Handbooks

The Department of East Asian Studies at New York University offers both Doctoral and Master’s degrees in East Asian Cultures. 

The graduate program in the Department of East Asian Studies is committed to a critical and interdisciplinary examination of East Asia, in a global configuration. While focused especially on the modern era, the program emphasizes an understanding of how received pasts—including the early and early modern eras—interact in the modern present of contemporary societies. In the course of their study, students will be challenged to develop a critical awareness of the political, institutional, and methodological implications, as well as the historical provenance of both disciplinary-based and area studies inquiry. 

Our core faculty members specialize in modern Chinese, Japanese, and Korean literatures, film, media studies and popular culture; modern East Asian cultural and intellectual history; comparative studies of nationalism, colonialism, postcolonialism, gender studies and cultural politics; East Asian urban studies; critical theory; and early China studies. 

As part of the University community, the graduate program in East Asian Studies shares the general dynamic of NYU, which has been embarking on its pursuit to become a truly global university. The program closely works with and benefits form a plethora of interdisciplinary programs, centers, and institutes with a distinct international or internationalizing tendency, such as the International Center for Advanced Studies; the Center for Media, Culture, and History; the Asian/Pacific/American Studies Program and Institute; the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality; the Institute of Fine Arts; the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World; the Institute of the History of Production of Knowledge; and the Institute for Law and Society, with which our faculty have affiliations or working relations. This internal network of knowledge and knowledge production, coupled with the University-wide resources committed to international student and scholarly exchanges, visits, and coordination, has created a vital and dynamic environment in which the student can thrive in his or her study of modern East Asia.

Students should review their course schedules with their academic advisor before registering each semester to ensure they are on track to complete the degree. GSAS expects students to be enrolled in courses in all Fall and Spring semesters until the degree requirements are fulfilled. Students who are not taking courses, but still working to complete other requirements, such as language requirements and ultimately the dissertation, must be enrolled in MAINT-GA 4747 (see MM section below).  

Certain EAS courses require special permission from the instructor or program before a student may register. These courses are indicated in the Albert course search and the program course schedule webpage listing. Students who want to take one of these courses should follow the directions noted on the web page listing. For more clarification, please contact gsas.eas.graduate@nyu.edu with the course number and title. 

Non-EAS course offerings taken towards general or elective concentration points may require permission of the instructor and/or the program offering the course. Students should contact the program in which the course is offered to make sure they will be able to enroll in the course when registration begins.

Students who have a hold on their account blocking them from registration should review the hold message and contact the correct office to resolve the hold. Typically, these are due to arrears in the payment of tuition, fees, loans, or other charges (including housing, dining, library fines, and other activities or services). Please visit the University Bursar website for all pertinent tuition and payment information.

Some courses have a waitlist function, allowing students to be waitlisted for a course that is full and to then be enrolled if a spot opens up. We encourage students to use the swap function when waitlisting for courses, especially if students are enrolling in a full course load that semester. If you are already enrolled in a full course load, even if a spot opens for your waitlisted course the system will bypass you and enroll the next student on the waitlist if you have not employed the swap function. Please review the Albert help guide on the waitlist and swap functions.

Students must be aware of the registration calendar and withdrawal/refund schedule deadlines. If students drop or withdraw from courses, W grades and tuition and registration fee charges are subject to university policies. Please review the NYU Student Information and Resources in detail.

Upon matriculation into the program, each student chooses a core academic faculty as their academic advisor based on the student's concentration, academic interests and/or career goals. Although the DGS will serve as the student’s dedicated academic advisor at the start of their study with the program, they should then seek a permanent advisor (who will also supervise their dissertation committee) from among the Department’s full-time faculty. Faculty office hours are posted at the beginning of every fall and spring semester. Please contact the Graduate Administrator or the DGS if you have any questions regarding your advisor assignment.

Cross-School Registration

Students may take courses at other schools at NYU if they have the necessary prerequisites and approvals of the course and the approval of their EAS academic advisor. Students should confirm with their academic advisor that a course they hope to take from another school will apply towards their degree (typically as General Elective credit).

