BA in Asian History
Suita, Japan
BA
DURATION
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Apr 2027
STUDY FORMAT
Key Summary
About: This BA in Asian History covers China, Northern/Central Eurasia and Southeast/maritime Asia. It combines social, economic and legal history from the early modern period to the present. From year two you’ll get training in interpreting historical sources and classical Chinese while learning a second foreign language and doing local fieldwork. In year three you’ll specialize in focused research on themes like maritime relations, medieval and early modern Southeast Asia, and Central Eurasian history. The course emphasizes logical thinking, communication and research skills useful beyond academia.
Career Outcomes: Graduates enter teaching, museums, academic research, archives, cultural policy and diplomacy roles.
This course is one of the only programs in Japan that simultaneously covers three significant areas of history: China, Northern/Central Eurasia, and Southeast/maritime Asia. The course has produced world-class research concerning society, economics, and the law in China from the early modern period to the present day; the history of Central Eurasia during the period from the Chinese Sui and Tang Dynasties to the Mongolian Empire; the medieval and early modern periods in Southeast Asia (Vietnam, in particular); and maritime relations in East/Southeast Asia. Emphasis is placed on local fieldwork in addition to historical sources. The course stands at the forefront of the movement to reform history education, which includes giving Asian history education its proper place in the international academic community.
In their second year, students develop their knowledge of Asian history in general and receive basic training on interpreting historical sources. From the third year, students specialize by focusing on specific research areas and themes. As all regions covered in the course require students to be able to read sources written in classical Chinese, students are expected, from their first year on, to improve and maintain their classical Chinese comprehension skills while also learning a second foreign language. The department also hosts joint seminars where all members of the faculty come together to debate a variety of topics from a range of fields. This endeavor is part of the course’s aim to equip students with a broad perspective and abilities that will be of use beyond the academic setting, such as logical thinking and communication skills.
