Asia-Pacific Studies

Focus

The Asia-Pacific region is developing with great dynamism and is becoming increasingly important economically and politically. At the same time, the significant linguistic and cultural differences present special challenges for students. The supplementary studies and specialization “Asia-Pacific Studies” aim to be both an incentive and a guide to engage with this region. Students benefit from the fact that numerous departments and disciplines at PLUS conduct research and offer teaching on relevant topics, which can be as diverse as music and dance studies, geology, and politics, with a focus at the Faculty of Social Sciences. The Forum Asia-Pacific (FOR APAC) has served as an interdisciplinary platform since 2022, aiming to make the best use of and coordinate these potentials. For this supplementary study, FOR APAC offers a curriculum composed of regionally relevant courses and also organizes an introductory course in East Asian regional studies and a lecture series to best connect and contextualize the topics covered.

Target Group

The target group includes students from all disciplines who wish to explore questions related to this world region within their studies and seek a deeper understanding of backgrounds, those planning a stay there during their current or future studies or professional careers and wish to acquire additional competencies, as well as those who want to systematically pursue a personal interest in the region alongside their studies. It is important to decide to learn one or two East Asian languages at the PLUS Language Center.

Structure and Requirements

Basic Module (12 ECTS)

For the Basic Module “Asia-Pacific Studies,” courses amounting to a total of 12 ECTS credits must be completed. The following courses/courses from the following areas must be selected:

• Two advanced courses in one of the following languages at the PLUS Language Center (minimum 6 ECTS):
  • Chinese
  • Japanese
  • Korean
• Introduction to East Asian Regional Studies (3 ECTS)
• Asia-Pacific Lecture Series (3 ECTS)

Advanced Module (12 ECTS)

For the Advanced Module “Asia-Pacific Studies,” courses amounting to a total of 12 ECTS credits must be completed. The following courses/courses from the following areas must be selected:

• Two more language courses in the chosen first language from the Basic Module or two advanced language courses in another language (minimum 6 ECTS):
  • Chinese
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Russian
• Elective courses* according to the Asia-Pacific Studies course offerings (6 ECTS)

Specialization Module (12 ECTS)

For the Specialization Module “Asia-Pacific Studies,” courses from the Asia-Pacific Studies course offerings amounting to a total of 12 ECTS credits must be completed*.

^{* Courses from one’s own field of study may only be chosen if they are not part of the mandatory or elective courses.}

Course Registration

Registration for individual courses from the Asia-Pacific Studies course offerings is done via PLUSonline. Please note the special registration conditions for language courses at the Language Center. The language courses are subject to a fee.

Note: For courses that you take as part of the supplementary studies/specialization, select “Free Registration” in PLUSonline (if the option is available) during course registration:

Certificate 

After successfully completing the above-mentioned courses, the following certificates can be requested:

• Basic Module Asia-Pacific Studies. This will be issued after successful completion of the Basic Module amounting to 12 ECTS credits.
• Supplementary Studies in Asia-Pacific Studies. This will be issued after successful completion of the Basic and Advanced Modules amounting to a total of 24 ECTS credits.
• Specialization in Asia-Pacific Studies. This will be issued after successful completion of the above-mentioned courses amounting to a total of 36 ECTS credits.

IMPORTANT: It is possible to include supplementary studies and specializations in the Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Diploma examination certificate (naming of free electives). Regulations can be found in your curriculum, or you may need to reach an agreement with the chair of your curriculum committe beforehand.

Requesting a Certificate

Once you have completed the required courses, submit the completed exam pass and the corresponding certificates to the Forum Asia-Pacific () ein. After verifying the documents, the certificate will be issued by the Center for Flexible Learning (ZFL) on behalf of the Vice-Rectorate for Education and Student Experience and will be sent digitally to your university email address.

Issuing the certificate is no longer possible after graduation. Therefore, please make sure to apply for the certificate at least a few weeks before graduation.

If it is not possible to print the transcripts from PLUSonline, only submit the completed exam pass.

Download Exam Pass

• Exam Pass Basic Module Asia-Pacific Studies (12 ECTS)
• Exam Pass Supplementary Studies Asia-Pacific Studies (24 ECTS)
• Exam Pass Specialization Asia-Pacific Studies (36 ECTS)

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