Asian Studies Development Program Overview

The Asian Studies Development Program (ASDP) is a joint program of the University of Hawai‘i and the East-West Center. It was initiated in 1990 to increase American understanding of the Asia-Pacific region through college and university faculty development. The twenty-first century has been characterized as the Pacific Century -- a characterization that is as appropriate in the context of Asian economic crisis as it was in the context of Asian economic miracles. In an era of increasing interdependence and globalization, it is crucial that Americans understand the cultures and histories as well as contemporary social issues of Asia. To help meet this challenge, the East-West Center and the University of Hawai‘i established ASDP in cooperation with four national higher education associations.

The ASDP mission is to infuse Asian content and perspectives into the core curriculum at American two-year and four-year colleges and universities through programs that help faculty expand and refine their knowledge and teaching of Asia. The co-directors of ASDP are Elizabeth Buck, at the East-West Center, and Roger T. Ames, at the University of Hawaii. Peter Hershock is ASDP Coordinator. The ASDP network now includes over 400 colleges in 49 states, with 20 schools designated as ASDP regional centers. ASDP offers the following programs and services: Summer residential institutes in Honolulu and workshops at mainland colleges designed to enhance teaching about Asia and support curriculum development; field studies in Asia; program support for ASDP regional centers that serve as mentoring campuses in their area; outreach on an on-going basis to ASDP alumni and other interested faculty through the ASDP newsletter; and an Internet discussion list (asdp-L@h-net.msu.edu).

The University of Hawai‘i and the East-West Center are adjacent institutions that together constitute the largest national concentration of resources for research and learning about Asia and the Pacific. The UH School of Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific Studies (SHAPS), through its various centers and programs, coordinates the academic efforts of some 300 faculty throughout the University who offer some 600 courses related to Hawai‘i, Asia, and the Pacific. UH and East-West Center libraries provide access to extensive collections of book and audio-visual materials about the region.