East Asia Program
East Asia Conversations Podcast: China's Environmental Transformation
Robin McNeal in conversation with John Zinda
China's enormous economic, industrial, and environmental transformation over the past few decades is the theme spring 2020 CCCI lecture series.
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East Asia Conversation Podcast: Governing the 'Airpocalypse'
Insights from China's War on Smog
Anna L. Ahlers, Max-Planck-Institute for the History of Science, Berlin, explores her research process and background air pollution in China.
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East Asia Conversations Podcast: China's Mushrooming Matsutake Mushroom Biz
Michael Hathaway and CCCI faculty host John Zinda
John Zinda speaks with Michael Hathaway about the transformative Matsutake mushroom trade in southwest China.
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Tong Yang-Tze calligraphy and dance collaboration
Cornell's Local Grown Dance concert excerpt of "Atelier 320: upending"
Taiwan's foremost Chinese calligrapher, Tong Yang-Tze's art is incorporated in a visually hypnotic dance titled, Atelier 320: upending. Choreographed by dance instructor, Jumay Chu with her student dancers and music by Chris Miller, the performance was on March 7, 2020 at the Schwartz Performing Arts Center, Kiplinger Theater as part of the annual Locally Grown Dance concert.
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Tristan Ivory
Assistant Professor, International and Comparative Labor
Tristan Ivory's research is principally concerned with sub-Saharan African geographic, social, and economic mobility. As a 2020–21 Global Public Voices fellow, he collaborated with Guilherme Kenjy Chihaya Da Silva (Umeå University, Sweden).
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Asian Studies Study, Research, and Service Travel Grants
Details
The Department of Asian Studies provides funding for travel and living expenses for the study, service, or research, in an Asian country.
Students receiving grants are responsible for managing all aspects of their trip including:
- Making their own travel itinerary.
- Arranging travel and accommodations.
- Managing their own budgets.
At the end of the travel recipients must provide documentation of travel and submit a 3-5-page report summarizing the language and cultural experiences.
Eligibility
Applicants may be from any college or major; their proposed project must relate to their area of study.
Applicants should have a strong cumulative GPA, a well-articulated project, and submit an appropriate budget.
Priority will be given to students who:
- have completed 2 years of language work in the relevant language prior to the intended travel;
- have no prior travel experience in the area of travel;
- and are Asian Studies majors or minors.
Awardees must be enrolled at Cornell in the semester following travel.
How to Apply
Applicants must also complete an application form, and provide the following:
- a 1500-word proposal about the plan of study or service or research (consisting of the title of the project, project summary, project detail, a detailed project timeline, and a detailed budget);
- a list of the current Academic Year Fall and Spring courses;
- two letters of academic recommendation, one from a language teacher (preferably of a language relevant to proposal) emailed to asianstudiesdus@cornell.edu*,
- letter of recommendation from host institution if you are doing a service project emailed to asianstudiesdus@cornell.edu*.
To apply for a travel grant, or to ask for more information, contact Erin Kotmel, undergraduate coordinator for the Department of Asian Studies. You can also find more information in the travel grant frequently asked questions.
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Funding Type
- Travel Grant
Role
- Student
Program
Wong Chai Lok Calligraphy Fellowship
Wong Chai Lok is a renowned Chinese calligrapher and educator whose work has been exhibited at Cornell's Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art. A fund established in his name periodically awards a fellowship to a calligrapher of outstanding merit to exhibit their work and provide an artist's residency at Cornell.
Cornell Classical Chinese Colloquium 古文品讀
The Cornell Classical Chinese Colloquium (CCCC) 古文品讀 is a reading group for scholars interested in premodern Sinographic text (古文). The group meets monthly during the semester to explore a variety of classical Chinese texts and styles. Other premodern texts linked to classical Chinese in Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese have been explored. Presentations include works from the earliest times to the 20th century. Workshop sessions are led by local, national, and international scholars.
Hu Shih Distinguished Lecture
The 2025-2026 Hu Shih Distinguished Lecture
The East Asia Program
Cornell Contemporary China Initiative
The Cornell Contemporary China Initiative (CCCI) brings together scholars, researchers, and students with sustained research interests in contemporary China. In response to widely expressed needs related to contemporary China across campus, CCCI invites leaders in the field to give talks on an array of interdisciplinary issues about the current Chinese economy, politics, and society. Everyone is welcome to join!