Study Abroad Course Approval Guidelines

Major	Who provides department approval?	Specific email address(es) to which course approval form should be sent:	What materials should students submit with course approval form?	What if course syllabi are not available?	How many courses/credits taken abroad may be approved to count toward the major?	Additional information?
Africana Studies	DUS	Grant Farred: gaf38@cornell.edu	Course titles, descriptions, syllabi, reading list, credits, prerequisites--all in English.	Students may email syllabi later; final decisions on course approval cannot be made without evaluation of syllabi.	Two courses at most.	Meeting not required.
American Studies	DUS	Chloe Ahmann: chloeahmann@cornell.edu	As much information as is available: course titles, descriptions, reading lists, prerequisites, credit information, syllabi.	Final course approval will depend on successful completion and submission of syllabi.	Two courses for one semester; up to 3 for full year.	If for fulfillment of pre-1900 requirement, submission of work from a course that shows substantial attention to pre-1900 matters. Meeting not required.
Anthropology	DUS	Paul Nadasdy: anthropology_dus@cornell.edu	As much information as is available: course titles, descriptions, reading lists, prerequisites, credit information, syllabi.	Students may email syllabi later; final decisions on course approval cannot be made without evaluation of syllabi.	2 courses/8 credits, with the possibility of petitioning for an additional course.	1) If the proposed course is not in Anthropology, please explain why you are asking for Anthropology approval. 2) If you are an Anthropology major, you must consult with your Anthropology advisor about the planned coursework in Anthropology for studying abroad. Meeting not required.
Archaeology	DUS	Matthew Velasco: mcv47@cornell.edu	As much information about proposed courses as possible, in English.	If no syllabus is available, then students should provide as much description as they can and be sure to save the syllabus for final approval later. Pre-approval is going to be more tentative without a syllabus or other detailed information.	No limit, but typically these only count for general Archaeology courses rather than fulfilling specific requirements, although there may be some cases where they can.	Meeting not required.
Asian Studies	DUS	asianstudiesdus@cornell.edu	Syllabus in English (preferred) or a language taught in the department.	In some cases, detailed course descriptions from certain institutions may be pre-approvable without syllabi. In other cases, pre-approval may not be possible.	Fifteen credits	Asian Studies supports some study and research abroad through direct grants made from the department to students. Deadlines for summer travel grant applications are usually in February of each year, and more information is available on the Asian Studies website, asianstudies.cornell.edu. Meetings only required for advising purposes; most cases can be handled by email.
Astronomy	DUS	Phil Nicholson: astrodus@cornell.edu	Course titles, descriptions, syllabi, reading list, credits, prerequisites--all in English.	Final course approval is dependent on a submission of a syllabus.	2 courses (up to 8 credits).
Biological Sciences	Jeff McCaffrey (OUB)	Jeff McCaffrey: jm298@cornell.edu	Electronic copies of course titles, descriptions, and syllabi, in English.	Syllabus required for foundation course pre-approval. Syllabus preferred for courses in the concentration. If syllabi are not available, students should provide as much info as possible (course description, pre-requisites, etc.) to their faculty advisor.	Up to 2 courses, possibly more for full year abroad (with petition from the Office of Undergraduate Biology).	Please see: https://cals.cornell.edu/biological-sciences/advising/resources-support/study-abroad for further suggestions for bio majors. Meeting not required.
Biology & Society	DUS	Rebecca Slayton: sts-bsoc-dus@cornell.edu	Course titles, descriptions, and syllabi, in English.	Syllabi required for course approval; students may email syllabi from abroad to the DUS if they are unable to obtain them before they depart.	No set policy. Depends on the coursework.	Meeting not required.
Chemistry & Chemical Biology	DUS	chemdus@cornell.edu	As much information as is available: course titles, descriptions, reading lists, prerequisites, credit information, syllabi.	TBD	No set policy.	Students are urged to meet with the DUS as early in the planning stages as possible. Contact chemdus@cornell.edu for scheduling.
