Southeast Asia Program

180 Uris Hall
(607) 255-2378
SEAP@cornell.edu
einaudi.cornell.edu/programs/southeast-asia-program

Faculty

E. Tagliacozzo1, Director (180 Uris Hall), C. Balance, V. Beard1, A. Blackburn, A. Cohn1, K. Fiorella, M. Fiskesjö, C. Formichi1, A. Fuhrmann, J. Goldstein1, G. Green, S. Kuruvilla, T. Loos, S. Ma, K. McGowan1, J. Parreñas, T. Pepinsky, P. Wangpaiboonkit, M. Welker1, J. Whitman, A. Willford1. Emeritus: M. Hatch*, S. O'Connor, J. Siegel1, K. Taylor, E. Thorbecke1, L. Williams, J. Wolff*. Retired: T. Chaloemtiarana. Senior Lecturers: N. Jagacinski, Y. Khaing, C. Miller1, J. Pandin1, H. Phan, T. Savella, T. Tranviet

1

Faculty are part of the Cornell Modern Indonesia Project (CMIP)

Program

Cornell's Southeast Asia Program (SEAP) develops and promotes knowledge about countries in Southeast Asia, including their languages, literatures, visual and performing arts, histories, societies, economies, governments, international and labor relations, religions, and ideologies, through the support of teaching, research, student degree programs, library and archival resources, specialized publications, and outreach activities. SEAP holds a U.S. Department of Education designation as a National Resource Center (NRC), and is recognized by its peers as a "center of excellence in Southeast Asian language and area studies." Its alumni teach at renowned institutions throughout the United States and around the world and serve in government, business, and non-profit sectors in the United States and abroad.

The Cornell Library's Echols Collection on Southeast Asia attracts visiting scholars from throughout the world and as the library of record on the region makes over 500,000 volumes in 162 languages available to the public.

As part of the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, SEAP has 27 core faculty members who are in many different departments and colleges, including 6 senior language lecturers, who are housed in the Department of Asian Studies. SEAP draws its faculty from Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and College of Architecture, Art, and Planning. They participate in an interdisciplinary program of teaching and research on the region that stretches from Burma through the Philippines and Indonesia. The Cornell Modern Indonesia Project (CMIP) faculty sponsor research, conferences, and publications on Indonesia and were involved in establishing the American Institute for Indonesian Studies.

Courses are offered in such fields as anthropology, Asian studies, economics, government, history, history of art, labor relations, linguistics, music, and development sociology. Instruction is offered in six languages: Burmese, Cambodian (Khmer), Indonesian, Tagalog (Filipino), Thai, and Vietnamese. As a member of the consortium behind the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, SEAP encourages students to intensively acquire language skills each summer. The Southeast Asia Program provides competitive funding grants for language study at SEASSI as well as awards to support research, and internships in the region in collaboration with the Department of Asian Studies and the Einaudi Center.

The Southeast Asian Studies Minor is open to all undergraduates at Cornell. The minor can be combined with any other major by completing 18 credits of coursework, including ASIAN 2208 Introduction to Southeast Asia. This course covers fundamentals about the region and acquaints students with Cornell faculty who are Southeast Asia experts. Students who major in Asian Studies can also focus on Southeast Asia and its languages. Graduate students may work toward an M.A. degree in Southeast Asian studies or pursue a master of professional studies in another school with a concentration in Southeast Asian studies. Ph.D. students specializing in Southeast Asia receive a doctorate in a discipline such as history, history of art, anthropology, government, linguistics, music, economics, finance, labor relations or city and regional planning. As a Comprehensive NRC the Southeast Asia Program is able to offer Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships (to US citizens or permanent residents) for academic year and summer study programs, with priority given to students at the intermediate and advanced level.

During the fall and spring semesters, SEAP organizes the Ronald and Janette Gatty Lecture Series, a weekly lecture series featuring advanced SEAP graduate students, academics, diplomats, researchers, and others who have expertise in Southeast Asia. All talks are held on Thursdays at 12:15pm at the Kahin Center (640 Stewart Avenue), with lunch served.

Additional information regarding courses focused on Southeast Asia, publications, or outreach opportunities and program activities can be found on the SEAP website. SEAP has many active social media accounts, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, and LinkedIn; find us on all platforms using the handle 'seapcornell'. We welcome undergraduates or others with new or unexplored interests in Southeast Asia to contact the program office by emailing SEAP Associate Director, Thamora Fishel.

