Pathways Through the AAPI Studies Major

Yushien Japanese Garden at Amherst College

The Yushien Japanese Garden at Amherst College

AAPI Studies is an interdisciplinary field, allowing students great flexibility in designing a pathway through the major tailored to their research interests. 

  • At least 2 Foundation Courses in AAPI history, social sciences, and literature—students need to take a course in history and social science, or a course in history and literature, or a course in literature and social science (e.g., taking two social science courses means you still must take a history or literature course):
    • A course in history (TBD, 2024-2025)
    • A course in the social sciences (AMST 204: The Asian American Experience; ANTH296: Racial Consciousness and the Asian American Perspective; another in development)
    • A course in literature (ENGL 291: AAPI Critiques)
  • At least 1 Theory/Methods Course:
    • E.g., ENGL 305: Queering Asian America; ENGL 474: Transpacific Ecologies and Narratives
  • 1 course in U.S. Comparative Race and Indigeneity:
    • A course from BLST, LLAS, or in Native American Studies, centered on the U.S.
  • 1 course in Pacific World, Asia, and the Americas:
    • A course from ASLC

For additional (4) courses, students have two options:

  • Option 1: Take electives
    • Four electives from the list of approved course offerings
  • Option 2: Pursue one of the available tracks, plus two electives:
    • Two more courses to fulfill the track on U.S. Comparative Race and Indigeneity
    • Two more courses to fulfill the track on Pacific World, Asia, and the Americas
  • Other courses that will count toward the two tracks:
    • AMST 240: Rethinking Pocahontas, Kiara Vigil (Comparative Race and Indigeneity track)
    • AMST 385/ENGL 413: Imagining History, Lisa Brooks (Comparative Race and Indigeneity track)
    • POSC 263: Post-Colonial Nationalism, Amrita Basu (Pacific World, Asia, and the Americas track)
    • SOCI 337: Dilemmas of Diversity, Ron Lembo (Comparative Race and Indigeneity track)
    • SOCI 380: Whitewashing Race, Ron Lembo (Comparative Race and Indigeneity track)

See an AAPI Studies advisor for approval of other courses that might serve as substitutes for required courses.

Some topics that the AAPI major explores are:

  • Racial Analysis
  • Transnationalism
  • Settler Colonialism, Imperialism & Militarism
  • Immigration & Labor
  • Social Movements
  • Education
  • Sexuality & Gender 
  • Creative Expression