PROPOSAL

PROPOSAL FOR A

DEPARTMENT OF ASIAN AND ASIAN AMERICAN STUDIES (DAAAS)

SUBMITTED BY THE FACULTY OF THE

ASIAN AND ASIAN AMERICAN STUDIES PROGRAM

BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY

MARCH 2008

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………………………….. 1

PROPOSAL ………………………………………………………………………….. 1

Historical Background ………………………………………………………… 1
Rationale for the Creation of DAAAS ………………………………………... 1
Relationship of DAAAS to Existing Programs ……………………………….. 2
Financial Implications ………………………………………………………… 2

MAJORS, MINORS, COMBINED PROGRAM, AND GRADUATE CERTIFICATES …………………………………………………………………….. 3

Major in AAASP ……………………………………………………………… 3
Minor in AAASP ……………………………………………………………… 4
Minor in Chinese ………………………………………………………………. 5
Minor in Korean ……………………………………………………………….. 5
AAAS/MPA Combined Degree ……………………………………………….. 5
Graduate Certificate …………………………………………………………… 6
AAAS/MPA Graduate Certificate …………………………………………….. 6
Future Plans ……………………………………………………………………. 7

CURRENT COURSE OFFERINGS ………………………………………………... 7

Undergraduate offerings ……………………………………………………….. 7
Recently offered graduate courses ……………………………………………... 9

FACULTY AND STAFF …………………………………………………………….. 9

LIBRARY …………………………………………………………………………….. 12

UNIVERSITY SERVICE, SPECIAL PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES ………… 13

Asian Migrations Conference ………………………………………………….. 13
NYCAS ………………………………………………………………………… 13
Provosts’ Multidisciplinary Symposia …………………………………………. 14
Korean Humanities Seminar …………………………………………………… 14
Foreign Language Pedagogy Workshop ……………………………………….. 14
Grants …………………………………………………………………………... 15

ABSTRACT:

We are proposing the establishment of a Department of Asian and Asian American Studies (DAAAS), which will combine the Asian language programs within the Department of German, Russian and East Asian Languages (GREAL), which currently offer minors in Chinese and Korean, and the Asian and Asian American Studies Program (AAASP), which has a major, minor, two graduate certificates and a combined program with the Masters in Public Administration. GREAL, for its part, will be reconfigured as the Department of German and Russian. It should be stressed that this proposal involves a reconfiguration of existing resources, facilitating a larger Harpur College Dean’s Office initiative already underway – namely, the application to have Binghamton University designated as a National Language Resource Center by the Department of Education. The formation of the proposed Department of Asian and Asian American Studies will optimally position the college and university, as we prepare to apply for this prestigious National Resource Center grant.

PROPOSAL:

1. Historical background

There is a long history of Asian studies programs at American colleges and universities developing into departments, though in many cases their geographical focus was more limited, resulting, for example, in East Asian or South Asian departments. The same may be said, on a more limited scale, of Asian American studies programs, although their creation began in earnest only in the 1970s and 1980s.

The origins of Asian studies at Binghamton initially had a similar trajectory, with the establishment of an East Asian Studies Program in 1984. In 1993 the program expanded and took on its present name, but at that time the combination of Asian with Asian American studies was seen as a marriage of convenience, for it was anticipated that Asian American studies would form a separate program when they had achieved adequate faculty resources. In 2000, however, it was decided to re-conceptualize the program, accentuating commonalities between Asian and Asian American studies through their shared concern with the histories and cultures of Asian peoples, wherever they might be. With the 2001 receipt of a Freeman Foundation grant, the program was able to expand its faculty and curriculum, and to develop a major and minor as well as two graduate certificates.

2. Rationale for the creation of DAAAS

The creation of an AAAS department is a natural outgrowth of AAAS, which has grown much beyond the average program size at Binghamton. We have 5 jointly appointed, 8 joint titled, and 7 fully berthed faculty. In addition, there are 17 affiliated faculty. These faculty cover (loosely) (in alpha order): Asian American and Diaspora Studies, Chinese Studies, Japanese Studies, Korean Studies, South Asian Studies, and comparative Asian studies. Over the past five years, the number of majors and minors in areas of Asian and Asian American studies has steadily grown, currently totally 92. This consists of majors and minors in 1) Asian and Asian American 2) Chinese and 3) Korean studies.

