UCLA Asian American Studies Department

UCLA Asian American Studies Department UCLA has produced more scholars for the field of Asian American studies than any other university in the nation.

The Asian American Studies interdepartmental degree program was established in the UCLA College in fall 1976, although the center began offering classes in 1969. Departmentalization occurred in 2004, moving the program from it's previous interdepartmental program status to an officially recognized degree program within the Social Sciences division of UCLA's College of Letters & Science. The creation of a department of Asian American studies marks a significant step forward in the development of an academic discipline devoted to understanding an important segment of American society and culture. It also has developed the largest Asian American studies teaching program in the nation, which annually offers more than 70 courses and enrolls more than 3,000 students. The department offers courses for the UCLA undergraduate and graduate students majoring and minoring in Asian American studies. The department also includes a Master of Arts program and two concurrent Master's degree programs with the community health sciences and social welfare departments. The department also offers UCLA doctoral candidates an informal concentration to supplement their own field of study with an emphasis in Asian American Studies. For more information about the department and its programs, visit the department website at:
http://www.asianam.ucla.edu/index.html

Curious about Korean American history, race, and identity? Consider enrolling in AAS 132A this Winter Quarter. The Korea...
01/02/2026

Curious about Korean American history, race, and identity? Consider enrolling in AAS 132A this Winter Quarter. The Korean American Experience course explores migration, family, gender, religion, work, and politics, with special attention to the 1992 LA Civil Unrest as a key turning point in U.S. race relations. This discussion-based course connects history to present-day issues and is ideal for students interested in Asian American Studies and social justice.

Join us on Thursday, November 13, 2025, for a presentation by Professor Noura Erakat, followed by a panel discussion wit...
10/31/2025

Join us on Thursday, November 13, 2025, for a presentation by Professor Noura Erakat, followed by a panel discussion with Professor Robin D.G. Kelley (Distinguished Professor and Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in U.S. History, UCLA Department of History) and Professor Nour Joudah (Assistant Professor, UCLA Department of Asian American Studies).

Time: 5:30 PM
Location: (at the UCLA campus) will be shared with registrants the morning of the event.
The RSVP link can be found in our LinkTree (link in bio)

More about Prof. Erakat:
Dr. Erakat is an internationally renowned human rights attorney and professor of Africana Studies and the Program in Criminal Justice at Rutgers University, with research specializations in humanitarian law, refugee law, feminist jurisprudence, and critical race theory. She is a leading voice on Palestine as the author of Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine and the co-editor of Aborted State: the UN Initiative and New Palestinian Junctures. She frequently appears on news programs including CBS News, CNN, MSNBC, PBS News Hour, NPR, BBC World Service, and Democracy Now, and has been featured in many major publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The LA Times, The Nation, USA Today, Al Shabaka, Middle East Eye, Al Jazeera, and Jadaliyya, where she serves as a founding co-editor.

Join us for a screening of Vietnamerica on November 18th! RSVP link is in our bio. Learn more about the film below: Film...
10/31/2025

Join us for a screening of Vietnamerica on November 18th! RSVP link is in our bio. Learn more about the film below:

Film Description: Following the wars in Vietnam, over two million people fled to country with the collapse of the Republic of Vietnam. That exodus, referred to by many as “the boat people” resulted in nearly half dying while in flight, battling the elements, starvation, and pirates.
Vietnamerica follows Master Nguyen Hoa as he returns to former refugee camps in Southeast Asia after three decades abroad to search for the graves of his wife and two children. Having fled Vietnam in 1981 on a boat with his family and friends, Hoa was the only survivor.
Executive Producer Nancy Bui of the Vietnamese Heritage Foundation joins GETSEA and 25 universities across North America to watch Vietnamerica together simultaneously and connect via Zoom for a discussion with the filmmaker about the Vietnamese diaspora, their struggle, and how Master Hoa’s story is a prism to see the larger group.
For more information on the film, visit http://vietnamericamovie.org.

Are you interested in applying to law school or have an interest in pursuing the legal field? We invite you to join UCLA...
10/22/2025

Are you interested in applying to law school or have an interest in pursuing the legal field? We invite you to join UCLA Asian American Studies Alumni, Leann Pham, for a brief presentation followed by an informal chat to learn more about the law school admissions process and application resources.

