseph Hardy Neesima, the first Japanese man to earn a college degree from a Western institution.
Doshisha UniversityAt weekly language tables, students share meals while speaking Chinese, Japanese or Arabic.
Language TablesRoughly translated as “Garden of Friendship,” the Yūshien is a contemplative garden in the Japanese style at Amherst. It has been ranked among the nation’s top Japanese gardens.
YūshienSurvey the literary and cultural milestones in late nineteenth-century to twentieth-century China while exploring a wide range of works from mainland China and the Sinophone world.
We will examine Ramayana stories both in print and beyond—as performances, songs, and television shows that circulate and influence the world in Bengali, English, Hindi, Tamil, Thai, and Old Javanese.
The course examines key issues that have shaped the development of modern Buddhism across East Asia, while fostering a critical assessment of some fundamental assumptions in the making of the modern age.
We award the Doshisha Asian Studies Prize for the best undergraduate honors thesis pertaining to Asia, and The Smith Prize for Japanese Studies.