Institute for Asian Studies

What We Do

The Institute for Asian Studies was established in 1959. Our goal is to foster, facilitate, and enhance a global, multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual education at St John's University.

The Institute for Asian Studies was established in 1959. Our goal is to foster, facilitate, and enhance a global, multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual education at St John's University.

All programs within the Institute offer a comprehensive and critical study of the development of the Asian world, both as a whole and as individual societies, culturally and linguistically. Courses span the humanities and social sciences, and language courses in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean are offered at various levels. Our master's-level programs provide intensive research training in the field. 

Contact Information

Hung-Yi Erik Shen
Associate Director, Institute for Asian Studies
St. John Hall 116
[email protected]
718 990-1657

Additional Information

The Institute for Asian Studies offers a minor in Asian Studies to complement any major with a global perspective on the Asian world. The minor sequence consists of 18 credits in Asian Studies, including the following:

  • ASC 1300 Introduction to the Civilizations of Asia I
  • ASC 2610 Discovering China

Students must also complete two from among the following language courses:

  • CHI 1010; 1020 Elementary Chinese I;II
  • CHI 2030; 2040 Intermediate Chinese I;II
  • CHI 3090; 3100 Readings in Selected Chinese Essays
  • JPN 1010; 1030 Elementary Japanese I;II
  • JPN 2030; 2040 Intermediate Japanese I;II
  • JPN 3090; 3100 Readings in Selected Japanese Essays
  • KOR 1010; 1020 Elementary Korean I;II
  • KOR 2030; 2040 Intermediate Korean I;II
  • KOR 3090; 3100 Readings in Selected Korean Essays

In addition, students must select two additional elective courses (six credits) under departmental advisement.