Cornell University Registrar

Program Description

A major in Asian Studies is rewarding for students of all backgrounds, as the global presence of Asia becomes ever more visible. This degree offers students career opportunities in law, business, government, journalism, arts, education, post-secondary education, and more.

Academic Standards

Major Declaration

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 Program 

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.

Special Academic Options 

First-Year Writing Seminars

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

Program Information

• Program Mode of Delivery: In Person
• Program Location: Ithaca, NY
• Minimum Credits for Degree: 120

Program Requirements

Completion of the major requires 30 credits at the 2200-level and beyond with a minimum grade of B (S-U grades not accepted).

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses 1
One ASIAN course at 3300-level		3-4
One ASIAN course at 4400-level		3-4
At least one course from two of the Asian Studies course categories (Program Requirements)		6-8
Literature & Linguistics (ASIAN-LL)
Religion (ASIAN-RL)
Society and Culture (ASIAN-SC)
Demonstration of two-year proficiency in an Asian language
Testing into and completing the second semester of the second year of that language
Testing into a language course beyond the 2200-level
General Education Electives (ASIAN-GE) 2
Additional courses as needed to meet the 30 credit minimum.

¹

• A maximum of 6 credits of language study beyond those required for proficiency may be used.
• Other courses on Asia at the 2200 level and above, but not cross-listed with Asian Studies, may be considered for satisfying major requirement upon petition and approval by the Department of Asian Studies.

²

Only two of the following Introductory courses may be used towards the overall 30 credits: ASIAN 2208, ASIAN 2211, ASIAN 2218, ASIAN 2230, ASIAN 2231, ASIAN 2232, ASIAN 2233, and ASIAN 2250.

Course Categories

Courses in Asian Studies are broken into different categories. To determine which category a course falls in, please note the Program Requirements codes associated with each course.  

General Education (ASIAN-GE)

Course List (Per Attribute)

Code	Title	Hours
ASIAN 2208	Introduction to Southeast Asia	3
ASIAN 2211	Introduction to Japan	3
ASIAN 2218	Introduction to Korea	3
ASIAN 2230	Introduction to China: Outsiders in History	3
ASIAN 2232	Introduction to China: Getting Rich in Modern China	3
ASIAN 2248	Indian Ocean Buddhism	3
ASIAN 2250	Introduction to Asian Religions	3
ASIAN 2740	Imperial China	4
ASIAN 2920	Modern China	4
ASIAN 2930	A Global History of Love	4
CAPS 1740	Imperial China	4
CAPS 1920	Modern China	4
CAPS 2230	Introduction to China: Outsiders in History	3
CAPS 2232	Introduction to China: Getting Rich in Modern China	3
FGSS 1940	A Global History of Love	4
HIST 1740	Imperial China	4
HIST 1920	Modern China	4
HIST 1930	A Global History of Love	4
HIST 2548	Indian Ocean Buddhism	3
LGBT 1940	A Global History of Love	4
MEDVL 1740	Imperial China	4
RELST 2248	Indian Ocean Buddhism	3
RELST 2250	Introduction to Asian Religions	3
SHUM 1930	A Global History of Love	4
SHUM 2208	Introduction to Southeast Asia	3

Literature and Linguistics (ASIAN-LL)

Course List (Per Attribute)

Code	Title	Hours
AAS 3378	Korean American Literature	3
AMST 3378	Korean American Literature	3
ASIAN 2279	Chinese Mythology	3
ASIAN 2282	Speculative Asias	3
ASIAN 3025	More-than-Human Worlds: Ghosts, Animals, and Insects in East Asian Tradition	3
ASIAN 3303	Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Chinese Literature	3
ASIAN 3314	Korean Literature and Performance: From P'ansori to K-Pop	3
ASIAN 3317	Japanese Poetry	3
ASIAN 3324	Modern and Contemporary Korean Literature	3
ASIAN 3329	Literature of Leaving China	3
ASIAN 3366	Indian Poetry of Love and War	3
ASIAN 3378	Korean American Literature	3
ASIAN 4411	History of the Japanese Language	4
ASIAN 4412	Japanese Linguistics	4
ASIAN 4440	The Sensorium of Jin Ping Mei	3
ASIAN 4446	Classical Indian Poetry and Comparative Poetics	3
ASIAN 4477	Ecocriticism, Indigeneity, and East Asia in Global Context	3
ASIAN 5505	Methodology of Asian Language Learning and Teaching	2
ASIAN 6025	More-than-Human Worlds: Ghosts, Animals, and Insects in East Asian Tradition	3
ASIAN 6603	Modern Chinese Literature Field Survey	3
ASIAN 6612	Japanese Bibliography and Research Methods	1
ASIAN 6613	Southeast Asian Bibliography and Research Methods	1
ASIAN 6614	Korean Literature and Performance: From P'ansori to K-Pop	3
ASIAN 6616	Workshop on Chinglish in Theory and Practice	3
ASIAN 6620	Japanese Linguistics	4
ASIAN 6621	Literary Stricture	3
ASIAN 6639	Literature of Leaving China	3
ASIAN 6640	The Sensorium of Jin Ping Mei	3
ASIAN 6648	Classical Indian Poetry and Comparative Poetics	3
ASIAN 6677	Ecocriticism, Indigeneity, and East Asia in Global Context	3
CAPS 3303	Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Chinese Literature	3
CAPS 3329	Literature of Leaving China	3
CHLIT 2213	Introduction to Classical Chinese I	3
CHLIT 4421	Directed Study	2-4
CHLIT 4422	Directed Study	2-4
CHLIT 4435	Chinese Buddhist Texts	3
CHLIT 6621	Advanced Directed Reading	1-4
CHLIT 6622	Advanced Directed Reading	1-4
COML 2282	Speculative Asias	3
COML 3314	Korean Literature and Performance: From P'ansori to K-Pop	3
COML 3378	Korean American Literature	3
COML 3985	Literature of Leaving China	3
COML 6314	Korean Literature and Performance: From P'ansori to K-Pop	3
COML 6685	Literature of Leaving China	3
COML 6686	Literary Stricture	3
JAPAN 4410	History of the Japanese Language	4
JAPAN 4412	Japanese Linguistics	4
JAPAN 6612	Japanese Linguistics	4
JPLIT 4406	Classical Japanese I: Grammar	3
JPLIT 6606	Classical Japanese I: Grammar	3
JPLIT 6625	Directed Readings	4
JPLIT 6627	Advanced Directed Readings	1-4
JPLIT 6628	Advanced Directed Readings	1-4
LING 4411	History of the Japanese Language	4
LING 4412	Japanese Linguistics	4
LING 6612	Japanese Linguistics	4
RELST 2279	Chinese Mythology	3
SHUM 3324	Modern and Contemporary Korean Literature	3
SNLIT 6601	Topics in Sanskrit Literature I	4
SNLIT 6602	Topics in Sanskrit Literature II	4

