Program Description
The China Asia-Pacific Studies (CAPS) minor is open to undergraduate students enrolled in any of the seven Cornell undergraduate colleges.
Academic Standards
Grade Requirements
All courses, including language courses, must be taken for a letter grade. Grades of S/U or SX/UX will not be accepted.
Each course must be completed with a grade of C or better to count toward the minor.
Program Information
- Minimum Credits for Minor: 18
Minor Requirements
To complete the CAPS Minor, students need to complete one of the CAPS gateway courses (CAPS 2132, CAPS 2232, CAPS 2435, or CAPS 3967) and four more CAPS courses. At least two of these courses need to be chosen from the list of CAPS required core courses (offered in Ithaca, DC, or Beijing), and the remaining two may be electives, generally to be chosen from the list of CAPS recommended elective courses (including the courses offered in Beijing), in consultation with the Levinson Program Director of Undergraduate Studies. One of these electives will usually be a Chinese language course beyond the 2000-level.
The CAPS course offerings are posted on the Arts and Sciences Course Roster and the program website. The list of electives, which is regularly updated, is intended to be representative but not exhaustive.
Language Requirements
All CAPS minors need to complete the equivalent of second-year Chinese, or, if they place beyond the second year, then must complete any single Chinese language course at a higher level (for advanced students this may be a literature or special topics class in Chinese).
Off-Campus Opportunities
Students in the Minor are encouraged to apply for CAPS study abroad in Beijing if space is available in the program, AND if they place into the language level appropriate for that semester's CAPS Chinese courses (i.e., completion of the first 2000-level Chinese course by the time of application for Beijing). Students who are interested in CAPS study abroad must make an appointment to see the Director of Undergraduate Studies for consultation.
Internships
CAPS majors and minors are expected to hold internships in business, public service, the media, think tanks, research institutes, and other organizations during their time in Washington, D.C. and in Beijing. No academic credits are granted for internships. Yet they may combine their internship experience with Independent Study.
