Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to our most common questions
GENERAL
- How do I get to the Southeast Asia Program Office?
- What countries comprise Southeast Asia?
- What Southeast Asian languages does Cornell offer?
OUTREACH/TEACHER TRAINING
MEDIA
ADMISSIONS
- If I want to study Southeast Asia at Cornell, do I apply to SEAP or to an individual department?
- I am an engineering major at Cornell. Can I also take a concentration in Southeast Asian Studies?
VISITOR EXCHANGE
- I am a scholar from another university. Can I establish an academic affiliation with Cornell?
- Does Cornell participate in any scholar exchange programs?
PUBLICATIONS
FUNDING
- What funding might I be able to expect if I were able to attend Cornell?
- What does FLAS mean, and what do the FLAS fellowships offer?
FACULTY
EMPLOYMENT
- How successful are SEAP graduates in finding employment after graduate studies?
- What lines of work do SEAP graduates typically pursue?
GENERAL
How do I get to the Southeast Asia Program Office?
We are located in 180 Uris Hall, at the center of the Cornell University Campus, where Tower Road and East Avenue intersect, across the street from Day Hall. (Look in the Central Campus area of the zoomable map of the Cornell campus). Our office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday.
What countries comprise Southeast Asia?
Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam
What Southeast Asian languages does Cornell offer?
Through the Southeast Asia Program and affiliated departments, Cornell offers instruction in Burmese, Indonesian, Khmer, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese.
OUTREACH/TEACHER TRAINING
I am a school teacher looking to broaden my students' perspective on world issues. Do you have any suggestions for how to introduce students to Southeast Asia?
Curriculum packages, lesson plans, films, and a wide array of other resources are made available through the SEAP Outreach Office for educators K-college.
MEDIA
How do I contact SEAP faculty for media interviews regarding current events in Southeast Asia?
Check the faculty directory for contact information. Inquiries regarding the SEAP program itself, or requests to speak with the director, should be sent to Nancy Loncto at njs6@cornell.edu. For a list of faculty available for speaking appearances, click here.
ADMISSIONS
If I want to study Southeast Asia at Cornell, do I apply to SEAP or to an individual department?
Because SEAP is an academic program supporting research and teaching on Southeast Asia, but not a degree-granting department, we do not handle admissions for graduate or undergraduate students.
Prospective graduate students should contact the graduate school or the indivudal department in which they want to apply. Departments that commonly accept students working on Southeast Asia include:
Applied Economics and Management
Anthropology
Architecture
Art History
Asian Studies
Economics
Government
History
Human Development and Family Studies
Industrial and Labor Relations
Johnson Graduate School of Management
Law School
Linguistics
Rural Sociology
Sociology
Prospective undergraduate students should apply to Central Admissions , on Thurston Avenue.
I am an engineering major at Cornell. Can I also take a concentration in Southeast Asian Studies?
Of course you can. The Concentration in Southeast Asian Studies is open to all undergraduates at Cornell. For more information, stop by the SEAP Office in 180 Uris Hall, or e-mail us at SEAP@cornell.edu.
VISITOR EXCHANGE
I am a scholar from another university. Can I establish an academic affiliation with Cornell?
Yes you can. The SEAP Visiting Scholar in Residence Program actively attempts to create affiliations and connections with scholars interested in Southeast Asian Studies around the world. We are especially interested in creating stronger relations with scholars in the central Northeast United States through our FAR program. For more information, contact us at SEAP@cornell.edu.
Does Cornell participate in any scholar exchange programs?
Students enrolled at the following institutions are eligible to attend under the Dwarf Exchange Program: (University of California at Berkeley, Brown University, University of Chicago, Columbia University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, Stanford University, Yale University). Students with portable fellowships are encouraged to apply. Applications should be made to:
Southeast Asia Program,
Cornell University,
180 Uris Hall,
Ithaca, NY 14853-7601,
Telephone (607) 255-2378,
FAX (607) 254-5000,
E-mail: SEAP@cornell.edu. ,
World Wide Web: SEAP Program ,
PUBLICATIONS
Is the Southeast Asia Program Publications Division part of Cornell University Press?
No, although we often display our titles together at the Association for Asian Studies Annual Meeting, the Southeast Asia Program Publications is under the auspices of the Southeast Asia Program itself. SEAP Publications sells its books independently from Cornell University Press.