Related Courses

Southeast Asia Studies - Area

AAS 1100Introduction to Asian American Studies4
AAS 3020Asian Americans and Popular Culture4
ALS 4317CALS Exchange: National University of Singapore (NUS)15
AMST 1951Foreign Policy as Subversion4
AMST 3025Asian Americans and Popular Culture4
ANTHR 1400Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology3
ANTHR 3420Myth, Ritual, and Symbol3
ANTHR 4437Ethnographies of Development4
ANTHR 4478Taboo and Pollution3
ANTHR 4513Religion and Politics in Southeast Asia4
ANTHR 4516Power, Society, and Culture in Southeast Asia4
ANTHR 6516Power, Society, and Culture in Southeast Asia4
ANTHR 6520Kingship and Statecraft in Asia: Angkor and Beyond3
ANTHR 7437Ethnographies of Development4
ANTHR 7513Religion and Politics in Southeast Asia4
ANTHR 7520Southeast Asia: Readings in Special Problems1-4
ARKEO 6530Kingship and Statecraft in Asia: Angkor and Beyond3
ARTH 2805Introduction to Asian Art: Material Worlds4
ARTH 3850The Arts of Southeast Asia3
ARTH 4852Shadowplay: Asian Art and Performance3
ARTH 4855Threads of Consequence: Textiles in South and Southeast Asia3
ARTH 4858Dancing the Stone: Body, Memory, and Architecture4
ARTH 6852Shadowplay: Asian Art and Performance3
ARTH 6855Threads of Consequence: Textiles in South and Southeast Asia3
ARTH 6858Dancing the Stone: Body, Memory, and Architecture4
ASIAN 1111FWS: Literature, Culture, Religion3
ASIAN 1117FWS: Crafting Religion: Material Culture in Southeast Asia3
ASIAN 2208Introduction to Southeast Asia3
ASIAN 2225Literature, Politics, and Genocide in Cambodia3
ASIAN 2245Gamelan in Indonesian History and Cultures3
ASIAN 2285Introduction to Asian Art: Material Worlds4
ASIAN 2930A Global History of Love4
ASIAN 2951Foreign Policy as Subversion4
ASIAN 3300Burma (Myanmar) Country Seminar1
ASIAN 3309Temple in the World: Buddhism in Contemporary South and Southeast Asia3
ASIAN 3334Southeast Asian Politics4
ASIAN 3350The Arts of Southeast Asia3
ASIAN 3376Digital Asia4
ASIAN 3396Transnational Local: Southeast Asian History from the Eighteenth Century4
ASIAN 3397Monsoon Kingdoms: Pre-Modern Southeast Asian History4
ASIAN 4413Religion and Politics in Southeast Asia4
ASIAN 4423The City: Asia3
ASIAN 4442Shadowplay: Asian Art and Performance3
ASIAN 4451Gender and Sexuality in Southeast Asian Cinema3
ASIAN 4456Dancing the Stone: Body, Memory, and Architecture4
ASIAN 4475China and Asian Security4
ASIAN 4487Threads of Consequence: Textiles in South and Southeast Asia3
ASIAN 6613Southeast Asian Bibliography and Research Methods1
ASIAN 6623The City: Asia3
ASIAN 6644Threads of Consequence: Textiles in South and Southeast Asia3
ASIAN 6646Shadowplay: Asian Art and Performance3
ASIAN 6652Kingship and Statecraft in Asia: Angkor and Beyond3
ASIAN 6656Dancing the Stone: Body, Memory, and Architecture4
ASIAN 6696Transnational Local: Southeast Asian History from the Eighteenth Century4
ASIAN 6697Monsoon Kingdoms: Pre-Modern Southeast Asian History4
ASIAN 7703Directed Research1-4
ASIAN 7713Religion and Politics in Southeast Asia4
CAPS 4870China and Asian Security4
COML 4423The City: Asia3
COML 4451Gender and Sexuality in Southeast Asian Cinema3
COML 6623The City: Asia3
CRP 3850Special Topics in Planning1-4
CRP 5076International Planning and Development Workshop4
CRP 5850Special Topics1-4
CRP 6720International Institutions3
DUTCH 501017th Century Dutch Texts1
FGSS 1940A Global History of Love4
FGSS 3376Digital Asia4
FGSS 4451Gender and Sexuality in Southeast Asian Cinema3
FGSS 4504The City: Asia3
FGSS 6504The City: Asia3
GOVT 1101FWS: Power and Politics3
GOVT 3443Southeast Asian Politics4
GOVT 4877China and Asian Security4
GOVT 6877China and Asian Security4
HIST 1402FWS: Global Islam3
HIST 1930A Global History of Love4
HIST 1951Foreign Policy as Subversion4
HIST 3950Monsoon Kingdoms: Pre-Modern Southeast Asian History4
HIST 3960Transnational Local: Southeast Asian History from the Eighteenth Century4
HIST 6162Graduate History Proseminar: Archives, Writing, and Research in Southeast Asian History4
HIST 6950Monsoon Kingdoms: Pre-Modern Southeast Asian History4
HIST 6960Transnational Local: Southeast Asian History from the Eighteenth Century4
INDO 1100Elements of Indonesian Language and Culture1
KHMER 1100Elements of Khmer Language and Culture1
LATA 1951Foreign Policy as Subversion4
LGBT 1940A Global History of Love4
LGBT 4451Gender and Sexuality in Southeast Asian Cinema3
LING 6600Field Methods4
MEDVL 3850The Arts of Southeast Asia3
MEDVL 4858Dancing the Stone: Body, Memory, and Architecture4
MEDVL 6858Dancing the Stone: Body, Memory, and Architecture4
MUSIC 2341Gamelan in Indonesian History and Cultures3
MUSIC 3610Cornell Gamelan Ensemble1
MUSIC 4641Advanced Instruction in Gamelan1
PMA 3420Asian Americans and Popular Culture4
PMA 4358Dancing the Stone: Body, Memory, and Architecture4
PMA 4451Gender and Sexuality in Southeast Asian Cinema3
PMA 4504The City: Asia3
RELST 3309Temple in the World: Buddhism in Contemporary South and Southeast Asia3
RELST 3420Myth, Ritual, and Symbol3
RELST 4451Gender and Sexuality in Southeast Asian Cinema3
SHUM 1930A Global History of Love4
SHUM 2208Introduction to Southeast Asia3
SHUM 2805Introduction to Asian Art: Material Worlds4
SHUM 4451Gender and Sexuality in Southeast Asian Cinema3
SHUM 4455Threads of Consequence: Textiles in South and Southeast Asia3
TAG 1100Elements of Tagalog-Filipino Language and Culture1
THAI 1122Elementary Thai II4
VIET 1100Elements of Vietnamese Language and Culture1
VISST 2744Gamelan in Indonesian History and Cultures3
VISST 2805Introduction to Asian Art: Material Worlds4
VISST 3696The Arts of Southeast Asia3
VISST 4852Shadowplay: Asian Art and Performance3
VISST 4855Threads of Consequence: Textiles in South and Southeast Asia3
VISST 4858Dancing the Stone: Body, Memory, and Architecture4
VISST 6855Threads of Consequence: Textiles in South and Southeast Asia3

