Welcome to the Department of Pacific and Asian Studies
What you can do with a degree in Pacific and Asian Studies
For information about studying in Indonesia [click here]
Courses offered ...
Courses with Space Available (spring 2012) [CLICK]
Chair's Message
Home to some of the oldest civilisations and roughly half the world's population, the Asia-Pacific region is also the location of many of the world's most vibrant civilisations. Our focus is on contemporary Asia and Oceania; we base our understanding of the present on the realisation that events which occur today have their roots in thousands of years of linguistic, philosophical, spiritual, artistic, and intellectual growth. Our department holds faculty members with diverse research interests in language,literature, theatre, cinema, history, religion, and social issues to offer multidisciplinary and cross-regional programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, to permit our students to explore and refine their own interests in Asia. Our goals are to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and understanding of Asia while providing our students with essential and advanced academic skills and a solid foundation in an Asian language. Through these goals we prepare our students for their future encounters with Asia and the world, in whichever form those encounters may take.
We are proud of our position as one of the largest departments in the Faculty of Humanities, and remain committed to our mandate, to offer approaches to the study of the Pacific and Asian region which respect Asia in its own right. We are dedicated to instilling in our students a recognition of the validity of the Humanities as a fundamental gateway to the study of the human community. To this end, we offer courses informed by a desire to engage with Pacific and Asian languages, narrative arts, history, philosophical and religious traditions, and social conditions on their own terms. We explore Asia with great sensitivity to the ways in which Asia has conceived of itself, taking these as our primary materials and starting points. Our students reflect the diversity of the Pacific Asian region, coming from all parts of Asia, as well as from across Canada, the United States, and Europe. All are brought together by a single desire: to learn about Asia in all its dimensions.
The links to the right will give you detailed information about our programs (BA Honours, Majors, Minors/General; MA), our specific courses, and our faculty areas of research. Additionally, you'll find related information about upcoming events, the Pacific and Asian Studies Students? Society (PAASSS), and various agencies/groups outside of UVic devoted to the study of Asia and the Pacific