China & Pacific-Asia Studies	DUS	Xu Xin: xx12@cornell.edu	CAPS provides a packet of courses for participating students in CAPS study abroad in Beijing. Non CAPS students need to contact CAPS DUS and have their application reviewed on a case-by-case basis.	N/A	3-4 courses 12-16 credits	We normally hold a couple of information/orientation meetings for the CAPS study abroad in the coming semester. We inform students via the CAPS list-serv. Xu Xin is the point of contact for these meetings.
Classics	DUS	Caitie Barrett: ceb329@cornell.edu	Course title and description; syllabus, if available; information about any prerequisites and credits.	If a syllabus is not yet available, bring a course description. However, final approval of the course for major credit will require submission of a syllabus.	No formal limit; however students should consult with DUS to determine which specific courses taken abroad can count toward major requirements.	Students returning from abroad will need to bring in transcripts and syllabi for all courses for which they wish to receive major credit; these must be submitted to DUS for final approval.
Cognitive Science	Program Manager	Julie Simmons-Lynch: jes257@cornell.edu	As much information as is available: course titles, description, reading list, prerequisites, credit hours, and syllabi.	If possible, syllabi should be emailed with course request. Provisional approval of a course will be granted without syllabi.	Two courses, 3-4 credits each, with the possibility of petitioning for an additional course.	Courses should represent a cognitive science discipline, i.e., psychology, philosophy, linguistics, computer science, neuroscience and/or NB&B, communications, information sciences, etc. If the representation isn’t clear, please explain why you think a course is appropriate to cognitive science.
College Scholar	Your College Scholar faculty advisor	Check Student Center for Faculty Advisor Contact Information	Course titles and descriptions.	TBD	No set policy. Up to the faculty advisor's discretion.
Comparative Literature	DUS	Jonathan Monroe: jbm3@cornell.edu	As much information as is available--at least course titles and descriptions, but also number of credits, book lists, and syllabi, if possible. Pre-approval is not ironclad. The most substantive discussions about course work taken abroad happen after students return, when students are able to convey what kind of work they actually did in courses.	TBD	Determined in consultation with faculty advisor and DUS.	Meeting not required.
Computer Science	Undergraduate Coordinators	ugrad@cs.cornell.edu	Course descriptions and syllabi.	If a syllabus for a particular course is not yet available, then the course can be designated as a major-approved elective until the syllabus is available for review (unless the course description is quite clear).	There are 7 major-specific requirements that students can satisfy using study abroad credit: the three technical electives (two technical electives must be 3000-level or above, one technical elective may be 2000-level or above), the three external specialization courses (must be 3000-level or above), and the major-approved free elective (this can be any level).	We do not accept study abroad credit for CS core courses, CS 4000+ level electives, nor the CS practicum/project course. Meeting not required.
Earth and Atmospheric Sciences	DUS	Rowena Lohman: rbl62@cornell.edu	Course title, description, and syllabi.	TBD	No set limit - subjects need approval by the Director of Undergraduate Studies.	Meetings only required for advising purposes; most cases can be handled by email.
Economics	Either DUS or Associate DUS can approve	econdus@cornell.edu	Course descriptions, titles, prerequisites, syllabi, reading lists, and number of credits for each course—all in English. Students should list up to three courses if going for one semester, up to five courses if going for a full year. Web links ALONE are NOT acceptable. Put all materials for a course into a single file, in Word or PDF format. One file per course. Incomplete information will result in either a denial or a “to be decided” later.	Ask whether syllabi may be submitted later, from abroad. Also see if syllabi from a previous semester are available. If so, be sure to note whether it is the same instructor.	Up to 2 courses for a semester; 4 for a year. But note that since courses will only be approved at the 3000 level, 4 3000 level courses is one more than required.	Read through study abroad information on the department website: https://economics.cornell.edu/undergraduate-student-experiences#study-abroad. Econ will only pre-approve topics courses for the Arts College Econ major at the 3000-topics level.
