Welcome

Building on the tradition of Asian Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and in response to the national growth of Asian American Studies and enrollment trends on campus, a new joint undergraduate Program in Asian and Asian American Studies was introduced in the spring of 2000.

Zen

As American society becomes more diverse, multicultural, and globalized, and in the context of the cultural and economic emergence of Asian countries such as China and India, the Asian & Asian American Studies Certificate gives students the opportunity to learn about the interconnections between two similar but unique sets of histories, cultures, and issues -- Asia and Asian America.

With course offerings and faculty specializing in numerous academic disciplines, the Certificate is designed to give students (1) an understanding of different racial/ethnic groups & international issues and (2) interdisciplinary and multi-method research and learning skills. In turn, these skills will give the student a competitive advantage in both their studies at UMass and in whatever career they enter once they graduate.

Please refer to the menu on the right for links to more information about the Asian & Asian American Studies Certificate Program, including requirements of the certificate, frequently asked questions, and an updted listing of courses that count toward the certificate.

For additional information regarding the Asian and Asian American Studies Program, please contact:

C.N. Le, Director
Department of Sociology
Thompson Hall 508
Tel: 413-545-4074
Email:


What's New

Once again, we've completed another productive and successful academic year. Here is a list of some of the notable highlights of our activities and events that took place this past academic year:

  • We had two students complete the Certificate this year, which was slightly lower than our usual number. However, all signs point for a big increase next year, as several students completed the capstone "Senior Seminar" course but still needed only one or two more courses for the Certificate, which means they will complete all the Certificate requirements next year. As another encouraging sign, both the "Bridging Asia & Asian America Colloquium" and "Sociology of the Asian American Experience" courses continue to be filled beyond capacity, with many students from previous courses taking the other courses, which hopefully indicates their intention of eventually completing the Certificate. With that in mind, I anticipate a bumper crop of completed Certificate students next year!

  • We helped to co-sponsor several lectures from various faculty visiting our area, further continuing our tradition of contributing to the rich and vibrant academic community of UMass Amherst.

  • Building on the momentum of last year, we again participated in the second annual 5-Pan APA Issues Conference, hosted at Amherst College and attended by over 50 undergraduate students from UMass Amherst, Amherst College, Smith College, Hampshire College, and Mount Holyoke College. The 5-Pan student organization continues to become stronger and more cohesive each year and we look forward to seeing what they have planned for next year.

  • We wanted to do something to directly facilitate the professionalization of our grad students and junior faculty and decided to open our program funds to assist six grad students and faculty to attend the annual conferences of the Association for Asian American Studies in Chicago and the Association for Asian Studies in Atlanta, both in April. All six had very successful trips and were very thankful to the AAAS Certificate Program for assisting them to participate in their conferences.

  • Last but not least, I am very pleased to report that we were awarded a $3,500 grant by the UMass Amherst Center for Teaching (funded by the Mellon Foundation) to facilitate "mutual mentoring" among grad students and faculty doing APA Studies at UMass Amherst and the Five College area. This involves a series of five "Dinner and Discussion" meetings that will take place at each of the five different campuses, be organized by one or more team members from that particular campus, and will include topically-driven and facilitated group discussions on issues of research, teaching, and tenure, all designed to build a mutually-supportive academic and social support community across traditional disciplinary and institutional boundaries.