A major in Asian Studies is a rewarding one, for the growing importance of
Asia in the world scene means increasing career opportunities in law, business,
government, journalism, arts and education for students who choose Asian Studies.
Asian Studies encompasses the geographical areas of East Asia, South Asia, and
Southeast Asia and offers courses in most of the disciplines of the social sciences
and the humanities. Asian Studies courses through the 400-level are taught in
English and are open to all students in the university. Some of these courses
may be counted toward majors in other departments.
The applicant for admission to the undergraduate major in Asian Studies must have
completed at least two Asia content courses, one of which can be a language course.
Students must receive permission for admission to the major from the Director of Undergraduate
Studies. The student must have received a minimum grade of C in those courses and in all
other courses counted toward the major.
A student majoring in Asian Studies receives thorough training in at least one
Asian language and is required to complete two courses at the 200-level (minimum
of 6 credits) or to demonstrate that minimal level of proficiency in one of the Asian languages offered at Cornell--however, most
students choose to take more. Over a dozen Asian languages are taught at Cornell,
with the FALCON (Full-Year Asian Language CONcentration) program providing
intensive language work in Chinese and Japanese for students who wish to attain
fluency quickly. (See FALCON homepage)
In addition to the basic language requirement, the major consists of at least 30
additional credits (which may include up to 6 hours of further language study)
selected by the student in consultation with his or her advisor from among the
courses listed under the Department of Asian Studies numbered 200 or above. These
include Asian courses in anthropology, art, dance, economics, film, government,
history, international relations, languages, linguistics, literature, music,
religion and rural sociology. Majors in Asian Studies normally specialize in the
language and culture of one country (i.e. comparative governments or Asian
theater). The majors can choose an additional major (double major) in a
traditional discipline. Courses taken to complete a double major also fulfill
the normal requirement for elective credits. Because the field is so vast, each
major works closely with a faculty advisor to design an academic program which
meets individual interests, abilities, and career goals. Students in their senior
year are encouraged to take at least one course at the 400-level or above,
depending on their interests and proficiency.
In addition to course work, there are many extracurricular activities related
to Asia. These include an annual Japanese film series, a Gamelan group, clubs
in most of the martial arts of Asia, student societies for most of the Asian
nations, visiting lecturers and performing groups, and arts exhibitions. There
are numerous Asians studying and teaching on the Cornell campus, and the visits
of Asian scholars, diplomats, journalists and performers provide students with
additional opportunities to meet people from the cultures they are studying.
If you are interested in the major as presented and have completed the prerequisite
courses, you should:
Obtain a "Major in Asian Studies" application and an "Advisor/Major" form from the Asian Studies Office,
350 Rockefeller Hall
Based on your interests, select and obtain agreement of a faculty member who is
willing to serve as the major advisor. (See the list of advisors for the major (will open as a PDF).) Have your advisor sign the Major in Asian Studies
application form.
Schedule an appointment with the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Asian
Studies Department, Professor Robin McNeal. Email
rm253@cornell.edu for an appointment.
Bring both applications and a copy of your current Cornell transcript to the meeting
with Professor McNeal. (The informal transcript that you regularly receive is acceptable.)
To be eligible for honors in Asian Studies, a student must have a cumulative grade
average of 3.7 in all Asian Studies courses and
must successfully complete an honors essay during the senior year. Students who
wish to be considered for honors should apply to the Director of Undergraduate
Studies during the second term of their junior year. The application must include
an outline of the proposed project and the endorsement of a supervisor chosen from
the Asian Studies faculty. During the first term of the senior year, the student
does research for the essay in conjunction with an appropriate Asian Studies
courses or Asian Studies 401. By the end of the first term, the student must
present a detailed outline of the honors paper or other appropriate written work
and have it approved by the project supervisor and the Director of Undergraduate
Studies. The student is then eligible for Asian Studies 402, the honors course
that entails the writing of the essay. At the end of the senior year, the student
has an oral examination (with at least two faculty members) covering both the
honors essay and the student's area of concentration. Check out titles of recent Honors Theses. See the
Honors Page for details.
For those students desiring to accelerate their acquisition
of Chinese or Japanese, Cornell offers FALCON (Full-year Asian
Language CONcentration). FALCON students spend six hours a day,
five days a week, for periods up to a full year studying only the language and
thus are able to complete as many as 1,200 hours of supervised classroom and
laboratory work in one year. For further details on the program, please see the
FALCON website.
