Asian Studies Minor

The Asian Studies Minor is designed for students who wish to deepen their knowledge of East Asia, with particular focus on China, Japan, and Korea. The minor offers students of all majors an opportunity to explore Asia from the interdisciplinary perspectives of history, politics, geography, society, literature, culture, art, landscape design, film, science, economics, and business as well as language. Students are encouraged to study abroad in Asia.

The Asian Studies Minor consists of 15 credits (five 3-credit courses). Students are required to take three Asia-focused courses and two-Asia component courses chosen with the approval of the program’s coordinator. While language study is not required for this minor, students interested in learning Chinese language can take CHI 151 and CHI 152. (Note: only one 100-level course will count toward the minor). Courses taken abroad or in an Asia-focused internship will be considered by the coordinator to determine appropriateness for the minor.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Students will gain knowledge of Asia from a Historical and Political Perspective
Students will acquire an interdisciplinary appreciation of the importance of East Asia and its role and contributions to the global society - past and/or present.
Students will develop intercultural competencies that will prepare them for travel, business, or study in East Asia

About Academic Minors

Farmingdale State College students are invited to enhance their studies with an "Academic Minor." A minor is a cluster of thematically related courses drawn from one or more departments. In addition to department based minors (e.g. computer programming & info systems), interdisciplinary minors are also available (e.g. legal studies).

Academic minors are approved by the College-Wide Curriculum Committee and the Provost. Students must make application for an academic minor through the department offering the minor in conjunction with the Registrar's Office Specific course work must be determined in consultation with a faculty member in the department offering the minor. A statement of successful completion of the academic minor will appear on the student's transcript at the time of graduation.

A minor is considered to be an optional supplement to a student's major program of study.
Completion of a minor is not a graduation requirement and is subject to the availability of the courses selected. However, if the requirements for a minor are not completed prior to certification of graduation in the major, it will be assumed that the minor has been dropped. Consequently, the student will only be certified for graduation in their primary major.
Only students in 4 year baccalaureate programs can apply for a minor.
A minor should consist of 15 to 21 credits.
At least 12 credits must be in courses at the 200 level or higher.
At least 9 credits must be residency credits.
Specific requirements for each minor are determined by the department granting the minor.
Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 in their minor. Some minors may require a higher GPA.
Students are prohibited from declaring a minor in the same discipline as their major (e.g. one cannot combine an applied math minor with an applied math major). Academic minors may not apply to all curricula.
Students are permitted to double-count courses.
Students are only permitted to take more than one minor with appropriate written approval of their department chair or curriculum Dean.

Admission to Farmingdale State College - State University of New York is based on the qualifications of the applicant without regard to age, sex, marital or military status, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, disability or sexual orientation.

History, Politics and Geography | Dr. Dandan Chen | dandan.chen@farmingdale.edu | 934-420-2739

Fall 2026

Subject to revision

The three required Asia-focused courses may be selected from the following options:
CHI 151 Chinese I OR CHI 152 Chinese II	3
HIS 213 Peoples and Cultures of Asia	3
HIS 214 East Asia and the World	3
HIS 216 History of Central Asia: From Genghis to Borat	3
HIS 311 China Since 1840	3
HIS 343 Cinema and The City	3
POL 373 Politics in Asia and the Pacific Rim	3
MLG 321 Chinese Culture and Civilization	3

The two Asia-component courses may be selected from the following options:
ART 201 Survey of Art History: Prehistoric Times Through Middle Ages	3
BUS 280 International Business	3
BUS 320 International Marketing	3
BUS 322 International Management	3
BUS 366 International Resource Management	3
BUS 494 & BUS 494W Global Strategy	3
ECO 340 International Trade	3
EGL 206 World Literature: Early Classics	3
GEO 211 The World and Its Peoples	3
HIS 233 Comparative Religions and Cultures	3
HIS 315 Imperialism	3
HIS 319 Special Topics in History	3
HOR 350 The Art History of Garden Design and Landscape Architecture	3
MLG 300 International Cinema	3
MLG 325 Visions of the East in Hispanic Civilization	3
POL 262 Global Politics	3
POL 265 Comparative Politics	3
POL 370 International Relations	3
POL 371 Geopolitics	3
POL 392 Religion and Politics	3
RAM 303 Research Experience	3

Curriculum Summary

Total Required Credits: 15

Notes:

1. Some sections of the Special Topics courses listed below have a thematic focus on East Asia. If students request, the Minor Coordinator will approve those Asia-themed sections as counting toward the minor: ECO 390 (Special Topics in Economics), GEO 290 (Topics in Geography), GEO 390 (Special Topics in Geography), HIS 219 (Topics in History), HIS 319 (Special Topics in History), POL 395 (Special Topics in Politics), and STS 400W (Senior Seminar in Science, Technology, and Society)

2. Some sections of the Special Topics courses listed below have a thematic focus on East Asia. If students request, the Minor Coordinator will approve those Asia-themed sections as counting toward the minor: ECO 390 (Special Topics in Economics), GEO 290 (Topics in Geography), GEO 390 (Special Topics in Geography), HIS 219 (Topics in History), HIS 319 (Special Topics in History), POL 395 (Special Topics in Politics), and STS 400W (Senior Seminar in Science, Technology, and Society)