Click here for a message from Asian Studies Program Director Karl Jackson Asian Studies is a broad field that provides an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the trends shaping Asia in the 21st century. Students in Asian Studies select a concentration in China, Japan, Korea, South Asia or Southeast Asia. Each concentration offers a menu of courses on foreign policy, history, society, economics, development and domestic politics. Although there is some flexibility in course requirements, students normally take four courses in their area of concentration and two additional courses in Asian Studies outside their concentration, for a total of six Asian Studies courses. Students in Asian Studies devote considerable time to the study of an Asian language—Chinese, Hindi-Urdu, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Thai or Vietnamese—depending on their regional concentration. Students should be prepared to demonstrate to examiners their ability to read and discuss contemporary economic, political and social writings. Those who have not studied their chosen language before coming to SAIS will need to study intensively during the summer as well as during the fall and spring semesters both years. Ph.D. Program The Ph.D. Program in Asian Studies is designed to produce graduates who specialize in a particular area or issue but also are knowledgeable about Asia as a whole and about political economy, comparative analysis and field research methodology. The Dissertation Colloquium is an integral part of the doctoral program. Candidates present their ideas to the faculty and fellow doctoral candidates before embarking on data collection and fieldwork. This initial session offers an opportunity to explain concepts and research techniques to faculty and fellow candidates and results in a completed dissertation prospectus. The second appearance before the colloquium takes place early in the write-up stage, after data collection has been completed. The final stage of the dissertation process is the formal defense of the finished dissertation and is open to all faculty and graduate students. Typical Asia Regional Courses - Advanced Seminar on Asia
- Advanced Seminar on the International Politics of Asia
- Asian Economic Dynamics: Past, Present and Future
- Asian Energy Security
- The Caucasus
- Contentious Politics in Asia: From Genocide to Terrorism
- Covert Action and Foreign Policy in Asia
- Current Asian Security Issues
- Democracy and Human Rights in Asia
- International Relations of Asia After World War II
- International Relations of Asia Before World War II
- International Relations of Asia: The Policy Process
- Modern Central Asia and the Caspian Basin
- The Politics of Bases: The Comparative Politics of Forward Deployment
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