Asian Studies Minor

The Asian continent is home to the world’s largest and most diverse population, as well as to some of the world’s fastest growing economies. Students interested in becoming experts in any area of contemporary Asian societies can complete the minor in Asian Studies. Students can select courses from various disciplines including geography, environmental studies, language, history, political economy, business, art, religion, health, or other facets of one or more Asian societies. There is no specific language or study abroad requirement for the minor. However, students are strongly encouraged to integrate training in an Asian language and/or a study abroad experience into their degree plan.

• Elizabeth McLean Macy, Ph.D., Chair of Asian Studies, Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology & Faculty Fellow in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion
  • Dr. Macy specializes in music and performance of Bali, Indonesia and Southeast Asia. She teaches courses on Musics of the World, Global Pop, and Music, Race, & Power and leads study abroad courses in Bali on Balinese music, arts, and culture. She is the area coordinator for MSU Denver’s global music ensembles, working closely with Gamelan Manik Kusuma. Dr. Macy oversees and coordinates the Music, Race, & Social Justice Visiting Artist Series.
• Maria Akrabova, Ph.D.
  • Chair of World Languages and Associate Professor of Spanish
• James R Aubrey, Ph.D.
  • Professor Emeritus of English
• Antonio C Bellisario, Ph.D.
  • Professor of Geography
• Rebecca Forgash, Ph.D.
  • Professor of Anthropology
• Jian Guatney, M.A.
  • Instructor of Chinese
• Bora Jeong, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Political Science
  • Dr. Jeong studies politics in East Asia, Political Economy, and Political Violence and Peace. Currently, Dr. Jeong teaches Politics of East Asia and is working on research about the political impact of Confucianism in Asia and China’s international engagement. Dr. Jeong’s dissertation is about Chinese economic influence in civil-conflict experienced countries.
• Ting Jiang, Ph.D.
  • Associate Dean for Curriculum, Accreditation, and Program Review & Professor of Sociology
• Ziyao Ma, Ph.D.
  • Assistant Professor of History
• Richard Moeller, Ph.D.
  • Professor of History
• Kayoko Moore, M.S.
  • Senior Lecturer of Japanese, Japanese Program Coordinator, DILS Coordinator
• Parameswari Mukherjee, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Communication Studies
  • Dr. Mukherjee is an Assistant Professor of Health Communication in the Department of Communication Studies. Her research is located at the intersections of culture, health, globalization, and community participation– particularly in the context of water insecurity in South Asia. Since beginning this academic work in 2017, she has primarily employed ethnographic research methods (such as focus group discussions, group interviews, in-depth interviews, participant observations) to understand how communities at the margins of water insecurity in rural India make sense of their health experiences and navigate health interventions designed for them by international funders and local NGOs.
• Vincent Piturro, Ph.D., Professor of English
  • Dr. Piturro is a Professor of Film and Media Studies at MSU Denver. He has taught a course on Asian Cinema for several years, and he has published on “Asian Women in the Western,” and other book chapters and articles on Asian Cinema.
• Helena Reddington, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Philosophy
  • In addition to teaching courses on Asian religions at MSU Denver, Dr. Reddington’s research centers on religious traditions from Kerala, South India. Prior to joining MSU Denver, Dr. Reddington worked as an Advisor for the International Partnership on Religion and Sustainable Development, which focuses on the positive potential of religious actors to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

FLAS (Foreign Language and Area Studies) Fellowships for Undergraduate Students:

• Summer 2026 application deadline is February 15, 2026

Spectrum Scholars Program:

Applications are now open for the 2026 Spectrum Scholars program (deadline April 3, 2026). Apply Today!

Questions? Email [email protected].

Spectrum’s annual scholarship and professional development program for college students. Every year, our program offers 15 students financial support for school, real-world learning and professional development experiences and the opportunity to kickstart their career with our team.

What Spectrum Scholars receive:

• A $20,000 scholarship (to be split across junior and senior years)
• An opportunity to participate in a two-year development program
• Pairing with an employee mentor from our team
• An opportunity to participate in our 10-week, paid internship program

Who should apply?

• Rising college juniors graduating between May 2028–August 2028
• Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA
• Demonstrated financial need
• Those authorized to work in the U.S. without restrictions now or in the future

Eligibility requirements:

• Be able to participate and complete all program-related activities
• Live within 50 miles of one of the following office locations: Stamford, CT; Charlotte, NC; St. Louis, MO; Denver, CO; Austin, TX
• Be open to participating in our 10-week, paid summer internship program

Student Organizations:

• Chinese Cultural Ambassadors
• Japanese Club