McMicken College of Arts & Sciences
Center for Area Studies and Programs

About the Center

The Center for Area Studies and Programs comprises interdisciplinary programs in African Studies, Arabic Language and Culture, Asian Studies, European Studies, Latin American Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, and Russian Studies. The Center serves to advance the academic and pedagogical interests of these programs. It also serves as a coordinator for world language curricula and instruction in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian. The Center is one of the four major units of the School of World Languages and Cultures in the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences.

Students specializing in area studies typically study the languages, histories, politics, economics, geography, and cultures of various areas of the world. Students usually focus on one specific area, but sometimes compare two or more areas. An area studies major or certificate also usefully complements another major field of study.