Religion (ASIAN-RL)

Course List (Per Attribute)

Code	Title	Hours
ANTHR 2546	South Asian Religions in Practice: The Healing Traditions	3
ANTHR 3680	Islam and the Ethnographic Imagination	3
ANTHR 6680	Islam and the Ethnographic Imagination	3
ASIAN 2251	The History of Religious Life in Imperial China	4
ASIAN 2254	South Asian Religions in Practice: The Healing Traditions	3
ASIAN 2273	Religion and Ecological Sustainability	3
ASIAN 2287	Gods, Ghosts, and Gurus: A Global Exploration of the Fantastic in Asian Religions	3
ASIAN 2298	The Epic of Rama: The Ramayana and its place in Indian Cultural History	3
ASIAN 2299	Buddhism	3
ASIAN 3049	History, Theory, and Methods in the Academic Study of Religion	3
ASIAN 3309	Temple in the World: Buddhism in Contemporary South and Southeast Asia	3
ASIAN 3319	From Meditation to Mat, Cave to Cartoon: Yoga as Philosophy, Practice, and Public Performance	3
ASIAN 3331	Opt Out, Tune In: Hermits, Pilgrims and Dharma Bums, from East Asia to Ithaca	3
ASIAN 3341	Mahayana Buddhism	3
ASIAN 3344	Introduction to Indian Philosophy	3
ASIAN 3386	Islam and the Ethnographic Imagination	3
ASIAN 4020	Buddhist Moderns: Visions of Human Flourishing	3
ASIAN 4021	Zen Buddhism and its Japanese Context: Major Thinkers	3
ASIAN 4023	Buddhism and Politics in South and Southeast Asia	3
ASIAN 6020	Buddhist Moderns: Visions of Human Flourishing	4
ASIAN 6021	Zen Buddhism and its Japanese Context: Major Thinkers	3
ASIAN 6023	Buddhism and Politics in South and Southeast Asia	4
ASIAN 6686	Islam and the Ethnographic Imagination	3
CLASS 3674	Introduction to Indian Philosophy	3
HIST 2208	The History of Religious Life in Imperial China	4
NES 3880	Islam and the Ethnographic Imagination	3
NES 6880	Islam and the Ethnographic Imagination	3
PHIL 2540	Introduction to Indian Philosophy	3
RELST 2208	The History of Religious Life in Imperial China	4
RELST 2273	Religion and Ecological Sustainability	3
RELST 2287	Gods, Ghosts, and Gurus: A Global Exploration of the Fantastic in Asian Religions	3
RELST 2298	The Epic of Rama: The Ramayana and its place in Indian Cultural History	3
RELST 2299	Buddhism	3
RELST 2546	South Asian Religions in Practice: The Healing Traditions	3
RELST 3049	History, Theory, and Methods in the Academic Study of Religion	3
RELST 3309	Temple in the World: Buddhism in Contemporary South and Southeast Asia	3
RELST 3319	From Meditation to Mat, Cave to Cartoon: Yoga as Philosophy, Practice, and Public Performance	3
RELST 3331	Opt Out, Tune In: Hermits, Pilgrims and Dharma Bums, from East Asia to Ithaca	3
RELST 3341	Mahayana Buddhism	3
RELST 3344	Introduction to Indian Philosophy	3
RELST 4020	Buddhist Moderns: Visions of Human Flourishing	3
RELST 4021	Zen Buddhism and its Japanese Context: Major Thinkers	3
RELST 4023	Buddhism and Politics in South and Southeast Asia	3
RELST 6021	Zen Buddhism and its Japanese Context: Major Thinkers	3
RELST 6022	Buddhist Moderns: Visions of Human Flourishing	4
RELST 6023	Buddhism and Politics in South and Southeast Asia	4
SHUM 2287	Gods, Ghosts, and Gurus: A Global Exploration of the Fantastic in Asian Religions	3

Society and Culture (ASIAN-SC)

Course List (Per Attribute)

