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Centre for
East Asian Studies
Why study a degree in Asian and African Studies?
• Asia and Africa are two regions of the world that are clearly emerging in the new context of globalisation.
• Asia and Africa are home to diverse languages, societies and cultures that are playing an increasingly important geopolitical, economic and cultural role.
• There is a need to respond to the demand for greater knowledge of East Asia and the Arab and Islamic regions from a perspective of multidisciplinary knowledge and cooperation.
Why a degree in Asian and African Studies?
• To deepen the understanding of Asian and African societies and cultures through linguistic competence, interdisciplinarity, flexible thinking and intercultural skills.
• To train professionals with specific skills in working with Asian and African countries, societies and cultures.
What distinguishes the degree in Asian and African Studies?
• Specialisation in one of three linguistic-cultural pathways: Arabic, Chinese or Japanese. Students choose one of these three pathways when they enrol, which will determine the language and culture subjects they study.
• Proficiency in one of the three languages of each pathway: Arabic, Chinese or Japanese.
• The expansion of training in second languages specific to Asia and Africa.
• The integration of various disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.
• The possibility of a regulated stay of 30 ECTS at a university in the Arab world or East Asia, as well as at other universities in Europe and America with similar area studies.
Knowledge and skills that students will acquire in relation to language skills and knowledge:
• They will be able to use Arabic, Chinese, or Japanese at a level of comprehension and expression between basic user and independent user, depending on whether it is oral or written skills.
• They will have a written knowledge of a modern European language.
• They will have a basic knowledge of a second Asian or African language.
In relation to multidisciplinary knowledge and skills in the study of the area:
• They will have knowledge of a specific area of Asia and/or Africa through multidisciplinary learning based on different methodological tools.
• They will be able to distinguish the main philosophical, anthropological, artistic, religious, literary, and scientific-technological trends in East Asia or the Arab and Islamic world.
• They will learn basic concepts for interpreting the historical, political, and economic development of traditional and contemporary societies in Asia and Africa.
• They will recognize the dynamics of social change in the region in a global context, taking into account its impact on the international arena.
Career options.
Graduates in Asian and African Studies: Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese will have the necessary training to pursue a wide range of professions in which there is growing demand:
• Professions related to teaching and promoting language, culture, and education in relation to East Asia or the Arab world.
• Professions in the fields of commerce, economics and business, international relations, media, or the tourism industry.
• Access to positions in administration, such as the diplomatic corps, social services, and security institutions with responsibility for serving Asian or African communities outside their country.
• Other professions that require an interdisciplinary approach, such as NGOs with an international agenda.
Study plan
The degree consists of 240 ECTS credits, of which 60 correspond to basic training subjects, 84 to compulsory subjects, 90 to optional subjects, and 6 to the Final Degree Project.
Further information about the degree program:
- Centre for East Asian Studies
Phone: 91 497 46 95
ceao@uam.es
- Student Guidance and Support Office
Telephone: 91 497 50 15/ 49 90
- Faculty of Philosophy and Letters
coordinacion.estudios.asia.africa@uam.es
UAM degree program website.
Check the degree program's timetable and classrooms.
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