Have you ever wondered how Japanese people came to drink milk and wear Western clothing, make excellent cars or produce anime? Why are K-pop and K-dramas so popular and influential around the world? Will North and South Korea ever be reunited? What did Confucius really teach, and do these ancient teachings still matter today? These are just some of the questions you might explore as part of your Asian Studies major. Asian Studies at the University of Auckland is an interdisciplinary programme focusing on the East Asian cultures of China, Korea, and Japan.
You will study the East Asian region as a whole, finding commonalities and differences. You can choose from courses about East Asian film and TV, politics, history, popular culture, religion, diaspora and migration, conflicts and peace, philosophy, geography, and anthropology. All of our staff are fluent in at least one East Asian language, and we encourage you to study an East Asian language alongside your Asian Studies major too. However, Asian Studies courses are taught entirely in English. Students from Global Studies, Gender Studies, History, and other majors also take Asian Studies courses, as well as students who are already native speakers of an East Asian language.
With a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Asian Studies you can choose from a wide range of courses on film, literature, politics, history, popular culture, philosophy, geography, economics and anthropology.
Some courses focus on a particular part of Asia and other courses offer pan-Asian perspectives. We also encourage you to take advantage of exchange opportunities to live and study in Asian countries.