Nations rely on each other for goods, markets, labor and capital.
Ecological crises, medical concerns and political movements do not respect national boundaries while global communications systems and international travel have fostered interconnectedness. In the future, American citizens will need to understand and be prepared to interact effectively with people from different cultures, including the many non-Western cultures that are economically and culturally prominent today and promise to become even more prominent tomorrow. Asian Studies is an interdisciplinary, liberal arts doorway into a significant portion of the world of tomorrow. Its purpose is to provide a broad knowledge base and a significant understanding of the political, economic, cultural and social systems of the world's largest and most populous land mass. Likewise, Asian Studies aims to develop the skills which students need to enter graduate school or to begin professional careers in everything from government service to international business and teaching.