Academic Subject Certificate in International Studies
Overview
(38-41 Credits) An Academic Subject Certificate in International Studies is a credential awarded to students who successfully complete a short-term structured series of courses in an interdisciplinary program. The strength of this interdisciplinary approach for the Academic Subject Certificate in International Studies lies in the fact that students are able to work with faculty in several disciplines, as well as to take courses in different subject areas, and in many different fields of study, such as Social Sciences, Humanities and Languages and Literature of Europe and the Americas. The interdisciplinary nature of the program comes not from specially-constructed interdisciplinary courses, but from taking a planned complement of courses from a variety of disciplines that together create an integrated Academic Subject Certificate program. The ASC in International Studies offers students the opportunity to develop a well-rounded understanding of the countries and cultures of the world.
The issuance of an Academic Subject Certificate requires that the student must earn a grade of “C” or higher for all courses required in the certificate. Students placed above the 101 (or the corresponding newer 3-credit course emphasizing oral proficiency) level in Chinese, Filipino, French, Japanese, Korean, or Spanish at Kapi‘olani Community College can receive, at no additional cost, credits for the courses from which they are exempted upon completing the next course in the sequence with a grade of C or higher. Those placed above the 202 level, including native speakers of the languages, can receive credit for the full course sequence provided they complete, with a “C” or higher, any course in any field (e.g., history, literature, culture, language, Hawaiian studies, anthropology, education, or musicology) in which they make significant use of the language. The judgment as to “significant use” is normally made by the instructor of the course the student has taken.
NOTE: A maximum of 8 back credits can be applied towards the International Studies Academic Subject Certificate. Students should also refer to the “College Policies and Regulations” in the course catalog for details on the back credit policy.