Code	Title	Hours
AAS 2269	Korean Popular Culture	3
AAS 2295	Orientalism and East Asia	3
AAS 4020	U.S. Cultures of War and Empire	4
AAS 4050	Critical Filipino and Filipino American Studies	4
AAS 4673	The Kinship of Repair: Asian and Asian American Artists in Collaboration	3
AAS 6020	U.S. Cultures of War and Empire	4
AAS 6673	The Kinship of Repair: Asian and Asian American Artists in Collaboration	3
AEM 3388	The Asian Century: The Rise of China and India	3
AMST 1951	Foreign Policy as Subversion	4
AMST 2315	The Occupation of Japan	4
AMST 4022	U.S. Cultures of War and Empire	4
AMST 4052	Critical Filipino and Filipino American Studies	4
AMST 4076	History of US-China Relations, 1949-2025	4
AMST 6022	U.S. Cultures of War and Empire	4
ANTHR 3416	The Barbarians	3
ANTHR 3520	Kingship, Nation, and Heritage in Asia	3
ANTHR 3552	Genocide Today: The Erasure of Cultures	3
ANTHR 3590	Heritage, History, and Identity in Cambodia	3
ANTHR 4489	Theory and Anthropology from Below: Special Topics	3
ANTHR 4513	Religion and Politics in Southeast Asia	4
ANTHR 4514	Topics in South Asian Culture and Literature	2
ANTHR 6416	The Barbarians	3
ANTHR 6520	Kingship, Nation, and Heritage in Asia	3
ANTHR 6552	Genocide Today: The Erasure of Cultures	3
ANTHR 6590	Heritage, History, and Identity in Cambodia	3
ARKEO 2800	Introduction to the Arts of China	4
ARKEO 3520	Kingship, Nation, and Heritage in Asia	3
ARKEO 3590	Heritage, History, and Identity in Cambodia	3
ARKEO 6530	Kingship, Nation, and Heritage in Asia	3
ARKEO 6590	Heritage, History, and Identity in Cambodia	3
ARTH 2800	Introduction to the Arts of China	4
ARTH 2805	Introduction to Asian Art: Material Worlds	4
ARTH 3590	Heritage, History, and Identity in Cambodia	3
ARTH 3611	Art of South Asia, 1200-Present	4
ARTH 3850	The Arts of Southeast Asia	3
ARTH 4673	The Kinship of Repair: Asian and Asian American Artists in Collaboration	3
ARTH 4816	Modern Chinese Art	3
ARTH 4822	Objects, Rituals, and Tea	3
ARTH 4844	The Rise of Contemporary Chinese Art: Narratives in the Making of New Art	3
ARTH 4852	Shadowplay: Asian Art and Performance	3
ARTH 4855	Threads of Consequence: Textiles in South and Southeast Asia	3
ARTH 4858	Dancing the Stone: Body, Memory, and Architecture	4
ARTH 6595	Heritage, History, and Identity in Cambodia	3
ARTH 6673	The Kinship of Repair: Asian and Asian American Artists in Collaboration	3
ARTH 6816	Modern Chinese Art	3
ARTH 6822	Objects, Rituals, and Tea	3
ARTH 6844	The Rise of Contemporary Chinese Art: Narratives in the Making of New Art	3
ARTH 6852	Shadowplay: Asian Art and Performance	3
ARTH 6855	Threads of Consequence: Textiles in South and Southeast Asia	3
ARTH 6858	Dancing the Stone: Body, Memory, and Architecture	4
ASIAN 2222	From Samurai to Superpower: Japan in World History II	4
ASIAN 2225	Literature, Politics, and Genocide in Cambodia	3
ASIAN 2245	Gamelan in Indonesian History and Cultures	3
ASIAN 2252	Introduction to Japanese Film	3
ASIAN 2258	The Occupation of Japan	4
ASIAN 2259	Music in and of East Asia	3
ASIAN 2261	From Samurai to Superpower: Japan in World History I	4
ASIAN 2262	Medicine and Healing in China	4
ASIAN 2269	Korean Popular Culture	3
ASIAN 2272	Food and Asia	3
ASIAN 2274	Mughal India and the Early Modern World, c. 1500-1800	4
ASIAN 2275	History of Modern India	3
ASIAN 2276	Tales of the Samurai	3
ASIAN 2278	East Asian Medical and Martial Arts	4
ASIAN 2280	Law and Society in Early Modern and Modern China	4
ASIAN 2281	Gender, Family, and Confucianism in East Asia	3
ASIAN 2283	Social Debates in China	4
ASIAN 2285	Introduction to Asian Art: Material Worlds	4
ASIAN 2288	Introduction to the Arts of China	4
ASIAN 2291	Engendering China	4
ASIAN 2293	Making of an Empire in China	4
ASIAN 2294	Of Saints, Poets, and Revolutionaries: Medieval and Modern Iran and Central Asia	3
ASIAN 2295	Orientalism and East Asia	3
ASIAN 2296	Korea and East Asia	3
ASIAN 2297	Understanding South Korea with Film	3
ASIAN 2425	Global Maoism: History and Present	4
ASIAN 2575	Tyranny and Dignity: Chinese Women from the Cultural Revolution to the White Paper Revolution	4
ASIAN 2951	Foreign Policy as Subversion	4
ASIAN 3021	History of Korea-China Relations	3
ASIAN 3022	Science and Discovery: Japan and the "New World," 16th–17th Centuries	3
ASIAN 3023	Partition: Violence, Citizenship and the Making of Modern South Asia	3
ASIAN 3304	China's Next Economy	4
ASIAN 3305	Seminar on American Relations with China	4
ASIAN 3315	Game Studies and Japan	3
ASIAN 3332	The Barbarians	3
ASIAN 3334	Southeast Asian Politics	4
ASIAN 3349	Contemporary Cambodia: Labor, Development and Society	3
ASIAN 3350	The Arts of Southeast Asia	3
ASIAN 3351	Heritage, History, and Identity in Cambodia	3
ASIAN 3362	Kingship, Nation, and Heritage in Asia	3
ASIAN 3365	Genocide Today: The Erasure of Cultures	3
ASIAN 3380	The Asian Century: The Rise of China and India	3
ASIAN 3382	Art of South Asia, 1200-Present	4
ASIAN 3395	What is China?	3
ASIAN 3396	Transnational Local: Southeast Asian History from the Eighteenth Century	4
ASIAN 3397	Monsoon Kingdoms: Pre-Modern Southeast Asian History	4
ASIAN 3525	Life and Death in China Under Mao	4
ASIAN 3705	Gateways of Tokugawa Japan: Global Encounters and Reframing the “Closed Country”	3
ASIAN 4024	Science, Medicine, and Media Technologies in East Asia	3
ASIAN 4075	Fashion and Politics in Twentieth-Century China	4
ASIAN 4076	History of US-China Relations, 1949-2025	4
ASIAN 4129	Advanced Seminar on Modern Japan	4
ASIAN 4377	Issues in South Asian Studies	1
ASIAN 4413	Religion and Politics in Southeast Asia	4
ASIAN 4414	Topics in South Asian Culture and Literature	2
ASIAN 4415	The Body Politic in Asia	4
ASIAN 4417	Race and Asia in World History	4
ASIAN 4423	The City: Asia	3
ASIAN 4424	Objects, Rituals, and Tea	3
ASIAN 4429	Vitality and Power in China	4
ASIAN 4435	Making Sense of China: The Capstone Seminar	4
