I’m interested in pursuing some sort of social sciences degree (Political Science, Economics, Int’l Affairs, etc.), and am quite certain that I want to focus my career and research on Asia.
What are some colleges that are institutionally centered around Asia? By this, I don’t mean that they should be located in Asia, have many Asians, or offer Asian Studies as a degree, but that their courses focus on Asia.
Two such colleges:
The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London)
There’s a zillion colleges with Asian Studies concentrations - they’re not institutionally centered per se - but in those departments they are, etc.
But not sure you’ll find institutionally centered in the US - but U of Hawaii, as an example, has not just a department but an entire school of Pacific and Asian studies.
You might find more of interest here but again, it doesn’t mean the entire tenor of the university is Asian focused.
Off hand I am not aware of any US equivalent to SOAS, meaning an entire university with around 3400 undergrads with an Asia, African, and Middle Eastern focus. Various US universities have highly regarded programs in such areas, some bigger than others (like, Columbia, Arizona, Indiana, and Minnesota come to mind). But the ones I know about are all part of larger programs and universities where most people do not have that focus.
These aspects interlace. Asian studies programs inherently focus on Asia through their courses. With respect to breadth, these courses may be cross-listed with the curricula of, for example, history, Middle East studies and religious studies programs.
As a suggestion, since more specific ideas within the U.S. may not be forthcoming, consider schools with notably flexible curricula, such as Hamilton and Brown, at which you could immerse yourself in a curricular orientation of your choice with few restrictions.