Minor in China and Asia-Pacific Studies

The Brittany and Adam J. Levinson Program in China and Asia-Pacific Studies is an interdisciplinary program designed to train future leaders in various domains of U.S.-China relations. In addition to the major, which is normally open to undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences, the program offers a China and Asia-Pacific Studies Minor to undergraduate students enrolled in any of the seven Cornell undergraduate colleges. It provides a structured yet flexible arrangement for students to take advantage of the program's unique and rigorous curriculum for studying China’s history, culture, politics, economy, international relations, and especially U.S.-China relations both on and off campus. 

To complete the CAPS Minor, students need to complete at least 18 credits of coursework in China and Asia-Pacific Studies, including one CAPS gateway course (CAPS 2132, CAPS 2232, CAPS 2435, or CAPS 3967) and four more courses. At least two of these courses need to be chosen from the list of CAPS required core courses (offered in Ithaca, Washington D.C., 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 Levinson Program course offerings are posted on the College of Arts and Sciences Course Roster and the major web page. The list of electives, which is regularly updated, is intended to be representative but not exhaustive. 

A minimum grade of C must be received for all courses counted towards the Minor. All courses used to fulfill the Minor requirements, including language courses, must be taken for a letter grade.

All minors need to complete the equivalent of second-year Chinese, or, if they place beyond the second year, they 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). 

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., at least completion of the first 2000-level Chinese course by the time of application for Beijing). For an off-campus semester in Washing, D.C., see “Off-Campus” at https://caps.cornell.edu/off-campus. Students who are interested in either of the Levinson Program's off-campus semesters must make an appointment with the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. XU Xin by email  xx12@cornell.edu. 

CAPS minors are required to undertake an internship while studying off-campus in Washington, D.C., and in Beijing. Click here for more information on the Levinson Program internship requirements.

Cornell undergraduate students enrolled in any of the seven Cornell undergraduate colleges who are interested in the CAPS Minor must officially apply to the Levinson Program. They should:

• Meet the Levinson Program Director of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. XU Xin to discuss your interest in the minor. He can be reached by email at xx12@cornell.edu.
• Complete the minor application using the online form.
• Obtain an official transcript from the University Registrar’s office request have it sent to the Program Administrator at caps@cornell.edu.
• Declare the minor as early as the end of your freshman year, even before completing any CAPS course.