ASIAN 4442	Shadowplay: Asian Art and Performance	3
ASIAN 4443	Work and Labor in China	3
ASIAN 4448	China, Tibet and Xinjiang	4
ASIAN 4451	Gender and Sexuality in Southeast Asian Cinema	3
ASIAN 4452	Critical Filipino and Filipino American Studies	4
ASIAN 4454	The Rise of China and Change in World Politics	4
ASIAN 4456	Dancing the Stone: Body, Memory, and Architecture	4
ASIAN 4457	Chinese Philosophy	3
ASIAN 4458	U.S. Cultures of War and Empire	4
ASIAN 4461	China's Early Modern	4
ASIAN 4467	The Kinship of Repair: Asian and Asian American Artists in Collaboration	3
ASIAN 4473	Modern Chinese Art	3
ASIAN 4478	China Imagined: The Historical and Global Origins of the Chinese Nation	4
ASIAN 4480	Projects of Modernity in Asia	4
ASIAN 4487	Threads of Consequence: Textiles in South and Southeast Asia	3
ASIAN 4489	Theory and Anthropology from Below: Special Topics	3
ASIAN 4494	Topics in Southeast Asian Studies	2-4
ASIAN 4707	Scale, Size, and the Politics of Expression in Asia	3
ASIAN 4713	Labor On and Off Screen	3
ASIAN 4844	The Rise of Contemporary Chinese Art: Narratives in the Making of New Art	3
ASIAN 5500	Who Speaks for Asia?	3
ASIAN 6022	Science and Discovery: Japan and the "New World," 16th–17th Centuries	3
ASIAN 6129	Advanced Seminar on Modern Japan	4
ASIAN 6377	Issues in South Asian Studies	1
ASIAN 6615	The Body Politic in Asia	4
ASIAN 6617	Race and Asia in World History	4
ASIAN 6622	Asia, Theory, Critique	3
ASIAN 6623	The City: Asia	3
ASIAN 6624	Objects, Rituals, and Tea	3
ASIAN 6631	Gender and Sexuality in Southeast Asian Cinema	3
ASIAN 6632	The Barbarians	3
ASIAN 6644	Threads of Consequence: Textiles in South and Southeast Asia	3
ASIAN 6646	Shadowplay: Asian Art and Performance	3
ASIAN 6647	Southeast Asian Politics	4
ASIAN 6651	Heritage, History, and Identity in Cambodia	3
ASIAN 6652	Kingship, Nation, and Heritage in Asia	3
ASIAN 6656	Dancing the Stone: Body, Memory, and Architecture	4
ASIAN 6658	U.S. Cultures of War and Empire	4
ASIAN 6661	China's Early Modern	4
ASIAN 6665	Genocide Today: The Erasure of Cultures	3
ASIAN 6667	The Kinship of Repair: Asian and Asian American Artists in Collaboration	3
ASIAN 6673	Modern Chinese Art	3
ASIAN 6678	Projects of Modernity in Asia	4
ASIAN 6679	China Imagined: The Historical and Global Origins of the Chinese Nation	4
ASIAN 6680	The Asian Century: The Rise of China and India	3
ASIAN 6696	Transnational Local: Southeast Asian History from the Eighteenth Century	4
ASIAN 6697	Monsoon Kingdoms: Pre-Modern Southeast Asian History	4
ASIAN 6705	Gateways of Tokugawa Japan: Global Encounters and Reframing the “Closed Country”	3
ASIAN 6707	Scale, Size, and the Politics of Expression in Asia	3
ASIAN 6713	Labor On and Off Screen	3
ASIAN 6844	The Rise of Contemporary Chinese Art: Narratives in the Making of New Art	3
BSOC 2561	Medicine and Healing in China	4
BSOC 4020	Science, Medicine, and Media Technologies in East Asia	3
BSOC 4127	The Body Politic in Asia	4
BSOC 4911	Vitality and Power in China	4
CAPS 1621	From Samurai to Superpower: Japan in World History I	4
CAPS 1622	From Samurai to Superpower: Japan in World History II	4
CAPS 2132	Law and Society in Early Modern and Modern China	4
CAPS 2133	Social Debates in China	4
CAPS 2262	Medicine and Healing in China	4
CAPS 2281	Gender, Family, and Confucianism in East Asia	3
CAPS 2435	Global Maoism: History and Present	4
CAPS 2575	Tyranny and Dignity: Chinese Women from the Cultural Revolution to the White Paper Revolution	4
CAPS 2931	Making of an Empire in China	4
CAPS 2932	Engendering China	4
CAPS 3000	Seminar on American Relations with China	4
CAPS 3021	History of Korea-China Relations	3
CAPS 3049	China's Next Economy	4
CAPS 3387	The Asian Century: The Rise of China and India	3
CAPS 3525	Life and Death in China Under Mao	4
CAPS 3967	What is China?	3
CAPS 4030	Making Sense of China: The Capstone Seminar	4
CAPS 4049	The Rise of China and Change in World Politics	4
CAPS 4075	Fashion and Politics in Twentieth-Century China	4
CAPS 4076	History of US-China Relations, 1949-2025	4
CAPS 4127	The Body Politic in Asia	4
CAPS 4129	Advanced Seminar on Modern Japan	4
CAPS 4355	Work and Labor in China	3
CAPS 4772	China Imagined: The Historical and Global Origins of the Chinese Nation	4
CAPS 4827	China, Tibet and Xinjiang	4
CAPS 4931	Vitality and Power in China	4
CAPS 4963	China's Early Modern	4
COML 4423	The City: Asia	3
COML 4451	Gender and Sexuality in Southeast Asian Cinema	3
COML 6622	Asia, Theory, Critique	3
COML 6623	The City: Asia	3
COML 6651	Gender and Sexuality in Southeast Asian Cinema	3
FGSS 2281	Gender, Family, and Confucianism in East Asia	3
FGSS 2575	Tyranny and Dignity: Chinese Women from the Cultural Revolution to the White Paper Revolution	4
FGSS 2932	Engendering China	4
FGSS 4127	The Body Politic in Asia	4
FGSS 4451	Gender and Sexuality in Southeast Asian Cinema	3
FGSS 4504	The City: Asia	3
FGSS 4673	The Kinship of Repair: Asian and Asian American Artists in Collaboration	3
FGSS 6127	The Body Politic in Asia	4
FGSS 6331	Gender and Sexuality in Southeast Asian Cinema	3
FGSS 6504	The City: Asia	3
FGSS 6673	The Kinship of Repair: Asian and Asian American Artists in Collaboration	3
GOVT 1623	From Samurai to Superpower: Japan in World History II	4
GOVT 3044	China's Next Economy	4
GOVT 3384	The Asian Century: The Rise of China and India	3
GOVT 3443	Southeast Asian Politics	4
GOVT 3967	What is China?	3
GOVT 4037	Making Sense of China: The Capstone Seminar	4
GOVT 4827	China, Tibet and Xinjiang	4
GOVT 6384	The Asian Century: The Rise of China and India	3
GOVT 6443	Southeast Asian Politics	4
HIST 1621	From Samurai to Superpower: Japan in World History I	4
HIST 1622	From Samurai to Superpower: Japan in World History II	4
HIST 1951	Foreign Policy as Subversion	4
HIST 2132	Law and Society in Early Modern and Modern China	4
HIST 2133	Social Debates in China	4
