Undergraduate
Asian American studies is a vital component of a liberal arts education that seeks to broaden awareness and appreciation of the world. Asian American studies deepens understanding of the multiracial history and character of the United States and also provides an opportunity to place the American experience within a larger global context. Northwestern’s Asian American Studies Program aims to provide students with an understanding of Asian American experience as fundamental to the ongoing development of American society and linked to the experiences of other racial minorities in the United States and of Asian migrants across the world. The Major and Minor thus encourage students to develop informed, far-reaching perspectives that facilitate responsible participation in a rapidly changing world. As an interdisciplinary program, Asian American studies develops traditional investigative, analytic, and critical skills while also promoting the intellectual and creative powers students need to meet the challenges of the 21st century.