Location: Rolfe 2125
Date and Time: Tuesday, October 28th, 1-3pm

Leann will give two short presentations, both with the same information. Feel free to attend either one that best suits your schedule:
Presentation 1: 1:10pm - 1:20pm
Presentation 2: 2:10pm - 2:20pm

More about Leann: Leann Thuy-Huong Thai Pham is a third-year student at Yale Law School and a proud of UCLA Asian American Studies (Class of 2019). As an undergraduate at UCLA, she worked with Professors Victor Bascara, Grace Hong, Kelly Fong, and Thu-Huong Nguyen Vo. Now at Yale, she served as the Co-Chair of APALSA, Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Journal of Law and Feminism, Admissions Representative, and as a law student intern working with Vietnam-era veterans in the Veterans Legal Services Clinic. This most recent summer, Leann worked with Asian Law Caucus’s National Democracy Initiative. Leann can’t wait to answer all your questions about law school, the legal field, Asian American civil rights, and life!

Interested in earning a graduate degree in Asian American Studies? Join us for two virtual info sessions to learn more a...
10/08/2025

Interested in earning a graduate degree in Asian American Studies? Join us for two virtual info sessions to learn more about the admissions process, program requirements, and hear from alum of the program!

We will hold two sessions, both containing the same information. See the links in our bio to sign up and register today.

It’s time to celebrate another successful MA student defense! Congratulations to Mady Thuyein for her thesis, “Total Lib...
06/24/2025

It’s time to celebrate another successful MA student defense! Congratulations to Mady Thuyein for her thesis, “Total Liberation: An Emergent Political Imaginary in Burma’s Spring Revolution.” Mady’s thesis was Co-Chaired by Professors Jolie Chea and Thu-Huong Nguyen-Vo. Her committee members included Professors Cindy Sangalang and Lee Ann Wang. Please join us in congratulating Mady!

We are thrilled to announce our student speakers for this year’s Asian American Studies Departmental Commencement Ceremo...
06/10/2025

We are thrilled to announce our student speakers for this year’s Asian American Studies Departmental Commencement Ceremony! Harry Iwakichi Embuido (Undergraduate Student Speaker) and Maya Sinha (Graduate Student Speaker). We look forward to celebrating each of our graduates this weekend!

Congratulations to Kristi Mai for successfully passing your MA defense! Kristi’s thesis is titled, “Model Me Like One of...
06/05/2025

Congratulations to Kristi Mai for successfully passing your MA defense! Kristi’s thesis is titled, “Model Me Like One of Your Asian Girls: The Role of Affective Attachments, Gendered Labor, and Race in Vtubing”. Her committee was chaired by Dr. Lee Ann Wang, and included Professors Jennifer Chun, Valerie Matsumoto, and Wendy Sung. Way to go Kristi!

Are you unsure how you can apply Asian American Studies courses to your future career? Join this interactive virtual wor...
04/29/2025

Are you unsure how you can apply Asian American Studies courses to your future career?

Join this interactive virtual workshop to explore how to align AASD frameworks with your professional interests. Learn strategies to frame your academic experiences as transferable skills for life after graduation. Come reflect on your future goals and engage in group discussions with your AASD community!

Facilitator Bio:
Juliana (Juju) Wong, M.Ed. [she/her] is a bicoastal educator, entrepreneur & college content creator based in New York City and San Francisco. With 14+ years in higher education, Juju centers the social identities and emotions of first-generation, BIPOC students, and children of immigrants throughout the college and career process. Juju is a proud alumna of the UCLA x UH Manoa Asian American Studies Summer Travel Study Program!

Follow on TikTok and Instagram!

LAST CHANCE TO ENROLL👀‼️Are you 🫵 interested in spending your summer ☀️ learning how to podcast 🎤 for social justice 🌈?E...
04/28/2025

LAST CHANCE TO ENROLL👀‼️

Are you 🫵 interested in spending your summer ☀️ learning how to podcast 🎤 for social justice 🌈?

Enroll in Asian American Studies 107 TODAY and make your podcasting dreams come true!

This is course is open to ALL majors and can earn you upper division credit towards graduation.

Enroll today over MyUCLA!

We’re excited to cohost 2024-25 UCLACriminal Justice Law Review Symposium:On Carceral FeminismApril 11 9:30-4pmRoom 1420...
04/11/2025

We’re excited to cohost 2024-25 UCLA
Criminal Justice Law Review Symposium:
On Carceral Feminism
April 11 9:30-4pm
Room 1420
RSVP
tinyurl.com/cjlrsymposium

Congratulations to our Asian American Studies 186 students for completing their capstone projects! We had some truly rem...
12/15/2023

Congratulations to our Asian American Studies 186 students for completing their capstone projects! We had some truly remarkable, innovative, and fascinating topics this quarter. Thank you all for such amazing work!

Address

3332 Rolfe Hall
Los Angeles, CA
90095

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

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