Associate of Arts in Asian and Asian American Studies (AAAS)
Oakland, USA
Associate of Arts
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Jan 2026
TUITION FEES
USD 7,120 / per semester *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* this is for a standard 15 credit semester including fees / price may vary depending on how many credits are taken
Key Summary
What is Asian and Asian American Studies at Laney College?
Asian and Asian American Studies (AAAS) provides an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the historical and current experiences of Asian Pacific Americans. It is an academic program and a major for the Associate Arts (AA) degree in the Ethnic Studies Department.
The Asian and Asian American Studies Program includes courses concentrating on Asia as well as courses concerning Asian peoples and Asian Americans in the Americas. Historical, sociological, psychological, and aesthetic perspectives are utilized in these courses in order to provide a broad understanding of this diverse area of the world and the dynamic peoples who live there and trace their ancestry to that region. AAAS offers introductory and survey courses that are all transferable to CSU and UC. The courses meet IGETC requirements and fulfill GEs for the AA degree. We hope to see you in some of our classes!
ASAME 2: Introduction to the Pacific Islander Experience from 1850 to the Present
- 3 units,
- 3 hours lecture (GR or P/NP)
- Acceptable for credit: CSU, UC
Introduction to the experiences of Pacific Islanders in the United States through historical and political lens of annexation, immigration and acculturation: Comparison of social outcomes of Pacific Islanders by investigating themes of identity, colonialism, and community activism. 2203.00 AA/AS area 2, 5; CSU area D; IGTEC 4
ASAME 10: Asian and Asian American Popular Culture
- 3 units,
- 3 hours lecture (GR or P/NP)
- Acceptable for credit: CSU, UC
Survey of major Asian Americans cultural themes: Analysis of popular and contemporary cultural productions such as music, performance arts, visual culture, food, film, digital/internet cultures and transnational practices to contest and reconstruct ethnic and racial identity in the United States. 2203.00 AA/AS area 3, 5; CSU area C1
ASAME 21: Asian-American Communities
- Units: 3
- Class: 3 hours lecture (GR)
- Acceptable for credit: CSU, UC
Description: Study of political, economic, and social structures of Asian-American communities, past and present: Emphasis on current issues and problems. AA/AS area 2, 5; CSU area D; IGETC area 4
ASAME 26: Politics in Modern Asia
- Units: 3
- Class: 3 hours lecture (GR)
- Acceptable for credit: CSU, UC
Description: Survey of major political developments in Asia in the twentieth century. AA/AS area 2; CSU area D; IGETC area 4
ASAME 30: Asians and Asian-Americans through Films
- Units: 3
- Class: 3 hours lecture (GR)
- Acceptable for credit: CSU, UC
Description: Culture and societies of Asia and the Asian Diaspora, with particular emphasis on Asian-American documentary and dramatic films: Examination of films as a medium of communication and representation of Asian and Asian-American cultures, exploring common cultural elements and symbols; themes and motifs in films by and about Asian Americans, Central Asians, East Asians, and South and Southeast Asians.
AA/AS area 2, 3; CSU area D; IGETC area 4
ASAME 32: Asian-American Psychology
- Units: 3
- Class: 3 hours lecture (GR)
- Acceptable for credit: CSU, UC
Description:Principles of psychology as they relate to the growth and development of Asian-Americans. AA/AS area 2, 5; CSU area D, E; IGETC area 4
ASAME 35: Women of Color
- Units: 3
- Class: 3 hours lecture (GR)
- Also offered as Afram 35, M/Lat 35, and Natam 35. Not open for credit to students who have completed or are concurrently enrolled in Afram 35, M/Lat 35, or Natam 35.
Description: Interdisciplinary examination of the lives of women of color in the U.S.: Exploration of the intersection of gender, class, ethnicity, and race in the lives of African-American, Asian-American, Chicana/Latina, and Native American women in the U.S.
AA/AS area 2, 5; CSU area D; IGETC area 4
ASAME 42: Southeast Asians in the United States
- 3 units,
- 3 hours lecture (GR or P/NP)
- Acceptable for credit: CSU, UC
Survey of the Southeast Asian experience in the United States: Analysis of post-colonialism, refugee migration and resettlement through themes of race, class, gender, culture and sexuality. 2203.00
AA/AS area 2, 5; CSU area D; IGETC area 4
ASAME 45A: Asian-American History to 1945
- Units: 3
- Class: 3 lecture (GR or P/NP)
- Acceptable for credit: CSU, UC
Description: Asian-American history from the Pre-Columbian period to 1945: The “old” Asian immigrants and their experiences: Labor, settlement, community, racist opposition, and eventual acceptance.
AA/AS area 2, 5; CSU area D; IGETC area 4
ASAME 45B: Asian-American History from 1945 to the Present
- Units: 3
- Class: 3 lecture (GR or P/NP)
- Acceptable for credit: CSU, UC
Description: Asian-American history from 1945 to the present: The “new” Asian immigration, assimilation, Asian-American empowerment, and community development.
AA/AS area 2, 5; CSU area D; IGETC area 4
ASAME 49: Independent Study in Asian and Asian-American Studies
- Course Number: ASAME 49
- Units: .5-5
- Class: .5-5 hours lecture (GR)
- Acceptable for credit: CSU, UC
Description: See section on Independent Study.
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Evaluate the development of the field of Asian American Studies, and utilize research methodologies and scholarship within the field to produce research papers.
- Effectively employ social science methodologies in the analysis of issues related to Asian American Studies
- Identify, and describe, the general history of Asian American people in the U.S.
Program is geared in future careers in Teaching, Social Work, Public Health, Community Organizing, as well as working in higher education or graduate school.
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