NUS1: Southeast Asia in Context

The program offers modules on Southeast Asian Studies with archaeological, anthropological and historical concentration. The core module, “Southeast Asia in Context" provides a broad overview of Southeast Asia from a historical, sociological and anthropological perspective. Its partner module, "Southeast Asia's Cultural Mosaic", will equip students with the analytical tools for the comparative study of society and culture, and features a 10-day field trip to various religious, cultural and archaeological sites in Cambodia and Thailand. Both modules deploy “context-based” learning by combining in-class instruction at NUS campus with local and regional hands-on experience of Southeast Asian life.

SE2222 Southeast Asia in Context
Modular Credits: 4
Class hours: 36 hours in Singapore
100% Continuing Assessment. No examinations

This module provides a broad overview of Southeast Asia from a historical and anthropological perspective. Southeast Asian societies are changing over time in response to the pressures of colonialism, nationalism, urbanization and globalization. These issues will be explored in four components of the module, with attention placed on the gradual shift of knowledge production to Southeast Asia itself. The first part will discuss the legacies of colonialism and nationalism in Southeast Asia. The second will discuss the major religions of Southeast Asia ranging from Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and how they continue to be crucial in the lives of its people today. The third will discuss the shifting identities of Southeast Asians themselves, including topics on gender, ethnicity and marginalization. The final quarter will talk about the everyday lives of Southeast Asians in the context of global capital, migration and political/economic modernization.

SE2880A Southeast Asia’s Cultural Mosaic
Modular Credits: 4
Class Hours: 24 hours in Singapore
Fieldtrip: 10 days fieldtrip in Cambodia and Thailand (Week 4)
100% Continuing Assessment. No examinations

Southeast Asia is characterized by great cultural variation. How can we make sense of and appreciate this diversity? What is an ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’ perspective? This course will introduce students to the region from an anthropological perspective. Students will be equipped with the analytical tools for the comparative study of society and culture. Ethnographic materials will be used to discuss themes that include ethnicity and identity as well as people and ways of living in cities and rural areas. The challenge is for students to explore the dynamics of change in Southeast Asia, to conceptualize and understand differences and similarities between social systems and human relationships, and above all to ask, ‘Why?’

Testimonials:

“The things we experienced during the field trip was a mind-opener for me and I realized that you learn so much more when you're in the field - among the people and at the sites you are studying instead of just reading about them and relying on other people's accounts. I also proved to myself what I am really capable of in terms of studying and writing papers and it was a great accomplishment to complete the course. It truly ended up being a summer I will never forget and the friendships I have formed are really precious to me.” - Julie Sonne (University of Copenhagen)

“I enjoyed and learned more than I expected before joining this course. During the fieldtrip, we went to non-tourists sites to look at and experience the life of locals and their cultures. It was a very interesting and precious experience, which I wouldn’t have had the chance to experience if I did not participate in this course. I made many friends from all over the world through this course and hope that we will keep in touch. This summer program became one of the memorable periods in my life.” - Setsuko Suga (University of Tokyo) 

“I bring home memories from the floating villages at Tonlé Sap, rice planting, a walking meditation session and many other things that I would never have experienced as a normal tourist. This leads to a main argument to join the GSP: travelling around SEA with academic experts leads to a unique experience which is impossible to get elsewhere. For this simple, but crucial reason, summer school programs like Southeast Asia in Context are so important to maintain and attend. It is a powerful combination of academic and personal experience that I have yet to meet during normal programs at my university. I now also have several other destinations in the world: I want to visit all my wonderful new friends!” - Johan Lynnerup (University of Copenhagen) 

ASEAN TV News Coverage (July 2010):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5GX8mcti3k

ASEAN TV News Coverage (August 2010) – Interview with Dr. Martin Platt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F18R-bMrw1s

The highlight of this course is the 10 day field trip to Cambodia and Thailand where students will be exposed to local cultures and will be engaged in on-site lectures by both the course instructors and local experts.

Undergraduate students across academic majors with strong interest in Southeast Asia.

NUS undergraduates should have a minimum CAP of 3.0 on a 5-point scale.

Non‐NUS students will be assessed based on recruitment criteria and procedures administered by each participating university in consultation with the NUS Department of Southeast Asian Studies.

Learning Outcomes

The program seeks to cultivate:

• the ability to think about some of the historical and cultural aspects of Southeast Asia in a way that draws from one’s actual experience of travelling through the region and meeting Southeast Asian people
• the ability to utilize scholarly approaches from the fields of history, social anthropology and archaeology in contributing to debates concerning Southeast Asian topics;
• the ability to draw from a broad range of learning platforms towards demystifying some of the stereotypical depictions of Southeast Asia

Students will be accommodated at a residential college in the NUS University Town.

Students must arrive by 16 June 2013.

Students will be able to check in from 14 June 2013 (extra nights of accommodation incurred before 16 June will be billed accordingly.)

Check-out date 20 July 2013. Students must check out by this date.

Group hotel accommodation for Thailand and Cambodia will be arranged by the organizers, and costs are included in the field trip fees.

