Asian Studies (BA)

College of Arts and Sciences

Program Website

Program Description

Students are encouraged to apply to the major shortly after successfully receiving a minimum grade of B in at least two Asia content courses. These may include one language course, but writing seminars do not fulfill the requirement. The major must be declared no later than the second semester of the junior year. Admission to the major after the start of the seventh semester will be by petition only. Applications to major in Asian Studies must be approved by the director of undergraduate studies. For further information and application, please visit asianstudies.cornell.edu/undergraduate.

Honors

To be eligible for honors in Asian Studies, a student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.7 in all Asian Studies area 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 semester 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 advising faculty. During the first term of the senior year, the student does research for the essay in conjunction with an appropriate Asian Studies course or ASIAN 4401 Asian Studies Honors Course . By the end of the first term, the student must present a detailed outline of the honors essay and have it approved by the project supervisor and the director of undergraduate studies. The student is then eligible for ASIAN 4402 Asian Studies Honors: Senior Essay , the honors course, which 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.

First-Year Writing Seminars

Consult the John S. Knight Institute website for times, instructors, and descriptions.