This proposal is motivated by four considerations. First, we desire an interdisciplinary departmental home that will coordinate and foster teaching and research platforms in an integrated field of Asian and Asian American Studies.

Second, department status will allow us to better support and advise undergraduate students and handle the high student demand for our classes. As the following table indicates, undergraduate demands have grown in all areas of Asian and Asian American studies in recent years, and as a program we are stretched to meet these demands.

	2004	2005	2006	2007
AAAS majors	31	41	45	42
AAAS minors	14	29	26	37
Course enrollments		1,343	2,263	1,892
Asian language minors	NA	NA	5	27
Asian language enrollments	585	614	758	1,194

Third, departmental status allows us to respond to graduate needs and provide formalized graduate study. At this time, the program already offers a graduate certificate and a combined AAAS/MPA (Masters in Public Administration) degree. Departmental status would also enhance the draw for graduate students who desire advising in this area, as an extension of their work in their home departments.

Finally, and importantly, departmental status will allow us to compete and apply for large grants. It will enhance our competitiveness when we apply for a National Resource Center grant in the fall of 2009. It will also effectively place Binghamton in the position of being the SUNY campus with the most breadth and depth in Asian and Asian American Studies.

3. Relationship of DAAAS to Existing Programs

The current department most affected by the creation of a Department of Asian and Asian American Studies is German, Russian and East Asian Language (GREAL), since the proposal involves moving all of the faculty and courses currently relating to East Asia (China, Japan and Korea) into DAAAS. The remaining German and Russian faculty and courses will be reconfigured into a Department of German and Russian Studies. There was, in fact, a department by that name in the 1980s; the generous willingness of its faculty to take in and nurture the fledgling East Asian language programs made possible the growth of the latter. The wide-spread support that this proposal has received within GREAL, including the German and Russian faculty, reflects a realization that the reconfiguration makes intellectual and educational sense.

Beyond GREAL, the creation of DAAAS will have some impact on those departments that have faculty currently participating in AAASP. These include faculty members with joint positions, faculty who have taken joint titles with AAASP, and associated faculty. Apart from the faculty with joint positions (there are currently four, but one is in GREAL and so will have a single position in DAAAS), the participation of these faculty is voluntary and should have no impact on their home departments. It should be stressed that close to 15 faculty members will be berthed entirely or have half of their berth in DAAAS.

4. Financial Implications

Because the creation of DAAAS primarily involves the reconfiguration of existing faculty and resources, we do not anticipate that it will involve major new financial requirements. The new department’s budgets for S&E and faculty travel will consist initially of the current AAASP budget plus a portion of the GREAL budget equal to the proportion of the East Asian faculty and classes. The new department has requested an additional secretary, but given the recent dramatic in Asian languages, GREAL would have had an identical need for additional help.

AAASP has in the past been the beneficiary of outside grant money, most notably the 2001 Freeman Foundation grant of $1.75 million, and these have been critical to the past growth of the Program. We are continuing to pursue grant opportunities, including a second (and much smaller) Freeman grant and as mentioned above, we are planning to apply for an NRC grant in the fall of 2009, but it should be stressed that these grants have been used overwhelmingly for faculty, library, and course support rather than for program operating expenses. More importantly, we believe that this proposal to create a new department is fully justified on the basis of current resources and educational activities. Indeed, even without any future outside funding, DAAAS would be able to rise as a department.

MAJORS, MINORS, COMBINED PROGRAM, AND GRADUATE CERTIFICATES

Brief descriptions of the major, minors and graduate certificates currently offered in AAASP and GREAL and to be offered in DAAAS are given below, and a list of undergraduate and graduate courses is provided at the end. For full descriptions please refer to the University Bulletin.

Major in Asian and Asian American Studies

Asian and Asian American Studies (AAAS) at Binghamton University supports the study of Asia and transoceanic, transnational Asian diasporas of the world with an emphasis on: 1) studies of Asian histories, languages, and cultures within Asia as geographically defined; and 2) studies of Asian diasporas, with particular focus on Asians of the Americas. AAAS encourages work that is inter- and multidisciplinary, comparative or global in methodology and theory, as well as work that is specialized locally and regionally. AAAS also promotes work that examines the study of Asia and Asian diasporas as complex nexuses of socio/geo/political regions, economies, histories, and ideas across national and oceanic boundaries. Students benefit from the cross-national work and research agendas of both Asianists, Asian Americanists, and diasporic scholars in productive dialog and collaboration. With these goals in mind, the department offers a major in Asian and Asian American Studies along four (4) different tracks.

