BA in Asian American Studies

San Jose State University

The Asian American Studies (AAS) program, offered by the Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, provides an interdisciplinary liberal arts education. The program offers a Bachelor of Arts major and a minor in Asian American Studies - both are designed to develop student skills in critical analysis, writing, communication and reasoning, while retrieving, documenting and analyzing the diverse artistic, economic, social, political and historical experiences of Asian Americans in the United States. In addition to foundational courses on history, theory, and methods, the degree encompasses three different areas of emphasis: Social Sciences, Humanities & Arts, and other critical interdisciplinary studies in Ethnic Studies and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. The mission of the AAS degree program is to empower students to create a more socially-just and equitable society. AAS students will meet this vision by applying interdisciplinary theories into action, cultivating critical thought, and serving Asian American communities. Specifically, AAS brings together perspectives from different fields in the creative arts, humanities and social sciences while at the same time seeking to maintain a commitment to activism and to the needs of our communities.