The Barnard Consortium for Critical Interdisciplinary Studies will offer the possibility to minor or concentrate in Asian Diaspora and Asian American Studies starting in the spring.

Starting Spring 2025, Barnard students will be able to minor or concentrate in Asian Diaspora and Asian American Studies (ADAAS) after the official proposal submitted in Spring 2024 was accepted by the Barnard Committee on Instruction (COI).

ADAAS will be housed in the Barnard Consortium for Critical Interdisciplinary Studies (CCIS) under Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies, one of its three major disciplines together with Africana Studies and American Studies. Students majoring in one of these three fields may concentrate in ADAAS, with majors outside the CCIS having the option to minor. For both, the requirements are the same, consisting of five courses: one introductory class, two intermediate classes, and two advanced seminars. 

The program takes an interdisciplinary approach to explore the histories and experiences of the Asian diaspora in the US and beyond, building on existing research on transnational and intersectional feminism, Black, Indigenous, and critical ethnic studies, postcolonial studies, and queer diasporic critique.

ADAAS’s curriculum, modeled after the other CCIS concentrations, was built by drawing from courses already offered by different departments across the college and taught by faculty whose research overlaps in the field of ADAAS. Courses for Spring 2025 span various disciplines including Architecture, Education, and Theatre, among others. 

This program has become a reality after nearly three years of organizing by both students and faculty. A Student Advisory Board—made up of Julie Wu (BC ‘25), Aurelia Tan (BC ‘25), Kristen Santarin (BC‘24), Christina Park (BC‘26), and Nithiya Meng (BC‘26)—was created specifically to lead the initiative’s efforts. They were supported by Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Professors Manijeh Moradian, whose work focuses on the Iranian diaspora, and Neferti Tadiar, who researches Philippine and Filipino cultures. Professor Moradian currently serves as the first ADAAS Director at Barnard. 

“My goals are to publicize this initiative among students and faculty,” Professor Moradian shared with Bwog. “We want students to know there is a circular track they can follow to learn about and conduct research in this field and we also want to inspire faculty to offer existing and also new courses that contribute to ADAAS.”

The process was initiated by Wu during her freshman year after she realized that there was no Asian American Studies program at Barnard. Coincidentally, when Wu approached them, Professor Moradian and Professor Tadiar had already been working on a grant to get a program started. It was a collaborative effort between students and faculty, with multiple conversations taking place as a way to center the students’ needs and ensure the best support possible. Notably, organizers had the opportunity to present at the 5th annual Barnard Bold Conference 2023 and receive student feedback.

Students interested in the program are encouraged to meet with Professor Moradian to go over their transcripts to consider what courses they have taken in previous semesters that may fit within ADAAS and could count toward the minor or concentration.

ADAAS will offer students the opportunity to connect with faculty and demonstrate their engaged interest in the field. “Now we have a visible, legible, accessible way for students to pursue interdisciplinary courses that touch on many different aspects of Asian diasporas and Asian Americans—and to be able to show this to future employers or graduate school departments,” Professor Moradian told Bwog. “We also have a way for students who identify as Asian or Asian American to find courses that reflect something about their family histories and their own experiences.”

The College is the last of the Seven Sisters to have an Asian or Asian American Studies program offered. 

“I think it has really come full circle,” Wu shared with Bwog. “I think it’s really exciting that there’s finally a formal program, and it’s even better that it can continue growing and be able to be shaped by what students want because it has such an intersectional lens.” 

Like Professor Moradian, Wu hopes for ADAAS to remain a partnership between students and faculty and a place for students to explore the intersections of their identities.

“Having it finally be established is really just the first step,” Wu reflected. “There is a lot more work that can be done, but I’m very proud that we’ve done something historical for the institution and for the students, more importantly.”