Humanities and Social Sciences

School of Social Sciences

Asian Studies Program

What is Asian Studies?

Asian Studies – the study of Asia and its languages – is as diverse as the different communities that make up the continent of Asia. Today it is widely acknowledged that Australians need to become more closely acquainted with the distinctive cultures, histories, and political, legal, social and economic systems of countries in our region. At La Trobe University students can choose to specialise in both Asian studies and languages by enrolling in a Bachelor of Asian Studies.

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Teaching

Asian Studies is taught at both the Melbourne (Bundoora) campus and Albury/Wodonga campus. Language studies are available in Chinese, Indonesian, Hindi, Japanese and Sanskrit at the Bundoora campus, and Indonesian is also available at Bendigo. The Asian Studies program also offers subjects taught in English that introduce students to the societies, cultures, political systems, histories, religions, literary traditions and films of the countries that make up Asia. In addition the program delivers Hindi language and Buddhist studies by correspondence for Open Universities Australia. Supervision is available for postgraduate courses by research.

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Career Opportunities

Graduates of the Asian Studies Program at La Trobe University have gone on to careers in a wide range of fields. Within Australia, Asian Studies graduates are sought in business, tourism, defence, intelligence, education and community services. Graduates also find work abroad in the diplomatic service, international trade and commerce, education, and community-aid projects. Fluency in an Asian language greatly enhances the possibility of an interesting professional career as Australia continues to strengthen its connections with its Asian neighbours in the areas of trade, government and culture.

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Overseas Studies

The Asian Studies Program encourages its language students to consider undertaking some of their language studies overseas, in a country where that language is widely spoken. You can study Chinese, Indonesian or Japanese overseas and earn credit points towards your degree at La Trobe. La Trobe University has formal agreements with a number of universities in Asia. Students who have studied an Asian language at La Trobe for at least one year are eligible to apply for these programs. Participants are selected on the basis of academic performance. For more information on applying and on the various scholarships available please visit the web pages of the International Programs Office.

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