Asian Studies at GW

Over 60 full-time faculty teach or carry out research on Asia at The George Washington University. GW includes the largest Asian Studies faculty in the Washington, D.C. area and compares very favorably with other leading centers on Asia in the United States and abroad. The efforts of Asian Studies faculty are strengthened by key part-time faculty, who work outside of academia and bring their expertise into the classroom. These faculty members are concentrated in the Elliott School of International Affairs, Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, and the Schools of Business and Law.

Students can draw on the expertise of faculty in the departments of Political Science, History, East Asian Languages and Literature, Economics, Anthropology, Education, Religion, and Law. Areas of expertise include international relations, security policy, development studies, contemporary Asia, media, international business, and international education. While students are expected to focus their studies into a coherent program, they have a broad array of courses and topics to choose from.

Many students supplement their studies in Washington, D.C., with study abroad at the University’s elite partner institutions in Asia. These include Ewha Women’s University in Seoul, Korea; Fudan University in Shanghai, China; The University of Hong Kong; Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India; the University of Sydney; National University of Singapore; and Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. Students can also study at other prestigious partner institutions such as Sciences-Po in Paris.

In addition to formal study abroad programs, there are opportunities to apply for summer funding for language study abroad. To supplement academic offerings, students often intern with governmental organizations, business groups, or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Washington.