1. Why should I take an APAS course?
2. What do APAS courses count for?
3. What's the APAS Certificate and how might I work toward it?
4. Does APAS offer a major or minor yet?
5. What sorts of jobs and careers will APAS prepare me for?
6. What kinds of courses does APAS offer?
7. What's the difference between APAS and Asian Studies?
8. Are there many Asian American and Pacific Islander students at ASU?
Why should I take an APAS course?
Come learn about one of the fastest growing racial and ethnic minority groups in the country! It might sound like a cliche, but Arizona and the nation at large is becoming increasingly multiethnic and multicultural. We should all take steps to inform ourselves about the dynamic local, national, and global communities we are a part of. Our APAS courses at ASU are also distinctive in that they are interdisciplinary courses drawing upon faculty strengths in media, communication, literature, history, and geography. Please feel free to contact us for further information about our courses, our Certificate, and other related questions.
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What do APAS courses count for?
Our APAS courses most often count toward the General Studies awareness area of cultural diversity in the United States (C). Many of our APAS courses also count toward the General Studies core areas of humanities and fine arts (HU) and the social and behavioral sciences (SB). In future semesters, some of our newer APAS courses can be used in fulfilling other General Studies core and awareness areas. Please check our webpage for updates.
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What's the APAS Certificate and how might I work toward it?
The APAS Program offers a Certificate that focuses on the experiences, histories, cultures, and contemporary status of people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent living in the United States. The Certificate is the only one of its kind offered by the Arizona universities. The Certificate is designed for ASU undergraduates in any major seeking an additional area of specialization or Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies students seeking a certificate program for their degree. The APAS Certificate requires six (6) courses for a total of 18 credits. Four (4) courses (12 credits) must be upper division courses. Checklist sheets are available outside the APAS Main Office in Agriculture 352. For more information, please contact:
Academic Advisor
Roisan Rubio
Email: r2@asu.edu
Phone: (480) 965-9121
Fax: (480) 727-7911
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Does APAS offer a major or minor yet?
Since Asian Pacific American Studies is a new program, we do not offer a major at this point. We do, however, anticipate offering a major in the future as our program grows. Students may work towards earning an APAS Certificate. Students who complete the required coursework for the APAS Certificate receive an official declaration of the Certificate on their official ASU transcripts. Technically speaking the Certificate is not a "minor" since minors cannot be offered at ASU unless a major is offered by that particular academic unit. Courses for the APAS Certificate can also be used as a concentration field in the BIS (Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies) major as well.
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What sorts of jobs and careers will APAS prepare me for?
APAS courses expose students to the background and contemporary issues facing a range of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, was well as the dynamics of pan-Asian Pacific American community politics. This exposure serves students well in many areas of employment, in both the public and private sectors. Recent students, for example, have applied their knowledge in fields like law, business, health, public policy, and education.
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What kinds of courses does APAS offer?
The entire list of courses offered by the APAS Program can be obtained at the Course page.
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What's the difference between APAS and Asian Studies?
The APAS Program focuses on the experiences, histories, cultures, and contemporary status of people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent living in the United States. In some respects, the field of Asian Pacific American Studies is similar to other ethnic studies fields like African American Studies, and Chicana/o Studies, and Native American Studies. Asian Pacific American Studies does not focus on the study of Asia or the Pacific Islands per se. Our courses primarily focus on experiences within the United States. Some of our courses do offer comparative perspectives on other Asian and Pacific Islanders' experiences in other countries.
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Are there many Asian American and Pacific Islander students
at ASU and in Arizona?
Asian Americans comprise 4.6% of all undergraduate students and graduate students at ASU Main. In Fall 2001, enrollment figures showed that there were 1,791 Asian American undergraduates and 361 Asian American graduate students out of a total enrollment of 46,693 at ASU Main. (This enrollment data, unfortunately, did not have a separate category for Pacific Islanders.)
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