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The College of Arts & Sciences
The department is the home for instruction in the languages, literatures, religions, cultures, and intellectual histories of Asian societies and is one of the few departments in America that offers instruction in social sciences, the humanities and languages across all three regions of Asia: East Asia (China, Japan and Korea), Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, The Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore), and South Asia (India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh). The Department is committed to the examination of social, political, and cultural formations that transcend traditional national and areal boundaries.
Location: Kahin Center
Location: Rockefeller Hall, 374 (Asian Studies Lounge)
Location: Uris Hall, G08
Only this year! Seminars on the Silk Roads, the Cold War in Southeast Asia, and Partition in South Asia.
Cornell’s College of Arts & Sciences honors the winners of its 2026 teaching and advising awards. Faculty members Nicole Giannella, Karola Mészáros and Landon Schnabel stand out this year, earning major awards for excellence; many instructors and teaching assistants received recognition, as well.
Asian Studies graduate Dr. Sirithorn “Ing” Siriwan has accepted a position as Assistant Professor in Southeast Asian Studies at Trinity College Dublin. She finished her PhD in Asian Studies in 2024, and her dissertation, “Between Lives: Livingness and Remnants of Rice Ontology in Northern Thailand,” was awarded the Inter-Asia Cultural Studies Dissertation Prize in 2025.…
Asian Studies Major, Arushi Kende arrived at Cornell with a deep interest in how societies can nurture and encourage a sense of deep community and care for one another. In a time when social discourse seems course and uncaring, Arushi stuck to her vision that there are different models that can be emphasized and fostered.…
A Cornell University student writes about her experiences with the Milstein Program, which equips students to connect technology with policy, ethics, and global dynamics. The program includes an eight-week summer session at Cornell Tech in New York City.
Now accepting applications for a Visiting Assistant Professor in Contemporary Taiwanese Humanities - deadline for applications is November 15, 2026
Department of Asian Studies Mission Statement