HIST 2207	East Asian Medical and Martial Arts	4
HIST 2315	The Occupation of Japan	4
HIST 2435	Global Maoism: History and Present	4
HIST 2562	Medicine and Healing in China	4
HIST 2575	Tyranny and Dignity: Chinese Women from the Cultural Revolution to the White Paper Revolution	4
HIST 2749	Mughal India and the Early Modern World, c. 1500-1800	4
HIST 2750	History of Modern India	3
HIST 2931	Making of an Empire in China	4
HIST 2932	Engendering China	4
HIST 2981	Gender, Family, and Confucianism in East Asia	3
HIST 2996	Korea and East Asia	3
HIST 3021	History of Korea-China Relations	3
HIST 3391	Seminar on American Relations with China	4
HIST 3525	Life and Death in China Under Mao	4
HIST 3705	Gateways of Tokugawa Japan: Global Encounters and Reframing the “Closed Country”	3
HIST 3950	Monsoon Kingdoms: Pre-Modern Southeast Asian History	4
HIST 3960	Transnational Local: Southeast Asian History from the Eighteenth Century	4
HIST 4020	Science, Medicine, and Media Technologies in East Asia	3
HIST 4075	Fashion and Politics in Twentieth-Century China	4
HIST 4076	History of US-China Relations, 1949-2025	4
HIST 4127	The Body Politic in Asia	4
HIST 4129	Advanced Seminar on Modern Japan	4
HIST 4168	Race and Asia in World History	4
HIST 4408	Projects of Modernity in Asia	4
HIST 4772	China Imagined: The Historical and Global Origins of the Chinese Nation	4
HIST 4931	Vitality and Power in China	4
HIST 4963	China's Early Modern	4
HIST 6127	The Body Politic in Asia	4
HIST 6129	Advanced Seminar on Modern Japan	4
HIST 6168	Race and Asia in World History	4
HIST 6408	Projects of Modernity in Asia	4
HIST 6772	China Imagined: The Historical and Global Origins of the Chinese Nation	4
HIST 6950	Monsoon Kingdoms: Pre-Modern Southeast Asian History	4
HIST 6960	Transnational Local: Southeast Asian History from the Eighteenth Century	4
HIST 6963	China's Early Modern	4
ILRGL 3345	Contemporary Cambodia: Labor, Development and Society	3
ILRGL 3380	The Asian Century: The Rise of China and India	3
ILRGL 4355	Work and Labor in China	3
ILRGL 5380	The Asian Century: The Rise of China and India	3
LATA 1951	Foreign Policy as Subversion	4
LGBT 4451	Gender and Sexuality in Southeast Asian Cinema	3
LGBT 6331	Gender and Sexuality in Southeast Asian Cinema	3
MEDVL 2722	Of Saints, Poets, and Revolutionaries: Medieval and Modern Iran and Central Asia	3
MEDVL 3850	The Arts of Southeast Asia	3
MEDVL 4858	Dancing the Stone: Body, Memory, and Architecture	4
MEDVL 4963	China's Early Modern	4
MEDVL 6858	Dancing the Stone: Body, Memory, and Architecture	4
MEDVL 6963	China's Early Modern	4
MUSIC 2330	Music in and of East Asia	3
MUSIC 2341	Gamelan in Indonesian History and Cultures	3
NES 2722	Of Saints, Poets, and Revolutionaries: Medieval and Modern Iran and Central Asia	3
PHIL 4570	Chinese Philosophy	3
PMA 2452	Introduction to Japanese Film	3
PMA 2465	Korean Popular Culture	3
PMA 4020	U.S. Cultures of War and Empire	4
PMA 4358	Dancing the Stone: Body, Memory, and Architecture	4
PMA 4451	Gender and Sexuality in Southeast Asian Cinema	3
PMA 4504	The City: Asia	3
PMA 4513	Labor On and Off Screen	3
PMA 6020	U.S. Cultures of War and Empire	4
PMA 6513	Labor On and Off Screen	3
RELST 2722	Of Saints, Poets, and Revolutionaries: Medieval and Modern Iran and Central Asia	3
RELST 3023	Partition: Violence, Citizenship and the Making of Modern South Asia	3
RELST 4414	Topics in South Asian Culture and Literature	2
RELST 4451	Gender and Sexuality in Southeast Asian Cinema	3
RELST 4480	Projects of Modernity in Asia	4
RELST 4931	Vitality and Power in China	4
RELST 6631	Gender and Sexuality in Southeast Asian Cinema	3
RELST 6678	Projects of Modernity in Asia	4
SHUM 2132	Law and Society in Early Modern and Modern China	4
SHUM 2207	East Asian Medical and Martial Arts	4
SHUM 2269	Korean Popular Culture	3
SHUM 2315	The Occupation of Japan	4
SHUM 2435	Global Maoism: History and Present	4
SHUM 2800	Introduction to the Arts of China	4
SHUM 2805	Introduction to Asian Art: Material Worlds	4
SHUM 3022	Science and Discovery: Japan and the "New World," 16th–17th Centuries	3
SHUM 3325	Game Studies and Japan	3
SHUM 4021	Science, Medicine, and Media Technologies in East Asia	3
SHUM 4127	The Body Politic in Asia	4
SHUM 4451	Gender and Sexuality in Southeast Asian Cinema	3
SHUM 4455	Threads of Consequence: Textiles in South and Southeast Asia	3
SHUM 4673	The Kinship of Repair: Asian and Asian American Artists in Collaboration	3
SHUM 4707	Scale, Size, and the Politics of Expression in Asia	3
SHUM 4713	Labor On and Off Screen	3
SHUM 4916	Modern Chinese Art	3
SHUM 6673	The Kinship of Repair: Asian and Asian American Artists in Collaboration	3
SHUM 6707	Scale, Size, and the Politics of Expression in Asia	3
SHUM 6713	Labor On and Off Screen	3
STS 2207	East Asian Medical and Martial Arts	4
STS 2561	Medicine and Healing in China	4
STS 4020	Science, Medicine, and Media Technologies in East Asia	3
STS 4127	The Body Politic in Asia	4
STS 4168	Race and Asia in World History	4
STS 4911	Vitality and Power in China	4
STS 6127	The Body Politic in Asia	4
STS 6168	Race and Asia in World History	4
VISST 2744	Gamelan in Indonesian History and Cultures	3
VISST 2805	Introduction to Asian Art: Material Worlds	4
VISST 3590	Heritage, History, and Identity in Cambodia	3
VISST 3696	The Arts of Southeast Asia	3
VISST 4673	The Kinship of Repair: Asian and Asian American Artists in Collaboration	3
VISST 4706	Labor On and Off Screen	3
VISST 4852	Shadowplay: Asian Art and Performance	3
VISST 4855	Threads of Consequence: Textiles in South and Southeast Asia	3
VISST 4858	Dancing the Stone: Body, Memory, and Architecture	4
VISST 6590	Heritage, History, and Identity in Cambodia	3
VISST 6673	The Kinship of Repair: Asian and Asian American Artists in Collaboration	3
VISST 6706	Labor On and Off Screen	3
VISST 6855	Threads of Consequence: Textiles in South and Southeast Asia	3

