Asian American Studies Major
Students must also complete the Undergraduate Registration Requirement and the degree requirements of their home school.
NOTE: This Catalog describes Weinberg College BA requirements that pertain to students who matriculated at Northwestern after spring quarter 2023. Refer to the Archives if you are following BA requirements described in the 2018-2019 through 2022-2023 editions.
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| Program Courses (12 units) | |
| Introduction to Asian American Studies | |
3 additional 200-level courses | |
| Advanced Seminar for Majors and Minors (typically taken junior year.) | |
5 additional 300-level courses, including least one ASIAN_AM 399-0 linked to the Senior Project. | |
2 additional courses at either the 200- or 300-level. | |
| Related Courses (1 unit) | |
1 course outside of Asian American Studies that explicitly focuses on race, ethnicity, and indigeneity in the frame of US empire. Contact the DUS if you would like to know in advance if a course will count. | |
Senior Project
- Senior Projects must be approved in advance by the Director of Undergraduate Studies or major adviser and require an AASP faculty mentor.
- Students must take at least one ASIAN_AM 399-0 course for supervised reading and writing of their senior essay or senior thesis with a faculty advisor. Up to two units of ASIAN_AM 399-0 can be counted toward the major.
- Juniors who take ASIAN_AM 392-0 to develop a research project can repeat it for credit as seniors, expecting to work on their senior thesis or senior essay. Up to two units of ASIAN_AM 392-0 may be counted towards the major.
- The Senior Project, which culminates in a senior essay or senior thesis (see DUS for required length and other criteria), can take the form of an advanced research project, an in-depth community engagement project like an internship or substantial volunteer work, or course work specified below. Options include:
- Senior thesis in Asian American Studies.
- Independently proposed research project and senior essay.
- Independently proposed internship at an Asian American community organization or other nonprofit whose work involves Asian American issues, and a senior essay.
- Pre-approved study abroad courses on Asian diasporas, and a senior essay.
- Chicago Field Studies in a field related to Asian American Studies, and a senior essay.
Honors in Asian American Studies
To qualify for honors, a student must demonstrate consistently high performance in the major and complete a major research project during the senior year, selecting a thesis adviser from among core and affiliated faculty. Students whose theses and grades meet program criteria are recommended to the college for graduation with honors. For more information see the director of undergraduate studies or program director. Also see Honors in the Major.