Arizona State University provides diverse opportunities for students to travel and study in Asia. Many are organized through the ASU Study Abroad Office, while various schools provide opportunities as well. Please explore the links below. 

The ASU Study Abroad Office administers more than 300 study abroad programs in over 60 countries around the world. Currently, ASU students interested in Asian Studies have opportunities for studying in China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. Students can study abroad during the summer term, fall semester, spring semester or full academic year. Below is a comprehensive list of some of the Asian Study Abroad Programs facilitated through and outside of ASU. More information regarding these programs, as well as funding, may be found by clicking the name of each program.

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India

Buddhist Studies in Bodh Gaya, India with Carleton Global Engagement

Since 1979, the Buddhist Studies in Bodh Gaya, India program has encouraged undergraduate students to deeply engage with the theory and practice of Buddhism. Originally founded by Antioch Education Abroad (AEA), the program has been operated since 2016 by Carleton College, which continues AEA's tradition of immersive, academically rigorous, field-based study abroad programs.
Program participants:
  • Live and study in a Buddhist monastery in Bodh Gaya, a major pilgrimage center in northeast India.
  • Enroll in 16 semester credits of liberal arts coursework, transcripted by Carleton College. See the course list here.
  • Engage in month-long independent study projects (view sample projects here), which may involve travel to other parts of India or elsewhere in South Asia.

Tibetan Mind/Body Sciences Summer Study Abroad Program in Dharamsala and Mundgod, India 

The Tibetan Mind/Body Sciences program in India is a five-week long study abroad opportunity that brings together the best of both western science and the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.  Participants meet leading spiritual teachers of the Tibetan tradition, often including the Dalai Lama, and engage in the ongoing dialogue between Tibetan Buddhism and modern science.  Course work includes the study of Tibetan culture, Tibetan medicine, Buddhist philosophy, contemplative practice, and secular ethics. Students also have direct interaction with Tibetan monks and nuns studying neuroscience, biology, and physics.

Please contact mheker@emory.edu for more information.

Study Nonviolence and Jain Dharma/Religious Tradition

Jain Dharma/Religion originated in India several thousand years ago. An elder cousin of Buddhism, Jain dharma teaches a lifestyle rooted in the practice of unconditional nonviolence. 

Its teachings inspired and influenced Mahatma Gandhi. Students and scholars will learn about Jain traditions from learned lay scholars as well as practicing monks and nuns in India.

The Program is designed for undergraduate and graduate students, Post-Doctoral Fellows, full time faculty and High School Teachers with an interest in the Jain Studies and ahimsa (nonviolence). The three, four  and six week long, stand alone and separate intensive courses in International Summer School for Jain Studies (ISSJS) will entail morning lectures, afternoon field trips, visits to some schools, time in a few ancient cities and meetings with Jain professionals, monks and  nuns. 

For the last 13 years, every summer, ISSJS have been offered regularly in India. The number of participants has seen a steady increase every year. Nearly 800 students and scholars from many universities and High Schools have participated in ISSJS programs so far. 

ISSJS is unique in that; 

  • It is an experiential and India based program and makes India a classroom for the study of ahimsa /nonviolence, Jain, history, art, culture and philosophy.
  • This program is highly subsidized by the Jain community.
  • For Program Details and Application, Visit our website www.isjs.in.

Emory Tibetan Studies Abroad Dharamsala, India

Emory University and its partner the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics (IBD) weave together rigorous academic study, field research, cultural immersion and contemplative practice to provide a unique semester-long program for students interested in both India and Tibet.

India Summer Program: Service Learning and Cultural Immersion

The ACM India Summer Program: Service Learning and Cultural Immersion in Puna, India is a short-term summer opportunity open to current students and recent graduates.  This six-week program (with the option to extend to eight weeks) takes students to Pune, India, where they will be immersed in Indian culture.  A key component of the program is service learning work with a non-governmental organization (NGO) for the duration of the program.

AIIS Language Study in India

The American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) is now accepting applications for our 2018-19 summer, semester, and academic year language programs. AIIS offers intensive, immersion-based instruction in over 15 modern and classical South Asian languages at multiple sites in India. AIIS language programs in India have been helping to launch the careers of U.S.-based scholars of South Asia for nearly fifty years. Many regional experts in government, NGOs, and the private sector got their start with the AIIS through this intensive immersion to language and culture in their Indian environments. Over 4,000 students have completed programs through the Institute.

Japan

Japanese Language in Hiroshima, Japan

The five-week “Japanese Language in Hiroshima” summer program provides students with a varied and rich experience of ordinary Japanese life though home stays, daily interaction with Japanese university students, and numerous participatory events. The program primarily takes place on the beautiful hillside campus of Hiroshima Shudo University, located just 25 minutes by bus from downtown Hiroshima. Students stay at the Seminar House on campus and will have special opportunities to interact with Japanese host families. Students earn seven credit hours, consisting of five credits of either second- or third-year Japanese and two credits of REL 394: Japanese Religion and Culture.

More study abroad

International Summer School for Jain Studies (ISSJS)

The International Summer School for Jain Studies (ISJS) is accredited by Mangalayatan University for students to earn three credit units by providing scholars/students in philosophy, religion, anthropology, theology and South Asian studies associated with any recognized/accredited university systems an opportunity to pursue experiential and academic studies of Jainism in India. 

Summer Study Abroad in Laos (SAIL)

The Center for Lao Studies (CLS) in collaboration with the Northern Illinois University offers a five week Summer Study Abroad at the Loa-American College located in the heart of Vientiane. This intensive program combines individual language tutorials, diversified field trips, and experienced on-site staff to allow students the opportunity to study Lao and learn cross-cultural skills while earning up to 10 undergraduate credits in language and culture.

Free: Study Jainism in Winter Holidays

Program: Designed and conducted by International School for Jain Studies (ISJS). ISJS has conducted 14 summer schools so far in more depth and duration that were attended by 646 overseas participants from 136 universities, 103 schools and 21 countries. This special program aims to stress Jain philosophy and way of life and their relevance in today’s world.

Target Participants: Undergraduate students, graduate students, PhD candidates, Professors, and faculty members of universities abroad and India, High school teachers and Jain professionals who wish to have experiential Immersion in Jain philosophy and way of life.

Place: Ahmedabad (Gujarat); home of Gandhi, Jainism and finest academic institutions in India.

Duration of Program: Dec. 18, 2018 — Jan. 7, 2019. The program includes two days of visits to famous Palitana hill, Jain temples, monks and institutions around Ahmedabad.

Fee: US$ 500* payable in advance. However it will be reimbursed in full by JAFNA, USA after successful completion of studies by the participants. *The fee includes Inland travel from Ahmedabad and places to visit, full board and lodge (Jain vegetarian meals and twin bed shared room).Air travel to Ahmedabad, India and back, Visa, and Insurance are participants responsibility.