Minor in Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies
A minor in Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Studies is for any student interested in understanding how national and global questions of race and inequality intersect, and specifically in learning about the histories, literatures, cultures, and contemporary realities of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
The United States is a multi-ethnic, multinational nation in a world marked by migration and interdependence. The AAPI minor will broaden your awareness of the world and deepen your understanding of this country's multiracial history and character while also enabling you to situate the American experience within a larger global context.
As an AAPI minor, you can expect to hone your critical thinking, writing, and research — skills that will make you an informed citizen of the 21st century and well prepared to pursue graduate study in this discipline or a career in a wide array of professions, including government, law, education, arts, and business.
Why Brandeis?
Joining the ranks of some of this country's finest institutions of higher education, Brandeis established this minor in recognition of student activists' demand for a more inclusive curriculum; the subject’s popularity among students from a range of disciplines; and the university's longstanding commitment to celebrate the many diasporic and cultural identities that comprise our community.
The AAPI minor enables you to take a truly interdisciplinary approach as you engage with leading scholars in the study of Asian American and Pacific Islander histories, literatures, cultures, and contemporary realities.
Academics and Research
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To earn the minor, you'll complete one core course and three electives in AAPI Studies, as well as one related course in another area of ethnic studies or related field.
Many Brandeis faculty have longstanding research and teaching interests in the interconnected communities, places and peoples of the Americas, Asia-Pacific region, and Pacific Islands. Brandeis is therefore able to offer a robust selection of courses in a variety of disciplines. Through courses in anthropology, cultural studies, history, English, and sociology, for example, you'll explore topics such as colonialism, empire, indigeneity, imperialism, climate change, and more.
This program encourages you to pursue both curricular and extra-curricular learning opportunities, such as working with Asian American and Pacific Islander communities around Boston, pursuing field research for a thesis, and completing an internship.
In addition to selecting courses at Brandeis, you may enroll in courses at Boston College, Boston University, Tufts University, and Wellesley College.
Faculty Excellence
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Our highly productive, yet accessible faculty will enable you to engage with AAPI studies through many different lenses. They work in anthropology, English, history, and sociology, but also in fields as diverse as women's, gender, and sexuality studies, Latin American and Latinx studies, and South Asian studies.
Careers and Graduate Study
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Whether you're interested in a career in law, medicine, business, or technology, adding a minor in AAPI studies will give you highly sought-after exposure to complex social issues such as diversity, cultural difference, race and racial discrimination, and globalization.
With a minor in AAPI Studies, you'll be well prepared to pursue graduate-level work and/or a scholarly career in this area or any of the disciplines represented in the program.
