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East Asia Program

Cornell University

About

History and Community

Since its inception in 1950, Cornell's East Asia Program (EAP) has been a focal point for research, teaching, and outreach on East Asia. It serves as a campuswide network of specialists devoted to the study of contemporary and historical East Asia, including the region's relationship to the U.S. Today, EAP draws its membership of 45 core faculty and 57 affiliated and associated faculty, many of whom are prominent leaders in their scholarly fields, from eight of Cornell's 12 schools and colleges.

East Asia Program Executive Structure

The East Asia Program is directed by a rotating three-year faculty director, selected from the EAP faculty. The director is assisted by a steering committee that is appointed annually.

Offering tea in a Japanese tea bowl
  • John Whitman, acting director of EAP, professor, Linguistics
  • Suyoung Son, associate professor, Asian Studies
  • Eli Friedman, associate professor, ILR
  • Ding Xiang Warner, professor, Asian Studies
  • Yidan Wang, PhD student, Comparative Literature
  • Chengxiang Lin, PhD student, Asian Studies

Student Affiliation

All Cornell students are welcome to participate in EAP activities; certain students become part of the EAP because of their course of study. At the undergraduate and master's degree levels, majors in Asian Studies with a concentration in East Asia are systematically added to EAP's email lists.

The EAP Graduate Student Steering Committee provides networking opportunities for graduate students and represents graduate student interests and concerns within the program.

Faculty Affiliation

Faculty

Faculty are key leaders in EAP's activities. They serve in the following capacity:

  • Conduct research and teach primarily in East Asian studies
  • Serve on EAP committees
  • Invite guest speakers and host workshops, conferences, and symposia
  • Lead, as primary investigators, sponsored projects through EAP
  • Other collaborative academic work coordinated through EAP

Associated Faculty

Associated faculty are faculty at Cornell and at other universities who occasionally collaborate with the East Asia Program.

Visiting Scholars

Visiting scholars are scholars of East Asian studies who are in residence at Cornell to pursue their research and work with EAP faculty and students. Most EAP visiting scholars come from countries in East Asia and spend nine to twelve months at Cornell. Visiting scholars must have a faculty host who is an EAP core faculty member.