FUNDING
What funding might I be able to expect if I were able to attend Cornell?
Thanks to generous funding opportunities made available through both individual departments and SEAP, many MA and PhD students receive funding (typically in the form of grants and TA'ships) through their home departments and the graduate school. There are also some area-studies grants administered through SEAP and external funding agencies. Many funding opportunities for research travel abroad are available through Cornell's Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies. For more information on the funding opportunities available turn to our funding opportunities page.
Cornell offers need-blind admissions to undergraduate students. Financial aid information for undergraduates can be accessed through the Central Admissions Office.
What does FLAS mean, and what do the FLAS fellowships offer?
FLAS stands for Foreign Language and Area Studies. The FLAS fellowship is a grant supported through the Department of Education to support students studying less commonly taught foreign languages at specific FLAS-granting institutions. As a comprehensive National Resources Center, SEAP has been able to distribute up to six FLAS awards annually. Click FLAS for more information and application forms.
FACULTY
I just read a book I loved by one of your faculty. How can I contact them?
The SEAP Directory contains up-to-date contact information for SEAP faculty.
EMPLOYMENT
How successful are SEAP graduates in finding employment after graduate studies?
Since the inception of SEAP at Cornell in 1950, graduates have gone on to eminent careers in Southeast Asia Centers, government agencies, and businesses in the U.S. and overseas. Based on a recent survey, over 351 alumni were employed by a post-secondary institution in the United States, 108 in Southeast Asia, and 62 in other locations overseas.
What lines of work do SEAP graduates typically pursue?
SEAP students who don't pursue careers in academia have been hired by government agencies, non-governmental organizations based in the U.S. and abroad, as well as a wide range of private businesses. Some of the following Alumni comments provide a glimpse of the range and diversity of SEAP graduates:
"We love reading the SEAP booklet each year, and I especially appreciate seeing the diversity of seminars and dissertation titles. Stephen (Siebert) and I recently returned from Sulawesi where we were collaborating on a project (during our sabbaticals) assessing rattan ecology and use in forest community development and conservation, and responses of farmers to the Indonesian financial crisis (especially the social and environmental implications of conversion to chocolate and coffee farms)."
Jill M. Belsky, PhD, development sociology 1991);
Associate Professor of Sociology,
University of Montana.
"My first year at the Univeristy of Washington has been wonderful! We recently hired Mary Callahan, SEAP Ph.D. '96 at the Jackson School to replace Dan Lev, also a CU-SEAP alumnus, from the 1960s. SEAP continues to make an impact!"
Christoph Giebel, PhD, history (1996);
Assistant Professor of History and International Studies;
University of Washington,
Jackson School of International Studies,
Seattle, Washington.
"The Southeast Asian Program had a huge, positive impact on my military career, assisting me with a broad understanding of the Southeast Asian region. In addition, the program provided me insights into the history, politics, and culture of the area, which I used daily in meetings with senior Thai military and government officials. The education provided by SEAP has been instrumental in my success. Now, if I could only find a way to return to the haven that is Cornell, I would be a happy man."
Steven Rundle, MA, Asian Studies:
Southeast Asia (1992); Battalion Commander,
229th Military Intelligence Battalion,
Fairfax, Virginia
"My primary area of research has been on irrigation management and financing in Southeat Asia. I began this path in my graduate program at Cornell, including my dissertation research in Thailand. I spent two years in Sri Lanka helping establish the International Irrigation Management Institute (now called the International Water Management Institute, where Randy Barker now is). A book, Farmer-Financed Irrigation, grew out of some research that I did there, and has been used by policy makers in organizations such as the World Bank and USAID, as well as by national governmments."
Leslie Small, PhD, agricultural economics (1962);
Professor and Associate Dean,
Rutgers University, Rutgers, NJ
"Since 1995 I have been responsibile for the Ford Founcation's work in area studies. In this position I have developed a new $25 million initiative, "Crossing Borders: Revitalizing Area Studies." My graduate experience at Cornell's SEAP has thus been vitally important to my professional work, which, in turn, I hope, has had some significant impact on area studies in the U.S. (as well as on international colloborations)."
Toby Volkman, PhD, anthropology (1980)
Program Officer-Education, Media,
Arts,and Culture Program
Ford Foundation, New York, NY