Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies

Undergraduate Program

Introduction to the Major

Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies is dedicated to the multidisciplinary study of historical and contemporary experiences of Americans of Asian ancestry in local, national and global contexts. The program explores connections among Asian communities in the United States and around the world in terms of the entangled histories and circuits of migration and the interconnected space through which people, capital, ideas, influences, and activism flow among Asian diasporic communities.

The Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies major and minor are offered by the Department of Ethnic Studies, which also offers a major and minor in Ethnic Studies as well as a minor in Race and the Law.

The Major Curriculum 

The Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies curriculum offers students a deeper understanding of the histories and contemporary realities of the different ethnic groups that comprise the “Asian American” category. Through classroom-based and experiential learning, our students engage with critical issues such as labor, health, representation and cultural production, religion, class, gender, generation, law, and social activism.

Amplify Your Major

AAADS offers students the opportunity to learn about the history of migration, the gendered racialization of Asians, the diversity within the group, and the multiple ways in which they have struggled for belonging and social justice in both national and global contexts.
Lok Siu, Associate Professor

Four-Year Student Timeline

First Year

Explore Your Major

  • Meet with your major and college advisor to discuss your academic plans.
  • Familiarize yourself with major and college requirements.
  • Enroll in ASAMST 20A: Introduction to the History of Asians in the United States.
  • Enroll in ETH STD 11AC: Introduction to Ethnic Studies.

Connect and Build Community

Discover Your Passions

Engage Locally and Globally

Reflect and Plan Your Future

Second Year

Explore Your Major

  • Enroll in ASAMST 20AC: Asian American Communities and Race Relations, ASAMST 20B: Contemporary Issues in Asian American Communities or ASAMST 20C: Cultural Politics and Practices in Asian American Communities.
  • Complete the three lower division prerequisites and meet with your major advisor to declare the major.
  • Review major guidelines for study abroad.

Connect and Build Community

Discover Your Passions

Engage Locally and Globally

Reflect and Plan Your Future

Third Year

Explore Your Major

  • Focus on upper division requirements and plan for electives you wish to take.
  • Review your degree progress with your major and college advisors.
  • Ask the major advisor about the honors program.

Connect and Build Community

Discover Your Passions

Engage Locally and Globally

Reflect and Plan Your Future

  • Update your resume and LinkedIn profile.
  • Discuss post-graduate options with advisors and professors.
  • Attend career and graduate school fairs like the “Nonprofit, Education, and Public Service Career Fair.”

Fourth Year

Explore Your Major

  • Do a degree check to ensure you are on track to graduate.
  • Complete any “bucket list” courses and remaining major, college, and campus requirements.
  • Satisfy the ASAMST197 field study requirement if you haven’t done so already.

Connect and Build Community

Discover Your Passions

Engage Locally and Globally

Reflect and Plan Your Future

  • Utilize job board tools in your job search.Utilize job search tools from the Career Center.
  • Meet employers at Employer Info Sessions and On-Campus Recruiting.
  • Ask professors and graduate student instructors for recommendation letters.
  • Apply to jobs, graduate school, and other opportunities.

What Can I Do With My Major?

Students in the Asian American and Asian Diaspora Studies Program gain skills that prepare them for careers in a variety of fields, including teaching, counseling, law, journalism, marketing, community and housing development, radio and television, health and medicine, community and union organizing, social work, and positions in federal, state, and local governments as well as those at the city and county levels.

Jobs and Employers

  • Director of Community Engagement, Sustainable Economies Law Ctr.
  • Finance and Operations Manager, National CAPACD
  • Legal Asst., Weisberg and Miller
  • Senior Public Affairs Representative, Kaiser Permanente
  • Operations Coordinator, Nourish Co.
  • Policy/Comms. Assoc., National Council of Asian Pacific Americans

Graduate Programs

  • Counseling, Masters

  • City and Regional Planning, Masters

  • Data Science, Masters

  • Education, Masters, PhD

  • Law, JD

  • Medicine, MD

  • Public Administration, Masters

  • Public Health, Masters

  • Public Policy, Masters

  • Social Work, Masters

Examples gathered from the First Destination Survey of recent Berkeley graduates and LinkedIn.

Learn More

Connect With Us

Cal Day

Come to Berkeley’s annual Open House in April for information sessions, campus tours, special talks, and more.

Golden Bear Orientation

Join your peers in the campus-wide UC Berkeley orientation program for all new students.

Events

Attend department events with students, staff, and faculty. Visit ethnicstudies.berkeley.edu for news and updates.

Advising

Students can contact the major advisors to schedule appointments or ask questions by emailing Laura Jimenez-Olvera at lauraj@berkeley.edu or Dewey St. Germaine at deweystg@berkeley.edu 

Advising Drop-In Hours

Monday - Friday, 9:30-11:30am, 1:30-4pm.

How to Use this Map

Use this map to help plan and guide your experience at UC Berkeley, including academic, co-curricular, and discovery opportunities. Everyone’s Berkeley experience is different and activities in this map are suggestions. Always consult with your advisors whenever possible for new opportunities and updates.