Summer Junior Resident Fellowship Program - The Center for Khmer Studies (CKS)

Introduction

Each summer, the Center for Khmer Studies (CKS) offers five U.S., five Cambodian, and five French undergraduate students and recent graduates the exciting opportunity to participate in our six-week Junior Resident Fellows Program in Cambodia. Fellows are based at the CKS campus in Siem Reap, situated on the historic grounds of Wat Damnak – one of the city’s major Buddhist pagodas – and mere minutes away from the world-renowned Angkor Wat temple complex. Fellows also spend time in Cambodia’s bustling capital city, Phnom Penh.

What should students expect?

The Center for Khmer Studies has offered its Junior Resident Fellows Program in Cambodia since 2004, to enthusiastic reviews.

The program is intended for individuals who have a genuine interest in Cambodia and Southeast Asia, especially those who may be considering graduate studies or careers involving the region. With this in mind, the program strives to strike a balance between academic rigor and extra-curricular activities, including field visits designed to give students a better understanding of contemporary Cambodia. Cambodian history and culture cannot be fully understood without considering the influence of powerful regional neighbors such as Thailand, Vietnam, and China, or of international powers like France, the United States, and, more recently, the United Nations. The program will, therefore, also focus on Cambodia’s past and present relationships with its neighbors and its place within the wider Southeast Asian region.

Program Requirements

Fellows are required to attend all classes and field trips, and to participate in classroom discussions. They will also produce a short paper (10-15 pages) on a relevant topic of their choice, which they will formally present at the end of the program (10-15 minutes). Paper topics may come from a diverse array of fields, including archaeology, anthropology, economics, linguistics, politics, history, environmental studies, urban development, or sociology.

How is the program structured?

The program is led by a qualified instructor who has extensive teaching and research experience in Cambodian and Southeast Asian Studies. It is structured around interactive classroom sessions from Monday-Friday (2 hours daily). The course begins by briefly covering Cambodia’s ancient past, before examining major social, political, economic and cultural change since the country gained independence from France in the early 1950s. Particular attention is given to how Cambodia has come to terms with the horrors of its more recent post-Khmer Rouge past, and the ways it is re-engaging with regional and international communities. Outside the classroom, fellows participate in field trips, including visits to historical and cultural sites, and interact with organizations in and around Siem Reap working in development, education, democracy promotion, human rights and journalism.