From portfolios to pizza, fall A&S career events explore diverse fields
"Cornell alumni are generous with their time and efforts to assist students, to answer questions from students, or connect them to people and places."
New A&S dean relishes ‘life in a university’
Peter John Loewen says he's excited to support faculty in their research, meet students and showcase the value of a liberal arts education.
Peter Loewen named dean of Arts and Sciences
Coming from the University of Toronto, where he is the director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, Loewen begins his five-year appointment as the Harold Tanner Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Aug. 1.
National Humanities Center selects two A&S professors as 2024-25 Fellows
Kim Haines-Eitzen, the Paul and Berthe Hendrix Memorial Professor of Near Eastern studies, and Mostafa Minawi, associate professor of history and director of Critical Ottoman and Post-Ottoman Studies, will pursue research projects in residence in Durham, North Carolina.
'Learning Spanish has restructured how I see the world around me'
Kathryn Cuneo is a religious studies major.
Exploring the remains of ancient daily life
The collection “Households in Context: Dwelling in Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt” shifts the archaeological perspective from public and elite spaces such as temples, tombs and palaces to everyday dwellings and interactions of families.
Summer Experience Grant applications now open
The grants provide funding for students in unpaid or low-paying summer experiences to offset the cost of taking on those positions.
Support Arts & Sciences on Giving Day March 14
Your gift allows the College to fulfill our mission — to prepare our students to do the greatest good in the world.
Speaker series to examine antisemitism, Islamophobia
Leading academics from around the country will join Cornell experts in a semester-long series, “Antisemitism and Islamophobia Examined.”
Talk to consider roots of antisemitism, racism, Islamophobia
A Nov. 16 talk sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the College of Arts and Sciences will shed light on the history of hate movements in the U.S.
Role of women in early Christianity informs Catholic present
“As Roman Catholic Church leaders meet this month for the Synod on Synodality, some women—both nuns and laypeople—have been invited to join the workshop," says Kim Haines-Eitzen.
Conference highlights humanities projects on the theme of “Crossing”
The Society’s fall conference on Friday, Oct. 27, will feature talks by seven multidisciplinary fellows.
Lecture to explore Native American anti-nuclear activism
A new “Religions on the Move” lecture series kicks off Sept. 28 with "'Make the Sound the Creator Is Waiting for Us to Make': Native American Anti-Nuclear Activism."
Congratulations Class of 2023
We look forward to seeing where your experiences lead you in life. Congratulations on your graduation.
Merrill Scholars honor mentors at 35th annual ceremony
Forty-three student scholars, including nine from Arts and Sciences, were honored at this year’s 35th Merrill Presidential Scholars ceremony on May 23.
Nexus Scholars Program expands research opportunities to 101 students
This summer, 101 students in the College of Arts and Sciences will take part in groundbreaking research on campus with 61 faculty as part of the Nexus Scholars Program.
'Cornell not only permits but rewards a wide curiosity'
Daniel Kim is a religious studies and chemistry major.
New College Scholars research climate, health care, legal interpretation
"A theme of the Harrison College Scholar Program is that our students are independent but not isolated."
The unexpected importance of the sea sponge in classical history
In the Society for the Humanities Invitational Lecture Feb. 15, art historian Verity Platt will present her research on the humble sea sponge.
Prof. Chiara Formichi Explores Islam, Asian Cultures Through Research
Throughout her career, Prof. Chiara Formichi has researched the role of Islam in Asia and the influence of Asian cultures on the religion.
Student’s playful paintings showcase the Hill as you’ve never seen it
From the clock tower to Risley and beyond, Grace Elmore ’25 finds inspiration in Cornell’s eclectic architectural styles.
Students can now choose new minor in data science
The minor is distinctive in including courses from many disciplines, from across Cornell’s schools and colleges.
Nexus Scholar applications open for summer 2023
The program matches undergraduate students with summer opportunities to work side by side with faculty from across the College.
Spring 2023 religious studies classes
Pre-enrollment for Spring 2023 classes begins on November 2 for undergraduate students at Cornell.
Undergrad summer learning supported by Weiner Family Fellowship
Emma Plowe '23 attended a summer retreat at the Jewel Heart Tibetan Learning Center with support from the Weiner Family Summer Fellowship.
Desert sounds offer lessons in solitude and community
In a new book, Kim Haines-Eitzen explores the rich range of desert sounds and what they can teach us about place, the past, solitude and community.
Sustainability and spirituality in the garden
A group of students, including some Nexus Scholars, is learning practical skills related to sustainability and connecting them to community behaviors.
'Confront the awkward, the grim, the daunting, head on...'
Benjamin Velani is a Religious Studies and Government major.
