Pacific and Asian Studies Programs

The Department of Pacific and Asian Studies offers BA programs that address a cross-regional, multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural approach to the study of the Asia-Pacific, with courses in three languages (Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian-Malay), four regions (China, Japan, Southeast Asia and Oceania) and a wide range of academic disciplines in both the Humanities and the Social Sciences.

The department offers the following programs leading to the degree of Bachelor of Arts:

• Chinese Studies (General/Minor)
• Japanese Studies (General/Minor)
• Pacific and Asian Studies (Honours, Major, General/Minor)
• Southeast Asian Studies (General/Minor)

For courses on China, Japan, Oceania, and Southeast Asia, please refer to PAAS in the course listings.

Admission to Courses

Students are advised that because of limited staff and facilities it may be necessary to restrict enrolment in some courses.

Students proceeding toward a Major or General degree in Pacific and Asian Studies will be given priority over students in other programs. Students who wish to repeat a course at any level will be given lower priority than students taking the course for the first time.

For admission to most language courses numbered 111, 121, or 131 or above, a minimum grade of B, or in some cases higher, in the prerequisite course is required. As language courses are limited to 25 students per section, the department reserves the right to rank students according to their grades for the prerequisite course. Students are warned that all Pacific and Asian Studies degree programs include a language requirement; students who fail to complete the language requirement will not be permitted to graduate in the program.

Students who have completed any given level of courses in a language at UVic or though transfer credit will not be granted credit for subsequent courses at a lower level in the same language.

Satisfaction of the Academic Writing Requirement is prerequisite to registration in all courses numbered 300 or higher.

Placement Tests of Transfer Students

Although transfer students may be given credit for language courses taken at their previous institution, they will not be guaranteed admittance to more advanced language courses in this department.

Students who may be considered native speakers of Indonesian, Japanese or any form of Chinese should consult the statements on “native speakers” at the head of the course listings.

Students who wish to continue their language studies should consult the department before registration and may be required to take a placement test to determine the level at which they should register. Transfer students who register in language courses without such consultation are advised that the department’s policies concerning minimum grades in prerequisite courses apply to them; if they register for a language course without consulting the department they may be required to drop the course or transfer to a different level once classes begin.

Transfer Credit

Students are encouraged to study at Universities in the Asia Pacific region; the department recognizes a range of courses in language and other topics from these institutions for transfer credit. In specific circumstances, the Faculty regulation for the Major Program that at least 12 of the 15 units numbered 300 or 400 are required to be taken at UVic may be lowered to 9 for students who complete at least 9 units at a university in the Asia-Pacific region.