1. Asian American and Diaspora Studies track (AA), with particular focus on the social, cultural, and historical aspects of Asians in the U.S. and, more broadly, the Americas.

2. Asian Comparative track (AC), with particular focus on a comparative study of Asia that encompasses two or more Asian countries.

3. Asian Specialization track (AS), with particular focus on the language, culture, and historical aspects of one of the following Asian groups: Chinese, Japanese, or Korean.

4. South Asia track (SA), with particular focus on the study of the diverse cultures, peoples, and regions of South Asia.

The major, regardless of track, requires eleven (11) courses, at least six (6) of which must be at the 300 or 400 level. All majors, regardless of track, must fulfill three (3) common major core course requirements grouped along the following manner: one core Asian American studies course, a core Asian studies course, and the AAAS Major Seminar.

In addition, students must complete courses required by the particular track they have chosen, as well as Asian and Asian American studies elective courses.

For the Asian American Studies track, in addition to the three (3) core courses, students must complete four (4) track courses designated as Asian American four (4) additional elective courses in Asian and Asian American studies. These may be drawn from any of the three different track-designated courses and may include Asian language courses.

For the Asian Specialization track, in addition to the three (3) core courses, students must complete two (2) intermediate courses (203-204) of an Asian language* or demonstrate language proficiency at the 204 level. (*Exceptions may apply for heritage language speakers.) In addition, students must complete four (4) courses related to their language and culture of specialization and additional elective courses so that their course total is eleven (11). “Starting Chinese Programs in K-12 Settings,”

For the South Asia track, in addition to the three (3) core courses, students must complete four (4) track courses designated as South Asia and four (4) additional elective courses in Asian and Asian American studies.

For the Asian Comparative track, in addition to the three (3) core courses, students must complete four (4) track courses designated as Comparative and four (4) additional elective courses in Asian and Asian American studies.

Minor in Asian and Asian American Studies

The program offers a minor to students who wish to supplement their majors through participation in a cross-disciplinary program. The minor consists of the following requirements:

A total of six (6) AAAS courses are required for the minor: two (2) of the courses must be at the introductory level (100 or 200) and at least two (2) must be at the 300 or 400 level. The AAAS Major Seminar (AAAS 496) or another 400 level AAAS seminar is required. At least one (1) course needs to be designated as Asian Studies and one (1) course as Asian American Studies. Up to two (2) Asian language courses may be applied toward the minor.

Minor in Chinese

In order to fulfill the requirements for the Chinese Minor, a student must have completed six (6) Chinese courses at the 200-level or above. Three (3) of these six courses must be language courses, the other three must be literature/culture courses. (Students who already have a background in the Chinese language and who wish to waive some or all of the language courses, may do so after consultation and proficiency test assessment by a Chinese Program faculty member).

Each student is required to take at least one pre-modern literature course and at least one modern literature/culture course. For the third required course, the student may choose from any of the other pre-modern or modern Chinese literature/culture courses, or from the Chinese History and Culture courses

Minor in Korean

The minor in Korean Studies consists of six (6) courses beyond the level of 102.Three (3) are required: Korean 218 (Structure of Korean); Korean 241 (Modern Korean Literature); and Korean 203 (Intermediate Korean I)

Of the other three (3) courses, to (2) must be at the 300 or 400 level and one must be a content course. Students who already have competence at the different levels of Korean language do not have to take Korean 203 (Intermediate Korean I). They may take higher-level language courses and/or other content courses to bring the total number of courses to six (6).

AAAS/MPA Combined Degree

AAASP majors have the opportunity to complete both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Public Administration in five (5) years. In order to qualify for the combined degree, students must: have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 and,

a) Prior to their senior year, complete 96 credits that meet all of the undergraduate requirements including writing and general education plus all but 12 credits needed for the major. During the senior year, students will complete 12 credits in the major and the remaining 20 credits needed for the undergraduate degree, which will be satisfied by graduate level MPA coursework.

b) Students should apply for the combined degree program no later than the beginning of the junior year, and admission decisions for the combined degree program will be made no later than spring of the junior year. Application and admissions processes are through the MPA program and the Graduate School. Upon acceptance to the program, students will need to successfully complete the BA in year four (including all General Education and major requirements); a “B” or better in all graduate courses; and satisfactory demonstration of skill and competency before placement in internships.

c) Once admitted, the student will take 20 credits of course work in the MPA program during their senior year. These double count as undergraduate elective credits and MPA credits. That work constitutes the baccalaureate degree.

d) The fifth year is all graduate coursework to complete the master's degree. All requirements of the master's program must be met, including maintaining a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA for graduate work.

