Tibetan and Himalayan Studies
Preserving culture by learning an endangered language
CU Boulder Tibetan Losar 2023 Celebration— A Big Hit
Announcing a new certificate in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies at CU Boulder
The Center for Asian Studies is excited to announce that CU Boulder students who are interested in learning about the Tibet and Himalayan region are now able to pursue a certificate in Tibetan and Himalayan studies. Culturally and ethnically Tibetan areas constitute ¼ of the land area of the People’s Republic of China -- roughly the size of Western Europe -- as well as the country of Bhutan and parts of north India, Nepal, and Pakistan. As a focus of tension between the two Asian superpowers of India and China, this region is geopolitically crucial. The region is known as “the Third Pole'' and home to the headwaters of seven of Asia’s major rivers. It is a hotspot for global climate change, biodiversity and ecosystem services.
CU Boulder is a leading center of research, teaching, and scholarship on Tibetan and Himalayan Studies, as well as environmental sciences, including climatology, hydrology, ecology, and geology. Expertise on the region includes strong faculty leadership in the departments of Anthropology, Geography, and Religious Studies and the Tibet Himalaya Initiative (THI), a multidisciplinary hub for research, teaching, and public engagement on Tibet and the greater Himalaya region housed within the Center for Asian Studies. The town of Boulder, CO itself is a significant location in the history and spread of Tibetan Buddhism in the West.
Welcome Dan Hirshberg!
Dan did his PhD in Tibetan Studies at Harvard University and was an associate professor of religious studies at the University of Mary Washington for a number of years before moving back to Boulder. His first book Remembering the Lotus-Born: Padmasambhava in the History of Tibet’s Golden Age (Wisdom Publications, 2016), won Honorable Mention for the E. Gene Smith Book Prize from the Association for Asian Studies.
Check out our great new courses!
A&S Magazine - With new scholar, center launches Tibetan and Himalayan certificate
Below you will find information about grant-funded Tibetan and Himilayan-related courses and programming, as well as ongoing courses on the region. If you know of anything we should add to this resource, please email cas@colorado.edu.
We will update this site as new developments arise, so keep checking back!