English	DUS	Laura Brown: lsb7@cornell.edu; cc: Aurora Ricardo: ar2368@cornell.edu	As much information as is available—at least course titles and descriptions, but also number of credits, book lists, and syllabi, if possible. An older version of the syllabus is also acceptable.	Assuming the other information is submitted, syllabi not available in advance may be presented at the post-study abroad meeting with the DUS.	8 credits per semester.	English majors are encouraged to meet with the DUS prior to study abroad. Email the Undergrad Coordinator to schedule an appointment during DUS office hours.
Environment & Sustainability	Please submit your request to environment@cornell.edu for review and approval	environment@cornell.edu	As much information as possible, but at least course titles and descriptions in English.	Final course approval will depend on successful completion and submission of syllabi.	No set policy. Currently under review.	Meeting required. Schedule phone or Zoom meeting via environment@cornell.edu.
Feminist, Gender & Sexuality Studies	DUS	Juno Salazar Parreñas: jsp324@cornell.edu	As much information as possible about the courses, including a syllabus, if available.	Final approval requires submission of syllabus or similar supporting materials.	At lease one course may be used for the major and up to two, with approval from the DUS.	Meeting required with DUS.
French	DUS	Marilyn Migiel: mm55@cornell.edu	A list of courses, with the understanding that foreign universities tend to establish their course rosters much, much later than we do in the States. In order to be applied toward a Romance Studies major or minor, a course must be at least 50% concerned with intellectual and cultural content from a part of the world where French, Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese is spoken. The DUS will request a syllabus only if the title of the course seems ambiguous.	Syllabi can be submitted later, after the student is abroad.	Up to 2 courses for minors, and up to 3 courses for majors.	The mere fact that a course is taught in the target language (that is, in French, Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese) is not, on its own, a sufficient criterion for a course to be counted toward a Romance Studies minor or major; likewise, we do not typically award minor or major credit for courses whose primary aim is increased language proficiency. Above all, we encourage students to explore courses which analyze and engage critically with the culture (e.g. the history, literature, art, cinema, politics, music, legal and other institutions, etc.) of the parts of the world where they've chosen to study. Students are encouraged to pre-enroll in FA21 classes until it’s certain that their study abroad program will be happening.
German	DUS	Gunhild Lischke: gl15@cornell.edu	Course title, description, indication of course level, type of course (lecture, seminar, lab). If possible, please provide a syllabus.	Syllabi might not be necessary if other information is sufficient to evaluate the courses.	1 class per semester abroad, for major or minor.	Please review information about Study Abroad on our website (https://german.cornell.edu/undergraduate#study-abroad-&-internships). Meeting required with Gunhild Lischke (gl15@cornell.edu).
Government	DUS	Douglas L. Kriner: dlk265@cornell.edu	Course titles, descriptions, syllabi, credit information, in English. Have a few alternate courses in mind. Courses abroad that duplicate courses a student has already taken here will not be approved.		5 courses at most for one full year abroad.	See #14-16: https://government.cornell.edu/faqs. Meeting not required.
History	DUS	history_dus@cornell.edu	List of course titles. Upon return from study abroad, bring official transcript, course syllabi, and a sample of written work for each course.	You do not need syllabi for preapproval.	For one semester abroad, 2 courses. For a full year abroad, up to 3 courses may be counted toward the major.	No signed pre-approval form is considered to be binding. No course taken outside Cornell may be approved for credit toward the senior seminar requirements for majors.
History of Art	DUS	Annetta Alexandridis: aa376@cornell.edu	As much information as possible: titles, course descriptions, syllabi if available—all in English.	Students can send syllabi later, after they are abroad.	12 credits at most.