Graduate students in the Master in Public Administration Program (MPA) will have the opportunity to complete a Graduate Certificate in Asian and Asian American Studies while earning their MPA degree.

Graduate Certificate in Asian and Asian American Studies

Program Requirements:

Certificate students are required to take a minimum of three (3) graduate courses in Asian and Asian American Studies.

Because the program is global in perspective, students are required to take courses in both Asian studies and Asian American studies to obtain a certificate.

A maximum of one (1) independent study course with appropriate program faculty may count towards the certificate.

AAAS/MPA Graduate Certificate Program

Students interested in Asian and Asian American Studies can complete a Graduate Certificate while earning their MPA degree.

In order to complete the AAAS Certificate while earning the MPA with the normal 42-credit hour requirement, students must:

Take two (2) courses in Asian and Asian American Studies as their 8 elective credits toward the MPA;

Complete an internship with an Asian-oriented organization; and

Write a Capstone Paper with an Asian/Asian American focus.

Because the AAAS Program is global in perspective, students are required to have both Asian and Asian American components in their programs of study. This means that if students should take one (1) course in each Asian and Asian American studies, or if students take both courses in Asian studies, their internships and/or capstone should be on Asian American studies.

Both the MPA degree and AAAS Certificate encourage work that is interdisciplinary, comparative, or global in methodology and theory, as well as specialized locally or regionally. The ability to combine these elements is advantageous to students interested in Asian and Asian American studies, those who seek employment in a public service agency in the U.S., or work in a multi- or supra-national organization, as it provides greater knowledge about Asian populations and cultures not only in Asia, but also in the U.S. and the diaspora.

Future Plans

Asian and Asian American Studies will soon propose a new major in Chinese language and culture, as well as a minor in Japanese. As soon as sufficient staffing is in place, moreover, AAAS also intends to propose new majors in Japanese language and culture and Korean language and culture.

CURRENT COURSE OFFERINGS:

As the following lists make clear, AAASP has long been dependent on the willingness of faculty and their departments to crosslist Asia-related courses. This will continue to be the case, though with the inclusion of the GREAL Asian studies faculty into DAAAS, the proportion of courses berthed in the department will increase. Certainly we anticipate no added burden to the departments whose courses are now being cross listed in the new department.

Undergraduate Course Offerings

AAAS 104/ARTH 104. Introduction to Art/Architecture of the Asian World

AAAS 105/PHIL 105. Introduction to Asian Philosophy

AAAS 106/HIST 106. Introduction to East Asian Civilizations

AAAS 135/CHIN 135. Cultures of China, Japan and Korea

AAAS 238/HIST 238. Science and Technology in the Modern World

AAAS 242/KOR 241, 20^th Century Korean Literature in Translation

AAAS 259/GEOG 259. East Asia, Land and People

AAAS 262/SOC 262. Gender and Society

AAAS 267/HIST 267. Asian American History

AAAS 271/HIST 271. Japan to 1600

AAAS 273/HIST 273. Chinese Civilization

AAAS 274/HIST 274. Modern China

AAAS 275/SOC 275. Labor and Society in Contemporary Japan

AAAS 277/HIST 277, Modern South Asian History

AAAS 311/KOR 311, Language, Culture, Society in Korea

AAAS 317/ECON 317. Economy of China

AAAS 341/HIST 341. China and the West

AAAS 368/ANTH 368. Modern Development in China and Japan

AAAS 369/SOC 369. Sociology of Contemporary Asia

AAAS 371/ENG371. Asian Americas

AAAS 372/HIST 372. 20th Century Japan

AAAS 373/PHIL 373. Negotiating Contemporary ‘Asia’

AAAS 374/SOC 374. China in the 20th Century (also HIST 374)

