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 4400-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.
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)
To become an Asian Studies major, a student must first successfully complete with a minimum grade of B
at least two Asia content courses (excluding writing seminars), one of which may be a language course. Applications to major
in Asian Studies must be approved by the director of undergraduate studies.
Completion of the major requires completion of two courses in an Asian language at the 2200 level or above and in,addition to this,
30 Asian Studies credits (which may include up to 6 additional credits of language study) from courses numbered
2200 and above and including at least one from two of the Asian Studies categories of "Literature and Linguistics", "Religion", and
"Society and Culture"; at least one course at the 3300 level; and at least one course at the 4400 level or above. A minimum
grade of B must be received in all of these courses. Certain courses about Asia offered in other Departments at the 1100 may, at the
discretion of the advisor and DUS, be counted toward our major as if they were 2200 level courses, e.g., ASIAN/HIT 1191, 1192.
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 4400-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 Anne Blackburn. Email
amb242@cornell.edu for an appointment.
Bring both applications and a copy of your current Cornell transcript to the meeting
with Professor Blackburn. (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 4401. 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 4402, 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.