Enrollment in courses at other schools at NYU typically require completion of a registration form. Please note that other schools may have different academic and registration schedules, but graduate students at EAS must abide by the GSAS registration appointments and drop/add deadlines outlines. If you have questions, please contact gsas.eas.graduate@nyu.edu.

Undergraduate Courses

Graduate students may not enroll in undergraduate courses without the permission of both the DGS and OASA (Office of Academic and Student Affairs). Should permission be granted, the grades for such courses are not entered into the GPA calculation and course credit will not count toward a graduate degree. Students enrolling in an undergraduate course will be responsible for all additional tuition and fees associated with the course. To request enrollment in an undergraduate course, please contact the Graduate Administrator. 

With permission of the DGS and the OASA, doctoral students may take skills-building undergraduate courses. A student must be GSAS financial aid eligible to enroll in these courses. For MacCracken fellowship students, if the student is beyond the fellowship period of the award (four or five years depending on the terms of admission), the enrollment in a skills course in a fall or spring semester will take the place of one semester of the post-fellowship waivers of maintenance of matriculation. Tuition scholarship may be granted for undergraduate courses that meets the following criteria: 

1. The course represents a skill or body of knowledge that is essential for the graduate students’ preparation to do dissertation research

2. The same course content is not available at the graduate level 

3. The course is offered by the College of Arts and Science. 

Full-Time & Half-Time Equivalency (FTE & HTE)

A student must be enrolled in at least 9 points of coursework in any fall or spring semester (the two summer sessions combined are regarded as one semester). Students taking the last credits needed for the degree in any semester are also considered to have full-time status even if they are only taking one point in that semester. Half-time status is defined as enrollment in at least 6 points in one semester.

Equivalency may be granted only for purposes of insurance, student loans, scholarships or visa status. To qualify for full-time equivalency (FTE) you are expected to spend no less than 40 hours per week on a combination of coursework and/or appropriate activity required by the program. 20 hours per week is required for half-time equivalency (HTE). Graduate students may request to be certified as having full-time or half-time equivalency for an academic semester without enrolling in the minimum required points if:

• a student is working on research, examination preparation, internships, and/or coursework totaling 40 hours per week for the duration of the fall or spring semester or the entirety of the summer to claim full-time equivalence for that semester or summer
  

• a student is working on research, examination preparation, internships, and/or coursework totaling 20 hours per week for the duration of the fall or spring semester or the entirety of the summer to claim half-time equivalence for that semester or summer
  

• a student is on the last semester of study and needs fewer than 6 points of coursework to complete the degree
  

Students who wish to apply for equivalency must contact the graduate administrator ideally before the first day of classes in the semester for which equivalency is needed. Students must be registered for courses before equivalency can be posted on their record. Equivalency is updated every semester and must be requested every semester that it is needed. The program and school will not be held liable for any loans returned to the lender as a result of late processing of the equivalency application; students are fully responsible for investigating the terms, conditions and deadlines related to their loans.

A student is not eligible for equivalency if not registered for any credit-bearing course work; therefore, students registered for a leave of absence or zero credit courses will not be considered for equivalency.

Maintenance of Matriculation

Students who have completed their course work may register for MAINT-GA 4747 and pay the matriculation fee and the registration and service fees through the semester of their graduation. Payment of the fees entitles students to use the libraries and other research facilities, consult faculty members, and participate in University activities. For more information, please contact the Graduate Administrator.

If the student has attempted enough credits for a degree, registration of MAINT-GA 4747 is required during each fall and spring semester until the degree is conferred. Students who have completed coursework may maintain matriculation only up to the specified time limits of their degreem. Students beyond the specified time to degree must secure the permission of OASA to extend time to degree in order to continue to maintain matriculation. 

A student who has not attempted enough credits for the degree may only enroll in MAINT-GA 4747 with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies and OASA. These semesters count toward time to degree. 

