Life in Cambodia is rapidly changing. While still struggling with widespread poverty, its economic growth is among the fastest in the world over the last two decades. This rapid economic growth has huge implications for youth and young adults as they adapt to the changing economic opportunities and educational choices. These opportunities and choices exist against the backdrop of both current cultural changes that comes with globalization and the still recent historical trauma of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge Genocide of the 1970s, which killed nearly a quarter of its population, then its subsequent decade long occupation by Vietnam.

This class will provide students with background information on the recent history and culture of Cambodia and give students in-depth experiences with local non-profit organizations that assist youth and young adults as they adapt to their rapidly changing world.

The travel component will occur in May of 2024 and be centered in and around the city and of Siem Reap, a mid-sized city in northwest Cambodia that provides both employment and educational opportunities for the region. The many local non-profit organizations that that are based in Siem Reap will provide our class the opportunity to visit and interact directly with these organizations’ staff on the sites where they support youth’s and young adults’ educational journeys.

Because Siem Reap is situated near the seat of the ancient Khmer Empire, which dominated Southeast Asia over a thousand years ago, the travel component of this class will provide students the opportunity to learn about the current challenges confronting youth and young adults in Cambodia while immersing themselves in the Khmer culture and history that define Cambodia’s past and ground its future path. Students’ time in Siem Reap will be spent learning onsite from local non-profit organizations and visiting and learning about the world-famous cultural sites at the center of the ancient Khmer Empire. These sites include Angkor Wat, which is considered to be the largest religious structure in the world, and Bayon, with its huge representations of Buddhist deities.

Students will earn 3.25 credits for this experience by registering for HDFS 497 in the spring semester for 3 credits and HDFS 499 for .25 credit during the summer session. There will be seven 1-hour classes during the spring 2024 semester in which students will learn about the history of Cambodia and the different organizations that we will visit. Once we have selected the students for the course, we will coordinate the class meeting time based on everyone's availability.

Dates     

May 7 - 28, 2024

Program Quicklinks     

Eligibility

• This program is open to all majors at all Penn State campuses. Priority will be given to Schreyer Honors Scholars and Paterno Fellows.
• Admission in the course and permission to travel with the group are at the discretion of the faculty leader and/or academic department hosting the course. Academic standing and disciplinary or conduct issues may impact eligibility.
• The education abroad program may involve swimming, kayaking, boating, and/or snorkeling that is part of the official program itinerary or an optional activity during free time. Students must complete a Water Safety Acknowledgement of Risk form in order to participate on the program.

Housing and Meals

During the embedded travel component, housing will consist of hotel/hostel accommodations.

Program Costs