Associate Professor of Religious Studies
Abhishek Amar
Abhishek S. Amar specializes in the archaeological history of South Asian religions.
Asian Studies
Asian Studies concentrators gain an understanding of the diversity of cultures in Asia through multiple disciplinary practices in the humanities, languages, and social sciences. They gain an in-depth understanding of Asia through language study, with opportunities to study in China, Japan, or India, and learn multidisciplinary approaches in courses in at least three disciplines, culminating in the senior project.
About the Major
Learning a major Asian language is part of the curriculum: Proficiency is critical not only for communicating across cultural lines but for gaining a more complete understanding of the region's identity and expression. Balancing liberal arts principles with innovative scholarship, courses stress the importance of Asia's cultural traditions as well as its modern social and political transformations.
Due to the smaller class sizes in the Japanese department, it’s incredibly easy to get close with the faculty. Professor Omori and Kamiya have been absolutely wonderful mentors to me during my time at Hamilton. They are both great professors, and I am truly glad that I got to get to know them so well in such a small amount of time.
Jack Lyons ’16 — Asian studies major with a Japanese focus
Hamilton's Asian Studies Program begins with the conviction that a real understanding of this immense human tapestry requires an interdisciplinary approach to the continent's cultures, languages and society. Students draw on the rich diversity of courses offered in a range of departments such as: anthropology, art history, East Asian languages and literatures, environmental studies, government, history and religious studies.
Careers After Hamilton
- Data Assurance Specialist, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi
- Analyst/Linguist, U.S. Department of Defense
- Vice President, Interaction Designer, Bank of America
- Assistant Language Teacher, Japan Exchange and Teaching Program
- Trader, Pacific Asia, Ajc International
- Curator for SE Asia, The British Museum
- Assistant Editor, MTV Networks
- Director East Asia & Pacific, Council for the International Exchange of Scholars
- Senior Protection Officer, UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Meet Our Faculty
Assistant Professor of Government
Alexsia Chan
Alexsia T. Chan's research interests include the political economy of development and authoritarian politics.
Associate Professor of Art History
Steve Goldberg
Steve Goldberg, who earned a doctorate from the University of Michigan, specializes in the history of Chinese art.
Associate Professor of Japanese
Masaaki Kamiya
Masaaki Kamiya's research interests are syntax, semantics, and language acquisition.
Associate Professor of Japanese
Kyoko Omori
Kyoko Omori's research focuses on 20th-century literary and popular culture.
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Julie Starr
Julie Starr teaches about cultural anthropology, the anthropology of China, food, race, consumer culture and the body.
Assistant Professor of Literature
Pavitra Sundar
Sundar’s research and teaching interests span the fields of cinema studies, sound studies, postcolonial literary and cultural studies and gender-sexuality studies.
Professor of History
Lisa Trivedi
Lisa Trivedi, a cultural and social historian of modern South Asia, received her doctorate from the University of California at Davis.
Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures
Zhuoyi Wang
Zhuoyi Wang's teaching interests include Chinese history, film, literature and language.
the Elizabeth J. McCormack Professor of History
Thomas Wilson
Thomas Wilson is an expert on Confucian ritual and the cult of Confucius.
the Edmund A. LeFevre Professor of English
Steven Yao
Steven Yao's books include Foreign Accents: Chinese American Verse from Exclusion to Postethnicity.
A Sampling of Courses
Exploring Cultures in Asia 180
History of South and East Asian cultures beginning in ancient times, emphasizing both their commonalities and distinctive features in comparative context. Critical examination of structural hierarchies that have shaped Asian societies, focusing on ritual and kingship, the spread and transformation of Buddhism throughout Asia, Islamization of South Asia, gender, and the formation of empire. Students read secondary and primary sources, including selections from epic traditions, ritual and mythic sources, and literary texts.
View All CoursesSenior Project 550F
Seminar in which concentrators develop individually-designed research projects in consultation with the instructor and one other member of the Asian Studies Program Committee. Students discuss their ongoing research with their peers throughout the semester, culminating in formal presentations of the final projects – usually written – which demonstrate mastery of the methods of the study of Asia in one or more discipline. Oral Presentations.
View All CoursesToday and Tomorrow