Information Science	Assistant Directors, Undergraduate Advising	ISadvising@cornell.edu	Course titles, descriptions, syllabi, reading lists, credits, prerequisites, in English.	Submit the previous year's syllabi if available.	Up to 2 electives for the major (3-4 credits each).	Students should look for the equivalent or a comparable course at Cornell first and include this information when submitting materials for pre- approval.
Italian	DUS	Marilyn Migiel: mm55@cornell.edu	A list of courses, with the understanding that foreign universities tend to establish their course rosters much, much later than we do in the States. In order to be applied toward a Romance Studies major or minor, a course must be at least 50% concerned with intellectual and cultural content from a part of the world where French, Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese is spoken. The DUS will request a syllabus only if the title of the course seems ambiguous.	Syllabi can be submitted later, after the student is abroad.	Up to 2 courses for minors, and up to 3 courses for majors.	The mere fact that a course is taught in the target language (that is, in French, Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese) is not, on its own, a sufficient criterion for a course to be counted toward a Romance Studies minor or major; likewise, we do not typically award minor or major credit for courses whose primary aim is increased language proficiency. Above all, we encourage students to explore courses which analyze and engage critically with the culture (e.g. the history, literature, art, cinema, politics, music, legal and other institutions, etc.) of the parts of the world where they've chosen to study. Students are encouraged to pre-enroll in FA21 classes until it’s certain that their study abroad program will be happening.
Jewish Studies	DUS	Jason Mokhtarian: jsm467@cornell.edu	Syllabi including course description	Student should provide detailed course description and as much information about the program as possible.	A maximum of 15 credits of relevant, departmentally approved course work taken overseas or at another university may be applied to the major.	Students are encouraged to consult with their advisor about options and eligibility to study abroad. With appropriate advance consultation and approval upon return, JWST will accept credits earned abroad toward the major.
Linguistics	DUS	Molly Diesing: md20@cornell.edu	Course titles, descriptions, credits, syllabi. Have a few alternate courses in mind.	If syllabi are not available, provide at least a course description.	Up to the discretion of the DUS in consultation with the faculty advisor.
Mathematics	DUS	Yuri Berest, berest@math.cornell.edu	Course titles, descriptions, syllabi, reading lists, credits, prerequisites—the more, the better. All in English.	Students can submit syllabi later, as soon as they have them.	No set policy.
Music	DUS	Ariana Kim: ak932@cornell.edu	Course title and descriptions; syllabi with bibliography (if possible); credit--all in English.	Try to provide a detailed description.	No set policy.
Near Eastern Studies	DUS	Ross Brann: rb23@cornell.edu	As much information as possible. At minimum, course titles and descriptions.	Detailed course description with reading lists and requirements.	2 courses per semester abroad, maximum of 4 toward the major.	Meeting not required. Students must e-mail the DUS at the start of their semester abroad (i.e. while they are overseas) with the syllabi for courses they wish to have count toward the major or minor. This will ensure that the course content is appropriate to count toward the major/minor.
Performing & Media Arts	DUS	PMA-DUS@cornell.edu; cc: Donna Miller: dm246@cornell.edu	As much information about proposed courses as possible, so that they can be discussed in the context of requirements for the major.	A detailed course description, with requirements and suggested readings/activities and meeting schedule can be a starting point for a discussion.	No more than 9 credits. What's important is whether the work abroad corresponds to the major requirements, and is approved for credit toward the major by the PMA faculty teaching in that area of study.	Prior approval required; please contact DUS: PMA-DUS@cornell.edu.
Philosophy	DUS	Harold Hodes: hth3@cornell.edu; cc Pam Hanna: pjh24@cornell.edu	As much information as possible, but at least course titles and descriptions--in English.	TBD	No set policy. Currently under review.	One frequent issue with non-English-speaking institutions is that students do little writing. This can affect how much credit the student will be awarded by the department. Meeting not required but majors should discuss their plans with their major advisors.