University Graduation Requirements

Requirements for All Students

In order to receive a Cornell degree, a student must satisfy academic and non-academic requirements.

Academic Requirements

A student’s college determines degree requirements such as residency, number of credits, distribution of credits, and grade averages. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the specific major, degree, distribution, college, and graduation requirements for completing their chosen program of study. See the individual requirements listed by each college or school or contact the college registrar’s office for more information.

Non-academic Requirements

Conduct Matters. Students must satisfy any outstanding sanctions, penalties or remedies imposed or agreed to under the Student Code of Conduct (Code) or Policy 6.4. Where a formal complaint under the Code or Policy 6.4 is pending, the University will withhold awarding a degree otherwise earned until the adjudication process set forth in those procedures is complete, including the satisfaction of any sanctions, penalties or remedies imposed.

Financial Obligations. Outstanding financial obligations will not impact the awarding of a degree otherwise earned or a student’s ability to access their official transcript. However, the University may withhold issuing a diploma until any outstanding financial obligations owing to the University are satisfied.

Additional Requirements for Undergraduate Students

The University has two requirements for graduation that must be fulfilled by all undergraduate students: the swim requirement, and completion of two physical education courses. For additional information about fulfilling University Graduation Requirements, see the Physical Education website.

Physical Education

All undergraduate students are required to take two credits (two courses) of Physical Education prior to graduation. It is recommended they complete the two courses during their first year at Cornell. Credit in Physical Education may be earned by participating in courses offered by the Department of Athletics and Physical Education and Cornell Outdoor Education, by being a registered participant on a varsity athletic team, or performing in the marching band.

Students with medical concerns should contact the Office of Student Disability Services. 

College of Arts and Sciences Graduation Requirements

Undergraduate Degrees

Graduation Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree

Credit Requirement

120 academic credits are required, 100 of which must be taken in the College of Arts & Sciences. 100 credits in Arts & Sciences is a minimum number, as is the 120 credit total. A minimum of 80 credits must be in courses for which a letter grade was received. AP, IB, CASE and A-Level credits count toward the 120 total credits but not toward the 100 A&S credits. Transfer credits for non-transfer students cannot count towards the 100 A&S credits. (See list of courses that do not count as academic credit.)

Residency Requirement

Eight full-time semesters in residence (in person) are expected to complete degree requirements with a minimum of six full-time semesters being required.  External transfer students must complete a minimum of four full-time residence semesters.

First-year Writing Seminar (FWS) Requirement

Two courses are required. A 5 on either the AP English Composition or Literature exam, or a 7 on the IB HL English Literature or Language exam will count towards one of these seminars. First-year students should take an FWS during their first semester at Cornell and are required to complete two by the end of their sophomore year.

Foreign Language Requirement

A student must either pass an intermediate Cornell language course at the 2000-level or above (Option 1) or complete at least 11 credits in a single foreign language at Cornell (Option 2). AP and IB credits cannot complete this requirement, but usually indicate that a student can place into a higher level course. Note: Native speakers of a foreign language may be exempted from this requirement. For a list of language offerings and placement, see Language Study at Cornell.

Distribution Requirement

Must take a minimum of 8 courses of at least 3 credits to fulfill 10 distribution categories. How an individual course is categorized is indicated with the appropriate abbreviation in its course description. It is important to recognize that only courses with the proper designation in the catalog can be used toward fulfilling the distribution requirements in Arts and Sciences. Unless otherwise specified, variable credit courses, including independent study courses, may not be used for distribution credit.