A Maintenance of Matriculation waiver covers the required University Registration and Services Fees unless the waiver is given retroactively beyond one year. Only students who are in academic good standing and meet conditions for enrollment  will be considered for waivers of Maintenance of Matriculation fees. GSAS requires students to maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher and successfully complete at least two thirds of points attempted at NYU, excluding the current semester. Students also must be within time to candidacy and time to degree limits.

Academic Leave of Absence

A student who is obliged to temporarily suspend enrollment for national service, serious illness, or compelling personal reasons may request an academic leave of absence, which, if approved by the OASA, retains the student's matriculation status in the program and acts as an exception to the continuous enrollment requirement.

For more information, please contact the Graduate Administrator.

The students’ course plan is determined in consultation with their faculty advisor and with the DGS in East Asian Studies. Courses in other departments may be included whenever appropriate. Doctoral students usually enroll in 12 credits per semester for their first six semesters of study. Students who enroll in less than 12 credits and require full-time equivalency should contact the Graduate Administrator.

Doctoral Program Course Credit Requirements

In order to complete the Ph.D. requirements, students must acquire 72 course credits, which are equivalent to 18 courses. Among those, 36 course credits should be taken within East Asian Studies Electives, while general electives can be completed through courses taken outside of East Asian Studies. See below:

• First-Year Seminar: Introduction to Critical Asian Studies: 4 points
• East Asian Studies Electives: 36 points
• General Electives: 32 points

A maximum of 16 points in reading and research courses may be taken.

Each student's course plan will be determined in consultation with a faculty advisor and with the DGS. Courses in other departments may be included whenever appropriate. Courses relevant to the student's research, but not available at NYU, can be taken through the consortium with Columbia, CUNY Graduate Center, and Princeton. For more information on GSAS’s Inter-University Doctoral Consortium, please contact the Graduate Administrator.

Doctoral Program Language Requirements

For a Ph.D. degree in East Asian Studies, the student is expected to have the equivalent of advanced-level proficiency in their primary research language, typically Chinese, Japanese or Korean. Additionally, reading knowledge of a second foreign language, ideally East Asian but substitutable by a major European language (such as French, German, Spanish, or Russian), as determined in conjunction with their advisor. It is suggested by the department that all language requirements be fulfilled before the student takes their comprehensive examination in their third year. 

Students may choose to demonstrate language proficiency by taking the Foreign Language Proficiency Exam (FLPE). The Office of Academic and Student Affairs will administer the FLPE to matriculated students in the Graduate School of Arts and Science each November, March, and August. For more information, including dates and links for registration please visit https://gsas.nyu.edu/content/nyu-as/gsas/about-gsas/policies-and-procedures/flpe.html. Keep in mind that while GSAS administers the FLPE, language proficiency may be demonstrated by other means. Please contact the Graduate Administrator for more information.

Doctoral Program Coursework

In the first year, if necessary, the student should enroll or audit language courses toward fulfilling the language requirements. All first year graduate students will be required to enroll in First-Year Seminar. This seminar will be taught by faculty from the department; the aim is to provide students with a critical introduction to the methods, approaches and debates that have given shape to the institution of East Asian Studies, and the theoretical assumptions that underlie these approaches and debates--ultimately leading students into the significant debates that now characterize the field, and the intellectual, theoretical and social implications of the study of modern East Asia in today's world. 

General Examination (First-Year Research Paper): At the end of the first year, the student is required to submit a research paper that addresses the theoretical-historical questions concerning the field of East Asian studies. This paper should be one that has been written for any of the courses they have completed, that they feel is most representative of their work over their first year. Two members of the faculty (the DGS, and one of the student’s advisors) will review the paper; in the event of a failed performance, the student will be allowed one opportunity to rework it. A list of acceptable departmental courses from which this paper might be drawn will be compiled for students to see at the start of each academic year.

Second Year: During the second year of study, it is recommended that students meet the department’s language requirements by the end of the year.