Tuition fees	:	SGD 5,180
Accommodation including any deposits	:	Approximately SGD 800 (5 weeks on-campus accommodation)
Other deposits	:	N/A
Field Trip	:	SGD 2,000 (includes airfare, accommodation throughout fieldtrip and transportation & admission fees to field sites. Admitted students will be subsidized $1,000 for the field trip.)
Textbook Fees	:	SGD 50 – SGD 100
Miscellaneous Fees	:	Registration fees: SGD 69.13 (payable by all exchange & non-exchange international students) Visa fees: SGD 90 – SGD 120
Living Expenses	:	SGD 600 – SGD 800 (for on-campus meals over 5 weeks) *Does not include personal expenses such as toiletries, clothing, groceries, entertainment etc. Transportation costs: SGD 100 – SGD 150 (based on 5 weeks travel by public buses/ trains only) Additional information will be available in the booklet prepared specifically for each summer school cohort.

1. Can I participate in more than one GSP course at your University, concurrently?
   Due to the intensity of the courses and the overlapping periods, students are not allowed to participate in more than one GSP course concurrently. Please ensure that you check your email (that has been provided in the application form) for these updates regularly and in the event that you are required to respond with any required documentation.
2. After accepting the offer, when will I receive the academic course content?
   Once you have accepted the offer, the course content, readings lists and timetables will be sent to you or made available on our website for your download in the end of April. Please ensure that you check your email (that has been provided in the application form) for these updates regularly and in the event that you are required to respond with any required documentation.
3. When will I receive the payment schedule & cancellation policies, campus maps and other logistics details?
   You will receive the information sometime in early to mid May.
4. Will I have access to student facilities such as computer labs, libraries and health services at the hosting university?
   Yes you will, as an enrolled non-graduating student at NUS.
5. Will I need a visa to attend this GSP course?
   Yes, you will require a student visa to attend this course. Please refer to the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) link for more information on this. The host GSP coordinator will be sending you more information via email on how to apply for a student's pass through the ICA Student's Pass Online Application and Registration (SOLAR) system a few weeks after you have been accepted to the course.
   
   Students are advised to check with the relevant Immigration Offices if they require a visa or any additional documentation to enter Thailand and Cambodia.
   
   For entry to Cambodia, students may apply for visa on arrival.
   
   For entry to Thailand, students should apply for a Thai visa at the Thai Embassy in Singapore as visa on arrival is not available at the Cambodia-Thailand border crossing.
6. How can we interact with other participants and GSP alumni before the course?
   There is a general IARU GSP Facebook page and you can join the various events groups to interact informally with other GSP participants as well as alumni. A FB page for SEA Asia in Context Summer School will be created at the start of the summer school by our teaching assistant. As we have limited resources, we do not actively monitor the main FB page of IARU GSP and will not be able to answer any query posted on the FB page. If you have specific questions for the course coordinator for SEA Asia in Context, we suggest that you write to our This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. instead.

Please direct all your questions about course credits and scholarships to your home institution. More details about the application process and deadlines will be available in the "How to Apply" page.

The detailed course profile is available on:
http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/sea/undergrad/summerSchool.html

For enquiries, please contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Attention your email to Dr Julius Bautista (for academic-related enquiries), or Ms Ingrid Tay (for application, registration and enrolment matters, administrative and payment matters for fieldtrip).

Acceptance Details:

An Offer of Admission will be sent to successful partner-nominated students, via email, by 12 April 2013.

After accepting the offer, students will be required to complete an Online Application Form for admission to NUS via the Non-Graduating Students Application System so that they can be admitted to NUS for the summer school.

The Online Application Form for admission must be completed no later than 19 April 2013. Students must subsequently follow up by submitting the following documents which must reach our Registrar’s Office (ADDRESS STATED BELOW) no later than 3 May 2013. Please indicate “SOUTHEAST ASIA IN CONTEXT SUMMER SCHOOL” on the top left hand corner of the envelope.

Applicable to all students:

• Copy of the NUS Online Application form generated from the application system.
• A recent passport-sized photograph to be attached in the box provided in the Online Application Form.
• Copy of passport page showing nationality and personal details.
• Original academic transcript(s) issued by the home university (with English translation, if applicable). Only original academic transcripts of degree programs completed and/or currently in progress will be accepted. The transcript must be endorsed with the university’s seal and official signatory.

Applicable to students admitted on exchange basis (applicable only to Copenhagen students):

• Letter from home university certifying approved exchange course type (i.e. coursework), duration of exchange and level of exchange (university, faculty or department). The letter can be obtained from the Student Exchange or Study Abroad Office.

Applicable to students admitted on non-exchange basis:

• Letter from home university certifying that applicant is a current student registered with the university.
• Documentary proof of financial support certifying financial ability to make payment for tuition and mandatory miscellaneous fees.
  • If applicant is a self-financing student, to submit a bank statement (original, certified true copy or electronically generated statement). The statement should not be dated more than 6 months from the intended date of admission.
  • If applicant is a scholarship holder, to submit an official letter from the sponsoring organization(s) with details of the sponsorship over the period of study at NUS.
• Copy of TOEFL/IELTS – for applicants from non-English medium universities

The above application materials must be submitted to:

Registrar’s Office (Non-Graduating Student Admission)
National University of Singapore, University Hall
Lee Kong Chian Wing, #UHL-04-01
21 Lower Kent Ridge Road
Singapore 119077

To ensure safe delivery of the documents, students are encouraged to send their documents via courier service or registered mail with tracking numbers.