Arts & Sciences Distribution Requirement Categories:

• Arts, Literature, and Culture (ALC-AS)
• Biological Sciences (BIO-AS)
• Ethics and the Mind (ETM-AS)
• Global Citizenship (GLC-AS)
• Historical Analysis (HST-AS)
• Physical Sciences (PHS-AS)
• Social Difference (SCD-AS)
• Social Sciences (SSC-AS)
• Statistics and Data Science (SDS-AS)
• Symbolic and Mathematical Reasoning (SMR-AS)

To review distribution requirement definitions and course lists, please visit the College of Arts and Sciences Distribution Requirement List section of this catalog. 

Major Requirement

Students must complete the requirements for at least one major in A&S. See individual major listings for major requirements.

Policies on Applying Cornell and Non-Cornell Courses and Credits to Distribution Requirements

Restrictions on Applying AP/Test Credit and Courses from Other Institutions to the Distribution Requirements

• Students may not apply AP/test credit or transfer credit from another institution to the distribution requirements.
• Students who transfer to the college from another institution are under the above rules for advanced placement credit, but are eligible to have credit for post–high school course work taken during regular full-time semesters (not summer terms) at their previous institution count toward all distribution requirements. Transfer students receive a detailed credit evaluation when they are accepted for admission.

Restrictions on Applying Cornell Courses to the Distribution Requirements

• First-year writing seminars and ENGL 2860 Creative, Lyric, and Expository Writing or ENGL 2880 Expository Writing taken to satisfy a first-year writing seminar requirement may not count toward any other college or major requirement.
• Only courses with the proper designation in the Courses of Study can be used toward fulfilling the distribution requirements in Arts and Sciences.
• Students may not petition to change the category of any given course, nor may any faculty member change the category of a course for an individual student. Faculty members wishing to change the category for a course in which they are the primary instructor must petition the Educational Policy Committee for a change in category. If granted, the new category must be applied to the course as a whole and not for an individual student.

Courses That May Fulfill More Than One Requirement

• A course may fulfill more than one college requirement in any of the following situations:
• A course may be used to fulfill distribution and a major requirement (except if prohibited by one of the restrictions noted on applying AP/test credit, transfer credit, and Cornell courses to distribution requirements).
• A course may satisfy a maximum of two distribution categories. Students can only double-count distribution requirements on a maximum of two courses.
• A one-semester course in foreign literature (not language) or culture that is acceptable for certifying Option 1 in that language may also be applied to the relevant distribution requirement.
• Courses may count toward any other requirement except first-year writing seminars.

Credit Requirement

Credits and Courses

Students must earn a minimum of 120 academic credits (which may include AP/test credits). Of the 120, a minimum of 100 must be from courses taken in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell.

Courses that do not count toward the 120 credits required for the degree

The College of Arts and Sciences does not grant credit toward the degree for every course offered by the university. Courses in service as a teaching assistant, physical education, remedial or developmental training, precalculus mathematics, supplemental science and mathematics, offered by the Learning Strategies Center, and English as a second language are among those for which degree credit is not awarded. Students can view the list of courses that do not count for academic credit here.

Other cases in which a course may not receive credit include the following:

• A course identified as a prerequisite for a subsequent course may not be taken for credit once a student completes that subsequent course.
• A repeated course. (For more information, see "Repeating courses," below.)
• A "forbidden overlap," that is, a course with material that significantly overlaps with material in a course a student has already taken. Students should consult the list of Forbidden Overlaps for more information.

Courses that count toward the 100 required Arts and Sciences credits

May include liberal arts courses approved for study abroad during a semester or academic year of full-time study (not summer abroad study), courses taken in certain off-campus Cornell residential programs, and a maximum of three courses that majors may accept from other colleges at Cornell as fulfilling major requirements. A&S courses taken in Cornell's summer session may count towards the 100 A&S credits.

Courses that do not count toward the 100 required Arts and Sciences credits 

Include credits earned in other colleges at Cornell (except in the cases specifically noted in this section), transfer credits earned in any subject at institutions other than Cornell, and advanced placement/test credits. AP/test credits count as part of the 120 credits required for the degree but not as part of the 100 Arts and Sciences credits and may not be applied to distribution requirements. AP credits are posted on the transcript. If, subsequently, a student takes the course out of which they had placed, the AP credit will be removed because of the overlap in content. Students may use up to 12 credits of college approved ROTC courses as electives counting towards the 120 degree credits.

Repeating Courses

Students occasionally need to repeat courses. Some courses, such as independent study, some music and performance courses, and specific topical seminars, in which content is significantly different, do grant credit when the course is taken more than once. For all repeated courses, both grades appear on the transcript and are included in both the term and cumulative GPA.  For repeated courses that do not grant credit more than once, only one instance counts toward degree credits and requirements.

Residency Requirement

The College of Arts & Sciences is a residential community and students typically spend eight semesters of full-time study in residence to earn the B.A. degree.

The completion of a fall or spring term as a full-time registered student at Cornell counts as a semester in residence. Summer and winter terms at Cornell, study in Cornell's School of Continuing Education and at other institutions do not count as semesters of residence.

The residency requirement has two components: a minimum number of semesters in residence and a requirement to spend the last full-time semester of study in residence.

Students matriculating into the College of Arts & Sciences as first-year students must have a minimum of six semesters in residence before graduating. First-year matriculants into A&S can count up to two semesters in an approved off-campus program as semesters in residence. Approved off-campus programs include A&S approved study abroad programs, Cornell in Washington, Cornell in Rome, Cornell in Los Angeles, and the Cornell-China & Asia-Pacific Studies (CAPS) Program.

Students who transfer into the College of Arts & Sciences after matriculating in their first-year in another Cornell college (internal transfers) must have a minimum of six semesters in residence, and a minimum of two semesters in the College of Arts and Sciences before graduating. Internal transfers can count up to two semesters in an approved off-campus program as semesters in residence.

