Shimakawa also has a law degree. Senior faculty Isao Fujimoto and Peter Leung have provided the program with continuity over the past 30 years, Sue said. Other scholars being recruited by the program are authorities on Filipino American history and Asian American psychology. Sue said the major fits well with the university's globalization and health initiatives. The new major also further establishes the relatively young disciplines of ethnic, cultural and gender studies on campus.
Undergraduates also can minor in Jewish studies.
The Native American studies department, long a pioneer in its field, will also enroll its first graduate students next fall. Its doctoral program is the second in the country. Students majoring in Asian American studies could take one of two tracks, emphasizing either a humanities or a social-science perspective. Possible careers for graduates include teaching, research, government, law and social services, Sue said. Dateline UC Davis is the faculty and staff newspaper for the University of California, Davis.