If you want to explore a new world and culture, the Asian Studies department at Furman University will take you beyond the traditional classroom experience.

Under the guidance of our outstanding faculty, we offer a curriculum infused with a broad range of courses, study away experiences and a strong liberal arts foundation. That means you won’t just study a culture, language, or religion in our program. You’ll study it all. Because at Furman, we’re preparing you to engage with the people, ideas and issues that shape one of the world’s most dynamic regions.

 

Asian Studies News:

Untold Journeys: Exploring Furman and Greenville’s Connections with Asia is a collaborative Digital Humanities project, produced by two Furman undergraduates—Eli Kibler and Eva Kiser—and a professor of art history—Kylie Fisher—that explores the contributions of Asian and Asian American students and faculty at Furman as well as community members in the surrounding Greenville area. It amplifies the stories of missionaries, students, professors, businesspeople, and refugees who journeyed between South Carolina and Asia from the late nineteenth through the twentieth century. These individuals impacted the communities in which they lived and cultivated places of belonging, and Untold Journeys seeks to honor the paths they paved for successive generations of Asian and Asian American descent at Furman and in the Upstate. 

 

20 year old man with brown hair and brown eyes standing outside under tree with button up shirt and bow tie

Asian Studies Student Oscar Guillen ’22 is an Inaugural Furman Angel Investor and Plans to Expand His Growing Expertise

When he was a young boy, Oscar Guillen ’22 and his mother emigrated to the United States from Honduras in search of economic opportunities. Now, the Furman University Asian studies major wants to help young people in Honduras start businesses and spur the economy there.

A new program for Furman students, developed by The Robert and Margaret Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and in collaboration with VentureSouth, could help him do that.

Guillen is in the inaugural cohort of the Furman Angel Analyst Fellows, learning what it takes to be angel investors…..

Guillen said he aspires to start an angel investing group in Honduras, and possibly in Mexico, where his stepfather is from. The countries, he said, “need investment into entrepreneurs to create new business and economic opportunities.”

He appreciates that the program was open to non-business majors, and says his background in humanities gives him a more global perspective on things.

“I had the opportunity to learn about the cultures, customs, traditions and languages of countries around the world, which is important for the next generation of leaders,” Guillen said.

Program Overview

Program Overview

At Furman, we offer degrees in Asian Studies, Chinese Studies and Japanese Studies.

Student Experiences

Student Experiences

The Furman Advantage guarantees every student an unparalleled education that combines classroom learning with real-world experiences and self-discovery.

Meet our Faculty

Meet our Faculty

Our innovative, team-based advising model provides a community of expert mentors to help guide students along their path.

Facilities & Resources

Facilities & Resources

Experience Asia—without leaving our campus.

  • 1101
    books in the Asian Studies reading room
  • 4
    study away programs
  • 3
    exchange opportunities in Japan
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Contact Us

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