Course work during the second year should also be geared toward solidifying the student’s inquiry into theory and methodology, as well as interdisciplinary research areas, as the student works toward both their comprehensive exams and eventually their own dissertation topic. 

By the second semester of the second year the student should be planning for the comprehensive examination. Working in consultation with their primary advisor, the student will choose a three-person committee, who will then administer the comprehensive exam; this exam committee may or may not be the same as the student’s dissertation committee, and must be comprised of at least 2 core faculty members from the department (including the student’s advisor). Permissions from the advisor and DGS are needed for outside committee members from NYU’s Faculty of Arts & Sciences and outside the NYU community.

Comprehensive Exams

Students need to meet with their primary advisor and discuss what is involved in a comprehensive exam (and in its preparation) by the end of the first semester of the second year. Preliminary comprehensive exam reading lists should be agreed upon and submitted by the first semester of the student's third year, and they should be filed with the Graduate Administrator. While these may be amended later, the expectations need to be well known and agreed upon - the lists cannot be substantially shortened or lengthened.  

The comprehensive exams are designed to test a student’s broader knowledge of the field, and consists of both written and oral components. The student is required to take the comprehensive examination in three distinctively different subfields of East Asian studies by the end of the fall semester of the third year. The exams questions are initially presented as a take-home written exam, followed by an oral exam component one week later. 

Three grades are given for the exam: High Pass, Pass, and Fail, and only a single grade is reported to Degree Audit for the entire exam, without distinguishing between the written and oral exams. Failure in either the written or oral examination will result in a grade of “F” for the independent reading course taken during the exam semester. This grade will not be changed.

Students who fail either written or oral exams are placed on probation and will be permitted to retake the failed exam(s) in the same fields and with the same examiners. Faculty members cannot remove themselves from the process of a student retaking an exam, except with compelling justification to be determined by the chair and the DGS.

Students who fail one exam must retake the exam in May of their third year, students who fail both fields must retake the exam the following December. A second failure in either exam will result in termination from the program. If a student who failed chooses not to retake the exam, a failing grade is reported, and the student is terminated from the program. Terminated students may be awarded an MPhil. degree if they have met all course requirements. 

The scheduling of the comprehensive exam should be arranged well in advance of the third year December exam deadline. Students who fail the exam will need to rewrite the exam successfully before advancing to the Dissertation Research Proposal.

Dissertation Research Proposal (Prospectus)

Each student must prepare a Dissertation Research Proposal or Prospectus after passing the comprehensive exams. Normally this is done in the spring of the third year after the comprehensive exams. The prospectus is intended to focus the student's thinking on the dissertation topic, including the sources and methodologies the dissertation will take up and its place within the field more generally, as well as a practical outline of how the research will be accomplished; the prospectus is in many ways similar to an extended grant application, and can in fact therefore have the added benefit of serving as the basis of grant and fellowship applications. 

The prospectus should include a thesis and methodological statement, a preliminary table of contents, a bibliography, etc. When the student’s advisory committee agrees that the prospectus is ready, an oral examination is scheduled; the scheduling of the examination should be well in advance of the November 15 deadline of the student’s fourth year. 

The advisory committee normally consists of three members from within the department (including faculty with joint or associate appointments). In the event that there are special circumstances warranting the inclusion of one faculty member from outside the department (whether in Arts & Sciences, or beyond NYU), the advisor should consult with the DGS and provide a justification, a record of which will go in the student's file. The oral examination typically runs from one to two hours, during which time the student will be asked about the project’s theoretical, methodological, and practical elements and the proposed dissertation's relation to the field in which it is embedded. After the proposal is approved, students are advanced to Ph.D. candidacy.

Students are usually considered ABD (All But Dissertation) after all coursework is completed and the language requirement satisfied, comprehensive exams are passed, and the Dissertation Proposal is approved. The sole remaining requirement is satisfactory completion and defense of the dissertation. At this point, students are considered to have reached Ph.D. candidacy and will be awarded the Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) degree. 