First cohort of A&S Nexus Scholars chosen for summer research positions
Fifty undergrads in the College of Arts & Sciences will take part in paid research projects in Ithaca this summer with faculty from throughout the College.
Fall 2022 Religious Studies Courses of Interest
Pre-enrollment for Fall 2022 begins later this month. See a selection of the courses we are offering!
More than $12M donated to support students in 24 hours
On Cornell’s eighth Giving Day, held March 16, 15,905 alumni, students, faculty, staff, parents and friends from more than 80 countries made gifts totaling a record-breaking $12,268,629.
Call for applications: 2021-22 Joseph E. Connolly ’72 Memorial Prizes for undergraduate essays on religion and politics/society
Undergraduate students interested in the intersection of religion and politics or society can now apply for a new prize, to be given out next spring.
Support Arts & Sciences on Giving Day March 16
Gifts allow the College to fulfill its mission: preparing students to do the greatest good in the world.
Mokhtarian co-organizes conference on magic bowls
Registration is required to attend this virtual conference on April 4 and 5! Although known to specialists since the nineteenth century, the Aramaic incantation bowls have never been fully integrated into the field of Jewish Studies, largely due to their inaccessibility and the confounding nature of their contents...
Alumna unearths benefits of green burial in video
Solina Kennedy '19 interviews Professor Jane-Marie Law for a new video, based on information she learned in a Cornell class.
Alumni gift to A&S supports doctoral students in the humanities
A $5 million alumni gift will help to support doctoral students in humanities fields within the College of Arts & Sciences.
Nexus Scholars Program applications now open
The program connects undergraduates in A&S with opportunities to work side by side on research with Cornell faculty from across the College.
Students reflect on Marsalis visit: ‘He really touched my soul’
Wynton Marsalis visited campus Nov. 1-6 as an A.D. White Professor-at-Large.
New A&S program expands undergrad research opportunities
The Nexus Scholars program will leverage the student-to-faculty ratio and the vibrant research enterprise in A&S to expand opportunities for students, while also enhancing the culture of collaborative scholarship at Cornell.
New Courses: Spring 2022
View all coursesThe History of Religious Life in Imperial China(RELST/HIST 2208, ASIAN 2251) MW 2:45-4, 4 creditsIn this course we will learn about the rich varieties of religious life in imperial China, focusing on major historical transformations between the tenth and sixteenth centuries. We will investigate the organization of pantheons and...
Call for Applications: Jewish Studies Course Development Grant
The Cornell Jewish Studies Program is accepting proposals for a new course development grant. Cornell faculty interested in developing a new course to be cross-listed with Jewish studies in 2022-23 are invited to apply. Jewish studies particularly encourages proposals for innovative courses in disciplines, fields, regions, or topics not already...
Catholic Church ‘systemic abuse’ dates back to the beginning
Prof. Kim Haines-Eitzen comments on a new report that shows French clergy sexually abused more than 200,000 children over the past 70 years.
Applications open for new humanities prize
Undergraduate students interested in the intersection of religion and politics or society can now apply for a new prize, to be given out next spring.
'My classes transformed the way I think about human problems'
Adam Ziccardi is a religious studies major.
New humanities prize honors Cornell friendships
The Joseph E. Connolly ’72 Memorial Prizes support students who want to look at the intersection of religion, politics and society.
Fall 2021: New Courses
View all religious studies course offerings.Sensational Religion (RELST 2276)MW 2:40-4:00. 3 credits. K. Haines-Eitzen.This course explores the relationships between the senses (seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and tasting), emotions (fear, happiness, sadness, etc.), and religion, especially religious practices and experience in history and...
Kennedy recognized by Renaissance Society of America
The Renaissance Society of America has given William J. Kennedy its Paul Oskar Kristeller Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring “a lifetime of uncompromising devotion to the highest standard of scholarship accompanied by exceptional achievement in Renaissance studies.”
Same-sex marriage exposes 'cavernous divide' between Vatican, Catholics
The Vatican’s orthodoxy office has issued a formal response to a question about whether Catholic clergy have the authority to bless same-sex unions, saying the Catholic Church won’t bless same-sex unions since God “cannot bless sin.” Professors Landon Schnabel (sociology) and Kim Haines-Eitzen (religious studies) comment.
Humanities scholars begin first year undertaking diverse paths of discovery
Students in the program undertake their own independent, interdisciplinary undergraduate research in the humanities.
New Spring 2021 Courses
New CoursesMedicine, Magic and Science in the Ancient Near East (RELST 2599)Online; MW 9:40 - 10:55 amJ. MokhtarianThis course explores the history of medicine and other sciences in the ancient Near East, broadly defined. In addition to medicine, the other scientific disciplines covered in this course include mathematics, astrology, astronomy...