Summer Session 2
4 Weeks
4 Credits
Summer 2025
Jul 7 - Aug 5
Open
Program Costs
- Tuition
- Room & Board
- Total
Application Deadlines
Summer 2025
April 1, 2025
Resources
Summer Session 2 Program
Elephants of Southeast Asia
Cambodia & Thailand,
Cambodia
Spend your summer exploring some of the remote regions of Southeast Asia where elephants roam. In Cambodia, the lush Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary will be your base, where you will study the behavior, ecology, and welfare needs of the endangered Asian elephant. Then in Thailand, delve into human-wildlife conflict and conservation pressures and examine elephant management practices near KuiBuri National Park.
- Stay at the Elephant Valley Project in the forested Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary in Cambodia to observe semi-wild, rehabilitated, Asian elephants as they forage, bathe, and interact with each other.
- Stay at Bring the Elephants Home in homestays in Ruam Thai village next to the world reknown Kuiburi National Park in Thailand where you are guaranteed to see wild elephants on tour.
- Visit the vibrant city of Phnom Penh and the ancient temples of Angkor to explore the history and culture of Cambodia and complete your journey in the hustle and bustle of Bangkok.
Photo Gallery
Academics
This academically rigorous program follows a six-day/week schedule. Each program combines theory learned during classroom sessions with field-based applications. The interdisciplinary curriculum is designed to help students actively discover and understand the complexities of environmental, social, and economic issues in Cambodia.
Major academic themes include:
- Asian elephant behavior, ecology, health and welfare in Cambodia and Thailand’s mountain range ecosystems
- The role of elephants in local culture
- Human-elephant interaction and conflicts
- Wildlife management policies
- Conservation strategies
Courses
On the Elephants of Southeast Asia program, you will take one 4-credit course. This course is participatory in nature and is designed to foster inquiry and active learning combining lectures, field exercises, assignments, and tests. This course is taught in English.
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to view a description and download the syllabus.
SFS 3112
Ecology and Conservation of Southeast Asian Elephants
4 credits
SFS 3112
Ecology and Conservation of Southeast Asian Elephants
4 credits
This special topic course focuses on the ecology and conservation of the Asian elephant and the habitats in Cambodia and Thailand where extant populations live. Students spend several weeks observing semi-captive elephants and visit regions frequented by wild elephants. Elephant welfare and management practices will be examined, and the livelihoods of people affected, both positively and negatively, by elephants will be explored. In addition to the work with elephants, students will visit the World Heritage site of Angkor and the capital city of Phnom Penh.
Core Skills
You will gain practical skills in the field such as: behavioral observations of elephant social interactions, foraging, and welfare, distance sampling, line-transect surveys, basic Khmer and Thai language, qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques, mock debating, research report writing, and oral presentation skills.
Field Sites
You will visit different ecosystems and communities, including a forested elephant sanctuary, lush evergreen and mixed deciduous forests, National parks, remote villages, historical and cultural sites such as the ancient temple complex of Angkor, and learn from local and Indigenous community members about the role of elephants in their culture.
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Spring 2025
Jan 27 - May 9
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More Information
Program Costs
- Tuition
- Room & Board
- Total
Summer Session 2
Elephants of Southeast Asia
4 Weeks
4 Credits
Summer 2025
Jul 7 - Aug 5
Open
More Information
Program Costs
- Tuition
- Room & Board
- Total
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Cambodia