Students who transfer into Cornell from another institution (external transfers) must have a minimum of four semesters in residence, and a minimum of two semesters in the College of Arts & Sciences, before graduating. External transfers can count up to one semester in an approved off-campus program as a semester in residence.

In addition to the minimum number of semesters in residence, all students must complete their final full-time semester of study (i.e., the last semester in which at least 9 academic credits are needed to meet graduation requirements) in residence. Students who have fewer than 9 credits to complete degree requirements, and have met the minimum number of semesters residency requirement, may elect to complete their degree requirements during Cornell summer and winter terms registered as an A&S student or at another institution with approved transfer credit. Students cannot meet final degree requirements registered as an extramural student at Cornell.

Exceptions to the residence requirement are not petitionable.

Foreign Language Requirement

The faculty considers competence in a foreign language essential for an educated person. Studying a language other than one's own helps students understand the dynamics of language, our fundamental intellectual tool, and enables students to understand another culture. The sooner a student acquires this competence, the sooner it will be useful. Hence, work toward the foreign language requirement should be undertaken in the first two years. Students postponing the language requirement for junior and senior years risk not graduating on time. Courses in foreign languages and/or literature are taught in the College of Arts and Sciences by the following departments: Africana Studies and Research Center, Asian Studies, Classics, Comparative Literature, German Studies, Linguistics, Near Eastern Studies, and Romance Studies. For a list of languages and placement see Language Study at Cornell.

The language requirement may be satisfied in one of the following ways:

Option 1 (FLOPI-AS)

Passing (a) a non-introductory foreign language course of 3 or more credits at Cornell at the 2000-level or above or (b) any other non-introductory course at the 2000-level or above conducted in a foreign language at Cornell. These courses are labeled in the roster with the distribution code FLOPI-AS (Foreign Language Option 1).

OR

Option 2

Passing at least 11 credits of study in a single foreign language (taken in the appropriate sequence) at Cornell.

Any exceptions to these rules will be noted elsewhere in individual department descriptions.

Students whose speaking, reading, and writing competence in a language other than English is at the same level we would expect our entering first-year students to have in English (as shown by completing high school in that language or by special examination during their first year here at Cornell) are exempt from the college's language requirement.

Major Requirement

Most departments and programs specify certain prerequisites for admission to the major; they are found on the pages for each department and program available at Degree Programs.

Students may apply for acceptance into the major as soon as they have completed the prerequisites and are confident of their choice. This may be as early as the second semester of their first year, and must be no later than the end of the second semester of sophomore year. A student without a major at the beginning of the junior year is not making satisfactory progress toward the degree and risks not being allowed to continue in the college. Undeclared first-term juniors must file a Late Declaration of Major form with Student Services and may be placed on a leave of absence during their junior year if they have not yet declared a major.

Double Majors

Completion of one major is required for graduation. Some students choose to complete more than one major. No special permission or procedure is required; students simply become accepted into multiple majors and are assigned to an advisor in each department. All completed majors are posted on the official transcript. Students are not allowed to continue their studies past their eighth semester to complete additional majors.

Early and Delayed Graduation

Graduating Early

A student may elect to graduate early if they are able to complete all graduation requirements in fewer than eight semesters.

Students must still satisfy the college's residency requirement as part of the graduation requirements. This residency requirement requires that students who are first-year matriculants into Cornell spend a minimum of six semesters in residence, external transfers must spend a minimum of four. To request an early graduation, students must notify the A&S Registrar's Office in KG 17 Klarman Hall or at as-studentservices@cornell.edu.

The earliest a student can request to graduate early and officially change their graduation date is immediately following the pre-enrollment period for their anticipated final semester.  The student should have pre-enrolled in the classes required to meet the graduation requirements by the requested graduation date. The student must then complete Part I in DUST and have Part II completed by their major advisor.

Graduating Late: Ninth Term Enrollment

The Bachelor of Arts degree is expected to be completed in eight terms. If degree requirements cannot be completed in eight terms, students may seek permission to continue their studies. Requests will only be granted for students who have found themselves in emergent circumstances beyond their control which have prevented them from completing the degree in eight terms. Requests cannot be made until a student's final expected graduation term and will not be reviewed and approved until after the university drop deadline for that semester. Study beyond the eighth term is not automatically granted for the purposes of changing a major. Such requests must be discussed with a college academic advisor and require registrar approval. Requests to add an additional major or minor will not be approved for study beyond the eighth term.

If approved, students in the ninth and tenth term will be on a conditional status and will have restrictions placed on their enrollment to ensure successful completion of their degree. To request a ninth term, students must have their faculty advisor update Part II for any remaining major requirements. They will also need to submit a study plan to their college advisor listing the specific courses that will meet degree requirements for one major.

Student may elect to prorate credits if enrolling in 9 or fewer credits or take a full-time load if they desire. However, enrollment will be limited to 18 credits for the term so students can focus on their remaining required courses. In the rare case where a student may need to enroll in a tenth term to complete their degree, they will be required to prorate tuition and their enrollment will be limited to only the courses/credits needed for successful completion of one major. Additional enrollments will not be allowed.

Graduation Procedures

Application to Graduate

In the first semester of their senior year, students are prompted by Arts & Sciences Student Services to complete an online application to graduate. The application is intended to help seniors identify problems early enough in the final year to make any necessary changes in course selection to satisfy those requirements. Nonetheless, ensuring graduation requirements are fully met is the student's responsibility and any problems that are discovered, even late in the final semester, must be resolved by the student before the degree can be granted. Students are responsible for checking their DUST reports and transcripts each term and alerting Student Services of any problems with their academic record. To check on their progress in the major, students should consult with their major advisors.

Degree Dates

Cornell has three official degree conferral dates in the year: December, May, and August. Students who plan to graduate in August may attend commencement ceremonies in the preceding or subsequent May. Students graduating in December are invited to a special recognition ceremony in December and may also attend Commencement the following May.  All academic work must be complete by the official conferral date in order to receive a degree on that date.  Incomplete academic work will result in a later conferral date.