Dissertation

The dissertation is the most important element of a graduate student’s resumé, both for teaching positions and for postdoctoral fellowships. The dissertation furthermore typically serves as the foundation of published articles and as a draft of a book manuscript. From the outset, students are encouraged to think of the dissertation as potentially a book-in-the-making: the topic should be thought of as somehow advancing the field, and the framing of questions and arguments should be large enough for expansion into a significant published work.

Before the defense, the student should circulate a pre-defense form (available from the Graduate Administrator) to the three core members of the committee. When the three core committee members have approved the dissertation, a dissertation defense may be scheduled. Two additional readers join the first three to form a committee of five to examine the candidate at the dissertation defense. Of these two, one would typically have an appointment in the department. Dissertation defenses can be public: friends, family, and other interested parties are welcome to attend, at the discretion of the student. At the defense, the student will be asked to explain the general thesis and arguments, the significance, and the future directions of the work, and the committee will raise critical questions and may offer commentary intended to assist in revising the work for publication. The result can be and usually is a simple “pass,” but the committee can request revisions to be reviewed either by the advisor alone or the committee as a whole. In order for the dissertation to pass, four of the five committee members must approve it. Departmental honors may be awarded for unusually strong dissertations.

Grading Policy

All students admitted into the Ph.D. program are assumed to possess the capacity to complete the program successfully. At the same time, the quality of student performance is continually evaluated. Course grades, completed course work, timely progress on preparation of language competency, comprehensive examinations, the dissertation proposal, and the dissertation are important considerations in evaluating student performance. Student performance in these areas will be continuously and carefully monitored, and any failure to meet stated deadlines may be grounds for probation.

Courses taken for the degree cannot be taken pass/fail. GSAS requires students to maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher and successfully complete at least two thirds of points attempted at NYU, excluding the current semester. Courses with grades of "I", "NR", "W", and "F" are not considered successfully completed. Students also must be within time to degree limits (see 5.8 of the GSAS PP Manual). These GSAS standards are minimal requirements for academic good standing.

GPAs are calculated based on the following scale: A 4.0 = Excellent work A- 3.667 = Very good work B+ 3.333 = Work needs improvement B 3.0 = Inadequate B- 2.667 C+ 2.333 C 2.0

An unresolved grade, "I" or "NR" reverts to "F" one year after the beginning of the semester in which the course was taken. Extension of the incomplete grade "I" beyond the one year deadline may be petitioned with the program and submitted for approval by the GSAS Office of Academic and Student Affairs (OASA). No extension will be allowed for "NR" grades.

In order to remain in the program, “Incompletes” cannot be carried from one academic year to the next. Each year’s coursework must be completed by August 15 at the latest, and final grades submitted. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that coursework is submitted well in advance of the August 15 deadline, in order to allow time for the final grade to be filed.

A student placed on probation will receive a letter from the DGS stating the specific reasons for probation, the specific terms for removal from probation, and a date by which the student’s status will be re-evaluated. If the student has not fulfilled the stated requirements by that date, as determined by the advisor and the DGS, the student will be terminated.

Students have the right to appeal a decision of either probation or termination. A student who wishes to appeal must state his or her case in a letter to a panel, specially convened by the chair, consisting of three faculty members within the department, normally drawn from the Planning and Advisory Committee, who have not previously worked with the student. The student will also meet with that panel in person, and the panel will meet separately with the faculty members who made the determination of probation or termination. If the panel rules against the student, the student has the right to appeal to GSAS. Students are expected to familiarize themselves with GSAS rules regarding probation and appeal in the aforementioned GSAS Policies and Procedures Manual.

Financial Aid and External Funding

Incoming EAS Ph.D. students are admitted with a five-year MacCracken Fellowship, or with a combination of outside funding and a MacCracken Fellowship. No teaching is required as a condition of holding these fellowships, although the department strongly advises sufficient teaching to develop skills that are fundamental to full preparation as a professional.

Teaching

Teaching provides important training and experience for those seeking academic careers, and varied teaching experience offers a significant advantage on the academic job market. 

