We 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 Major
As part of the Five College Arabic Language Initiative, we offer a full sequence of courses in Arabic.
Arabic Language
We offer a coherent sequence of Mandarin Chinese courses from the elementary through the advanced.
Chinese Language
We teach Japanese using the “stage-step” method. Students learn to speak, read, write and listen in Japanese.
Japanese Language
Amherst 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 University
At weekly language tables, students share meals while speaking Chinese, Japanese or Arabic.
Language Tables
Roughly 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.
Explore major events in Modern China beginning with the Opium War and the Taiping Rebellion through the post-Mao economic reform and the 2008 Beijing Olympics, all with comparative references to current events.
Trace the history of animation in Japan, from the earliest known work in 1907 to the media convergence of the present, accessing a larger history of media in Japan, including cinema, television, and today’s hybrid “contents industry.”
We award the Doshisha Asian Studies Prize for the best undergraduate honors thesis pertaining to Asia, and The Smith Prize for Japanese Studies.