Southeast Asia Studies - Language

BURM 1121Elementary Burmese (Myanmar) I4
BURM 1122Elementary Burmese (Myanmar) II4
BURM 2201Intermediate Burmese (Myanmar) I3
BURM 2202Intermediate Burmese (Myanmar) II3
BURM 3301Advanced Burmese (Myanmar) I3
BURM 3302Advanced Burmese (Myanmar) II3
BURM 4431Directed Study1-4
BURM 4432Directed Study1-4
INDO 1121Elementary Indonesian I4
INDO 1122Elementary Indonesian II4
INDO 2201Intermediate Indonesian I3
INDO 2202Intermediate Indonesian II3
INDO 3301High Intermediate Indonesian I3
INDO 3302Advanced Indonesian II3
INDO 4431Directed Study1-4
INDO 4432Directed Study1-4
KHMER 1121Elementary Khmer I4
KHMER 1122Elementary Khmer II4
KHMER 2201Intermediate Khmer I3
KHMER 2202Intermediate Khmer II3
KHMER 3301Advanced Khmer I4
KHMER 3302Advanced Khmer II4
KHMER 4431Directed Study1-4
KHMER 4432Directed Study1-4
TAG 1121Elementary Tagalog-Filipino I4
TAG 1122Elementary Tagalog-Filipino II4
TAG 2201Intermediate Tagalog-Filipino I3
TAG 2202Intermediate Tagalog-Filipino II3
TAG 3301Advanced Tagalog-Filipino I3
TAG 3302Advanced Tagalog-Filipino II3
TAG 4431Directed Study1-4
TAG 4432Directed Study1-4
THAI 2201Intermediate Thai I3
THAI 2202Intermediate Thai II3
THAI 2204Intermediate Thai Composition and Conversation II3
THAI 3302Advanced Thai II4
THAI 3303Thai Literature I4
THAI 3304Thai Literature II4
THAI 4431Directed Study1-4
THAI 4432Directed Study1-4
VIET 1121Elementary Vietnamese I4
VIET 1122Elementary Vietnamese II4
VIET 2201Intermediate Vietnamese I3
VIET 2202Intermediate Vietnamese II3
VIET 3301Advanced Vietnamese I3
VIET 3302Advanced Vietnamese II3
VIET 4431Directed Study1-4
VIET 4432Directed Study1-4