Currently there exist two forms of teaching assignments: Course Assistant (grading papers, consulting with students on papers in office hours) or Teaching Assistant  (teaching discussion sections in a large lecture course, grading papers for that course, consulting with students on readings and on their writing assignments). Teaching provides opportunities for students to observe the faculty at work in the classroom, and the faculty instructor takes responsibility for assisting in the development as teachers of those graduate student teachers who are assigned to her or his course. In addition, GSAS and the department offer various workshops on teaching.

The department makes every effort to assign students to courses in their fields of interest, although this is not always possible. At the same time, teaching experience outside the student's own field can enhance both professional development and candidacy on the job market. 

Teaching assignments are dependent on undergraduate enrollments and cannot be guaranteed.

Advanced (ABD) graduate students may also have the opportunity to teach a summer session course of their own design. There are, however, limited slots for such courses, and they can only be offered if there is sufficient enrollment.

Time to Degree

According to GSAS rules, students entering the program with a BA degree must complete the Ph.D. within ten years, and students entering with an MA degree must complete the Ph.D. within seven years. Official leaves of absence are not counted within the time to degree. With the support of the DGS, students and their advisors may petition the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs for an extension of time to degree.

Job Placement After Graduation

With a competitive national job market, students must begin preparing themselves early in their graduate careers. Such preparation may include making sure any teaching done is evaluated and documented, particularly any innovative and successful teaching strategies developed or used. It also means seeking competitive grants, presenting papers at conferences, and eventually submission of appropriate manuscripts for article publication in refereed journals. 

Students are encouraged to speak with their advisors well before they are ready to enter the job market. These discussions should include matters such as preparing a CV and application letter, requesting letters of recommendation, a statement on their approaches to teaching, and selecting a writing sample. Students are also encouraged to attend the department's workshops on preparing for the market, and to set up mock job talks within the department. As part of the professionalization process, students are encouraged to attend special workshops, lectures by guest speakers, job talks, and other departmental events. 

Students planning to be on the job market should begin to prepare their application materials by the start of the fall semester. Advisors are expected to work closely with students to prepare a competitive application.

Students should take care to notice and adhere to application deadlines, and make sure their materials are prepared well in advance of the time most applications are due. This work should be completed in September. (New information—such as an article accepted or some honor—can sometimes be added later.) Students should contact their advisors for letters of reference well before they need the letters, and they should keep their advisors informed of every position for which they are applying.

GSAS Transfer Credits Policy

GSAS programs accept transfer credit from accredited graduate institutions. Students in the program must apply for transfer credit within their first academic year of attendance as a matriculant. Courses for which a degree has already been awarded or for courses older than ten years may not be applied toward a GSAS master's degree. Eligible courses must have a grade of B or better, or a grade of P or S from a pass/fail system, and must be relevant to East Asian Studies. Transfer course equivalency is not granted for EAS core course credit; equivalency is only granted for EAS elective or general elective credits. Individual course credit must be transferred point for point. 

GSAS awards international transfer credit in accordance with current guidelines regarding equivalency as determined annually by Graduate Enrollment Services. EAS students may transfer up to 12 graduate level credits from an accredited institution. All requests must be accompanied by a sealed, official copy of your transcript.

Please first discuss your intent to transfer credits with your faculty advisor or DGS. Provide the institution and course information, as well as the syllabi, any significant work completed for the course(s), and unofficial transcript (if available). Confirm with faculty what the transfer course equivalency would be (EAS elective, general elective). Once preliminary approval is given, please request a sealed, official copy of your transcript from the institution where the credit(s) was earned (and translation if necessary). Submit the transcript to the Graduate Administrator aide along with the completed Transfer Credit Request Form. GSAS has final authority to approve credit transfers. The DGS only approves the transfer in terms of the content matter of the course. The Graduate Administrator will notify the student of the outcome of the request.