AAAS 375, PHIL 375, Negotiating Contemporary Asia

AAAS 377/SOC 377. Sociology of Colonialism

AAAS 380/SOC 380. Gender and Media in South Asia

AAAS 395. Community Internship

AAAS 397. Independent Study

AAAS 414/ECON 414. Economic Development: East Asia

AAAS 414/IBUS 455. Doing Business in China and the Asian Pacific

AAAS 431/PHIL 431. Metaphysics

AAAS 461/CHIN 461, Li Bai and Du Fu*

AAAS 471/CHIN 471, Classical Chinese*

AAAS 472/HIST 472. Chinese Women and the Family

AAAS 473/HIST 473. Imperialism in East Asia

AAAS 474/HIST 474. Colonial Culture in India and Indonesia

AAAS 496. Majors Seminar in Asian and Asian American Studies

CHIN 101. Elementary Chinese I*

CHIN 102. Elementary Chinese II*

CHIN 111. Elementary Written Chinese I

CHIN 112. Elementary Written Chinese II

CHIN 202. Singing Chinese

CHIN 203. Intermediate Chinese I*

CHIN 204. Intermediate Chinese II*

CHIN 241 Classical Chinese Literature in Translation (also AAAS 241)

CHIN 280. Chinese Literature in Translation*

CHIN 305. Advanced Chinese I*

CHIN 350. Business Chinese*

CHIN 491. Teaching Practicum*

CHIN 492. Teaching Practicum*

JPN 101. Elementary Japanese I*

JPN 102. Elementary Japanese II*

JPN 203. Intermediate Japanese I*

JPN 204. Intermediate Japanese II*

JPN 210 Introduction to Japanese Culture*(also AAAS 210).

JPN 305. Advanced Reading and Composition I*

JPN 306. Advanced Reading and Composition II*

JPN 491. Practicum in College Teaching*

JPN 492. Practicum in College Teaching*

KOR 101. Elementary Korean*

KOR 102. Elementary Korean II*

KOR 203. Intermediate Korean I*

KOR 204. Intermediate Korean II*

KOR 210. Korean Civilization* (also AAAS 211)

KOR 218. Structure of Korean (also AAAS 218)

KOR 240. Korean Literature and Culture: Pre 20th Century (also AAAS 240)

KOR 305. Advanced Reading and Composition I*

KOR 306. Advanced Reading and Composition II*

KOR 310. Language, Culture and Society of Korea (also AAAS 311/ANTH 567/LING 335/567)

KOR 313. Religions and Culture of Korea* (also AAAS 313)

KOR 439. East Asian Linguistics (also AAAS 439)

KOR 449. Pedagogy of East Asian Languages: Korean* (also AAAS 449)

KOR 491. Practicum in College Teaching*

KOR 492. Practicum in College Teaching*

MUS 111. Music Cultures: Far East, Asia

Recently Offered Graduate Seminars on Asia and Asian America

ENG 593R Postcoloniality and Hybridity (Yun)

ENG NNN Literature of Asian Diasporas (Yun)

HIST 50lL/SOC 690T Comparative State Formations, 1890-present (Bix)

HIST 576C Women and Family in Chinese History (Chaffee)

HIST 576B Imperialism in East Asia (Chaffee)

HIST 576E Nationalisms in East Asia (Fan)

HIST 576F Maritime Asia (Chaffee)

IBUS 581A Globalization and International Management (Chatterji)

PHIL 605L Buddhist Ethics (Goodman)

PIC 645A Narratives of Survivance (Allen)

PIC 645H Transcolonial Figurations: Feminist and Diasporic Oscillations (Allen)

PIC 645F Intervals: Transcultural and Transdiasporic Practices (Allen)

PIC 645G Diasporic Imaginaries (Allen)

PIC 645J Porosity, Migration, Implosions (Allen)

PIC 645K In Transit: 21^st Century Remappings and Exchanges (Allen)

PIC 645M Tumultuous Space, Fate, and Belonging (Allen)

SOC 690X Political Economy of Contemporary Asia (Palat)

SOC 690Y: Asia in World-Historical Perspective (Palat)

SOC 690 Seminar on Nationalism (Sarkar)

SOC 626 Seminar on Postcoloniality (Sarkar)

FACULTY AND STAFF

The existing faculty resources in the AAASP are adequate for offering a comprehensive, balanced, and dynamic department. The faculty are listed below, first, by their anticipated relationship to DAAAS and, second, alphabetically with their current affiliations. It includes both faculty members who have consistently taught AAAS courses and who will be continuing to do so in the future, and faculty with Asian expertise even if they have not been teaching AAAS courses.