Asian American Studies Fresno State

Asian American Studies

Set in the richly diverse Central San Joaquin Valley, Fresno’s population of about 500,000 is 13% Asian American and Pacific Islander, with significant presence of people with Hmong, Asian Indian, Filipino, Laotian, Japanese, Chinese, Cambodian, and Vietnamese.

The Asian American Studies Program has a four decade history in the Department of Anthropology and is a valued part of the Department and University. The Fresno State student body is over 15% Asian American and Pacific Islander and our AAPI students lead many vibrant and active student organizations, including the Hmong Student Association, Lao Student Association, Magkaisa Fresno State, and Amerasia, a pan-Asian American organization. Every spring, Amerasia hosts Amerasia Week, a festival highlighting the history and culture of Asian peoples in the Valley and on campus. The campus newspaper, The Collegian, publishes the Asia Pacific Review, a periodic showcase of Asian American student authors and news.

The Asian American Studies Program offers a minor with classes that focus on the history and contemporary experience of Asians in the United States. These courses explore themes in local and ethnic history, trans-Pacific contact, the experience of various Asian diasporas, cultural change, gender relations and interethnic relations.

Courses in Asian American Studies familiarize students with the historical, socioeconomic, and cultural conditions experienced by peoples from Asia in the United States. The program seeks to provide a foundation for self-understanding among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, and an understanding of US society in light of the Asian American experience.

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