Physics	DUS	physicsdus@cornell.edu	As much information as possible. At minimum, detailed syllabi, in English.	Students may request permission from the DUS to send syllabi from abroad. Final decisions cannot be made without syllabi.	No specific limit.	Students have sometimes gotten the impression that the department discourages taking physics classes in languages other than English. This is not true. Of course, the student does need to be competent in the language of instruction. Meeting not required.
Psychology	DUS	psych-dus@cornell.edu	Course titles, descriptions, credits, and syllabi.	Students may request permission from the DUS to send syllabi from abroad. Final decisions cannot be made without syllabi.	DUS approves coursework taken outside of Cornell's Psychology Department. But typically no more than 3 courses outside of Cornell's Psychology Department can be applied toward the major. This includes courses taken abroad, courses taken at Cornell in related departments, and courses taken at other institutions.
Religious Studies	DUS	Chiara Formichi: cf398@cornell.edu	For preapproval of courses, a course title and brief description will be fine, along with number of credits, name of the instructor, etc. A syllabus or bibliography might not be available in advance.	A catalog blurb would be useful.	No set limit.	The program encourages students to have an international experience during their time at Cornell. We offer some regular travel/learning opportunities (e.g., regular trips to Japan with Professor Jane Marie Law) and we work hard to help students find relevant, rigorous coursework at international institutions—especially where the coursework does not duplicate what we regularly offer at Cornell.
Science & Technology Studies	DUS	Rebecca Slayton: sts-bsoc-dus@cornell.edu	Syllabi required for course approval; students may email syllabi from abroad to the DUS if they are unable to obtain them before they depart.	No set policy. Depends on the coursework.	No specific limit.	Meeting not required.
Sociology	DUS	Cristobal Young: cy469@cornell.edu; cc Sue Meyer: ss30@cornell.edu	At minimum, course titles and descriptions are required for pre-approval. Students may email a syllabus to the DUS from abroad to confirm the course will count toward the major. A syllabus is required for final approval of credit toward the major upon return. [In English]	A preliminary assessment can be given based on course title and description. Students can then email the syllabus when they have it (often when they get to the university/college where they will be studying) for review by the DUS.	2 courses per semester abroad, maximum of 4 toward the major.	An initial meeting is not required, but if the student would like to discuss course options or a plan to complete the major more generally, please contact the DUS to schedule a meeting.
Spanish	DUS	Marilyn Migiel: mm55@cornell.edu	A list of courses, with the understanding that foreign universities tend to establish their course rosters much, much later than we do in the States. In order to be applied toward a Romance Studies major or minor, a course must be at least 50% concerned with intellectual and cultural content from a part of the world where French, Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese is spoken. The DUS will request a syllabus only if the title of the course seems ambiguous.	Syllabi can be submitted later, after the student is abroad.	Up to 2 courses for minors, and up to 3 courses for majors.	The mere fact that a course is taught in the target language (that is, in French, Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese) is not, on its own, a sufficient criterion for a course to be counted toward a Romance Studies minor or major; likewise, we do not typically award minor or major credit for courses whose primary aim is increased language proficiency. Above all, we encourage students to explore courses which analyze and engage critically with the culture (e.g. the history, literature, art, cinema, politics, music, legal and other institutions, etc.) of the parts of the world where they've chosen to study. Students are encouraged to pre-enroll in FA21 classes until it’s certain that their study abroad program will be happening.
Statistical Science	DUS	Joe Guinness: guinness@cornell.edu	Course titles and descriptions typically suffice, as the faculty are generally familiar with the programs and courses that the students are attending for credit towards the statistical science major.	If a syllabus for a particular course is not yet available, then the course can only be designated as a Major-approved elective until which time the syllabus is available, unless the course description is quite clear.	No fixed limit. This is reviewed on an individual basis by the Director of Undergraduate Studies and Assistant Director of Undergraduate Advising.	Meeting not required.