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Top FAQs for Students

  1. What is the Asian American Studies Program?
  2. What new courses does AAST have to offer?
  3. What are the most popular courses that AAST offers?
  4. Does AAST offer courses that fulfill university graduation requirements?
  5. Are there any requirements to sign up for AAST courses?
  6. Does AAST provide for-credit opportunities to learn outside the classroom?
  7. Are there other events that you sponsor on campus?
  8. What are the requirements for completing the minor program?
  9. How can I join the AAST minor program?
  10. Can AAST help me stay involved with the Asian American community?
  11. Do you have scholarships, books and other resources for students?
  12. How can I submit a suggestion to improve the AAST program?

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1. What is the Asian American Studies Program?

The Asian American Studies Program at the University of Maryland is one of the premier ethnic studies programs in the United States focusing on the identities and experiences of Asian Americans. It currently has the largest enrollment of any program of its kind on the eastern seaboard, with 528 students currently enrolled in our courses and over 70 students pursuing a minor. Asian Americans are the largest ethnic minority group on campus, comprising 15% of the campus population at the University of Maryland. We are building a program as diverse as our community by developing our course catalog to include over 50 courses, with 17 courses offered this Fall 2009 semester alone.

2. What new courses does AAST have to offer?

This semester, we are offering two exciting new courses: AAST 498C (Introduction to Chinese American Studies) and AAST 398A (Introduction to Vietnamese American Studies). These courses have never been taught at the university before and are great opportunities to learn about the diversity that various Asian ethnicities bring to the Asian American community. You can find more details in the course catalog or register on Testudo.

3. What are the most popular courses that AAST offers?

Some of our most popular courses include AAST 398L (Asian Americans in Film) and AAST 398D (Asian American Communities: The DC Metro Area), a course that is not offered on any other campus. The Washington, DC metropolitan area represents the 4th largest concentration of Asian Americans in the country, making this course a truly unique opportunity to learn about our local community at the University of Maryland.

4. Does AAST offer courses that fulfill university graduation requirements?

Yes! AAST offers two 200-level courses that fulfill CORE requirements. AAST 200 (Introduction to Asian American Studies) fulfills the Social and Behavioral Sciences (SB) CORE requirement, and AAST 201 (Asian American History and Society) fulfills the Social or Political History (SH) CORE requirement. Additionally, any of our courses can be used to meet university requirements for diversity-related coursework. Please contact the program office at 301.405.0996 for confirmation before registering.

5. Are there any requirements to sign up for AAST courses?

AAST does not require pre-requisites for any upper-level coursework. If you are an undergraduate and you see a topic that interests you within our course offerings, feel free to sign up!

We have only two courses that require permission from our Director. These two courses are AAST 378 (Experiential Learning) and AAST 388 (Independent Research). Please contact our office at 301.405.0996 or aast AT umd.edu for more information.

6. Does AAST provide for-credit opportunities to learn outside the classroom?

Yes. AAST offers two courses that do not take place within the classroom. Both are three-credit courses.

AAST 378 (Experiential Learning) is a course that provides students internship opportunities at organizations that serve the Asian American community. Students have used this course to complete internships at a variety of institutions from the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program to smaller more community-based non-profit organizations like Asian American Leadership, Empowerment, and Development for Youth and Families (AALEAD).

AAST 388 (Independent Research) is designed to mentor you through the process of completing your own research project focusing on topics relating to Asian American history, culture, or community. This course is a great opportunity for students who work best in a less structured environment, as you are free to propose your own topic of research and schedule of work. We provide a faculty mentor to help you through the process.

7. Are there other events that you sponsor on campus?

Yes! AAST hosts the distinguished lecture series consisting of various lecturers each year. In the past, we have sponsored speakers from a variety of industries and backgrounds. You can find information about some of our past events on our website or contact us for more information about our upcoming lectures!

8. What are the requirements for completing the minor program?

The minor program requires students to complete a total of five courses. All minors must complete two foundational courses: AAST 200 (Introduction to Asian American Studies) and AAST 201 (Asian American History and Society). In addition, minors must complete either AAST 378 (Experiential Learning) or AAST 388 (Independent Research) along with two elective AAST courses in the 300- or 400-level. You can visit Testudo for our current elective course offerings. If you have already completed AAST coursework, but have not applied for inclusion in our minor program, your previous courses may count towards program completion once you have been approved. For more information on the minor program, visit our website.

9. How can I join the AAST minor program?

Becoming a minor in the Asian American Studies Program is simple! Just email your name, UID, and a brief statement confirming that you would like to be an AAST minor to our Program Coordinator, Ms. Lynne Chiao at lchiao AT umd.edu.

10. Can AAST help me stay involved with the Asian American community?

You can subscribe to the AAST listserv to receive information bi-weekly about upcoming events in the Asian American community. Just email aast AT umd.edu with your request to be added to our email list.

You can stay in touch with our program here at the University of Maryland by emailing our Program Coordinator, Ms. Lynne Chiao at lchiao AT umd.edu or by stopping by our office in 1120 Cole Student Activities Building for more information. You can also join our Facebook group.

11. Do you have scholarships, books and other resources for students?

Our program sponsors scholarships to make higher education more affordable for students with an interest in Asian American Studies. This year we are offering the Major General Antonio M. Taguba Profiles in Courage and Leadership Scholarship, in a joint effort with the Filipino Cultural Association, for students who show academic achievement and leadership skills. This scholarship will be open to ROTC students as well as non-ROTC UMCP students.

We also sponsor the Linh-Thong Huu Nguyen Memorial Scholarship, in honor of one of the student founders of our program, to recognize academic excellence within the AAST minor program. The Timothy J. Ng Leadership Scholarship, rewarding an undergraduate student who shows leadership in the Asian American community, and the Philip Vera Cruz Outstanding Community Service Scholarship also are available through our program. We will be posting information on how you can apply for these scholarships shortly.

AAST published the 2009-2011 National Directory of Scholarships, Internships, and Fellowships for Asian American and Pacific Islander Students. This directory is a great resource for Asian American and Pacific Islander students who need financial support to further their studies or who are interested in internship opportunities to further their professional aspirations. Stop by our office in 1120 Cole Student Activities Building for a free directory, or download a copy from our website.

We also keep a lending library of books and movies on DVD available to the campus community. Our collection is large and diverse, covering fiction and nonfiction, and major motion picture releases as well as independent films pertaining to Asian American topics. If you are looking for a particular title, call our office at 301.405.0996 to see if we have it available.

12. How can I submit a suggestion to improve the AAST program?

We are always interested in new ways to serve the community. If you have any thoughts on ways we can improve the program or events that we may be interested in sponsoring, please email us at aast AT umd.edu. We would love to hear from you!

Have a great 2009-10 school year!