Repeated Courses

Students will not be granted credit for a course that is repeated. The one exception to this rule is for the “topics” courses. Provided that the syllabus is substantially different, a student may repeat the course for credit. Be careful to register for a different section each time. If, when checking your transcript, you find that you have not received full credit for such repeated courses or for a year-long course, please see the Graduate Administrator.

Graduation

Students graduate in September, January or May. The NYU commencement ceremony for all schools is held in May. In order to graduate in a specific semester, students must apply for graduation within the application deadline period. It is recommended that students apply for graduation no later than the beginning of the semester in which they plan to complete all program requirements. Students are responsible for knowing the deadlines associated with the term in which they plan on graduating, and getting all the necessary materials to the proper offices. See the Registrar’s Graduation webpage for more information and detailed instructions related to applications, deadlines, commencements, diplomas, honors, and expected term of graduation. Below are guidelines to follow pertaining to graduation:

• Apply for Graduation on Albert

• Notify the Graduate Administrator and your faculty supervisor of your intention to graduate by email.

• Resolve any outstanding incompletes and follow up on any outstanding requirements on your graduation check sheet (typically sent to you by Graduation Services). Please visit https://www.nyu.edu/students/student-information-and-resources/registration-records-and-graduation/graduation-and-diplomas.html for more information on graduation and diplomas.

Students’ Religious Observance and Class Attendance

As a nonsectarian, inclusive institution, NYU policy permits members of any religious group to absent themselves from classes without penalty when required for compliance with their religious obligations. The policy and principles to be followed by students and faculty may be found at https://www.nyu.edu/about/policies-guidelines-compliance/policies-and-guidelines/university-calendar-policy-on-religious-holidays.html.

Plagiarism Policy 

A COMMUNITY OF THE MIND

New York University is a "community of the mind." Its students, faculty, and staff all share the goal of pursuing truth through free and open inquiry, and we support one another's endeavors in this regard. As in any community, membership comes with certain rights and responsibilities. Foremost among these is academic integrity. Cheating on an exam, falsifying data, or having someone else write a paper undermines others who are doing it on their own; it makes it difficult or impossible to assess fairly a student's interest, aptitude, and achievement; and it diminishes the cheater, depriving him/her of an education. Most importantly, academic dishonesty is a violation of the very principles upon which the academy is founded. Thus, one of the first things that we ask of students entering the program is to recognize these principles of academic integrity. For this reason also, violations of these principles are treated with the utmost seriousness. Perhaps the most serious form of academic dishonesty is plagiarism.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is copying someone else’s work and portraying it as your own without properly referencing it (i.e., not citing it). For further clarification please see Indiana University Bloomington’s comprehensive website on how to recognize plagiarism: https://indiana.edu/~istd. Plagiarism can be done purposefully or accidentally – either way it is still plagiarism. Plagiarism will be dealt with according to GSAS Regulations. This is a severe offense, and is not to be taken lightly. If you need assistance on understanding plagiarism please see the DGS immediately.

If a faculty member suspects plagiarism in a piece of work the faculty member with knowledge of the facts shall file a complaint with the EAS DGS per section 9 of the GSAS Policies and Procedures Manual. The EAS DGS will notify the student in writing of the complaint within two working days of receipt of the complaint.

If a student’s work is suspected of plagiarism, the student will be requested by the DGS to meet with a faculty panel consisting of the DGS and one permanent faculty member. The student will be asked to explain the case of plagiarism and the student will be queried about the issue and provided with the evidence the program has used to determine the existence of plagiarism.

The faculty panel has a range of options regarding decisions, but in cases where plagiarism has been found the penalties are as follows:

If a student is found guilty of plagiarism, in the first instance the student receives a fail for the piece of work. The guilty verdict will be placed on the student’s file and the student will receive a written warning of their violation.

If a student is found guilty of a second case of plagiarism the student will be removed from the program permanently.

The student may reject the program’s resolution. If there is no consensual resolution of the situation then the DGS will forward the program’s complaint of plagiarism to the Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, in which case the procedures outlined in section 9 of the GSAS Policies and Procedures manual will apply.