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In complement to any academic major, the Five College Certificate in Asian/Pacific/American Studies Certificate enables undergraduate students to pursue concentrated interdisciplinary study of the experiences of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the Americas. Drawing on the expertise and courses offered by more than twenty faculty members across the five campuses, students pursuing the certificate work in consultation with an A/P/A Program advisor to design a unique course of study.

The certificate offers opportunities to learn about Asian/Pacific/American (A/P/A) cultural and artistic expressions, understand and critique the racial formation of Asian/Pacific/Americans, and investigate how international conflicts, global economic systems, and ongoing migration affect A/P/A communities, individuals and their intersections with others.

Students successfully completing the requirements in consultation with a certificate advisor and to the satisfaction of the Five College Asian/Pacific/American Studies Program Steering Committee are awarded the certificate upon graduation. The Steering Committee is comprised of faculty members from each of the five campuses.

Learn more about finding an advisor, recommended courses and certificate procedures at www.fivecolleges.edu/apastudies.

Certificate Requirements:

Students must complete a minimum of seven courses, distributed as follows:

One Foundation Course
During your first or second year, students should take one foundation course that offers an interdisciplinary perspective and survey of the historical and contemporary experiences of Asian/Pacific/Americans.

Five Elective Courses
Including at least one from each of the following categories:

• Expressions: Courses devoted to the study of A/P/A expression in its many forms.
• U.S. Intersections: Courses dedicated to the study of intersections between A/P/A and non-A/P/A experiences within the United States.
• Global Intersections: Courses that offer perspectives on Asian/Pacific/Americans from outside the United States.

Special Project
In consultation with a certificate advisor, the student completes a special project based on intensive study of an A/P/A community through research, service learning or creative work such as an internship, action-research or a fine arts project. This is often done by students enrolled in an upper-level or independent study course. Projects should include both self-reflective and analytic components. Students fulfilling this requirement will be encouraged to meet with other students completing the A/P/A certificate to discuss their ongoing projects, and to present their completed projects at a student symposium or other public presentation. Plans for completing the requirement should be approved by a campus program advisor in the previous semester.

Other Notes
Students must receive the equivalent of a "B" grade or better in all courses counted toward the Certificate. (In the case of Hampshire College students taking courses at Hampshire College, "B" equivalence will be determined by the Hampshire program advisor based on written evaluations supplied by course instructors).