Here, remnants of 12th-century temples share the landscape with wild forests, Buddhist monasteries, and small villages. Diverse ecosystems, from the mighty Mekong River to the dense highland forests of Mondulkiri, are home to rare species like the Asian elephant, sun bear, and Irrawaddy dolphin. The Tonle Sap Lake swells exponentially each year with the monsoon season, creating a dramatic seasonal shift for the fishing and farming communities and wildlife of this flooded region.
Study Abroad in Cambodia
Have you ever wanted to explore towering ancient temples, take a tuk-tuk through a bustling market town, meet with a group of Buddhist monks, listen for the hauntingly beautiful call of a pileated gibbon, or observe endangered Asian elephants?
Whether you’re an experienced traveler or looking for your first trip to another country, studying abroad is an important component of your college career. Living abroad gives you the opportunity to explore new places and learn about different cultures, gaining important global perspectives, discovering new things about yourself, and building lifelong friendships.
Our programs in Cambodia take place in the country’s freshwater ecosystems, dense forests, highlands, and temples. Courses and fieldwork focus on key environmental issues faced here such as climate change, biodiversity conservation, and environmental policy, ethics, and justice. With severe climate change impacts already visible, Cambodia is a case study in resilience. Adaptation and collaborative conservation efforts are necessary for the people of Cambodia to ensure food security and limit biodiversity loss in a time of rapid development. Our research here examines these efforts on the ground and provides data to support a path toward a more sustainable future for Cambodia.
Cambodia
semester
15 Weeks
|18 Credits
Fall 2023
Sep 1 - Dec 12
Closed
Spring 2024
Jan 27 - May 9
Open
PROGRAM COSTS
Tuition:
$18,425
Room & Board:
$5,125
Total Cost:
$23,550
Sample Itinerary
Sample Itinerary:
semester PROGRAM
Climate Change, Ethics, and Conservation
Siem Reap
In Cambodia, conservation has found its roots in community. From the ancient temples of Angkor to the evergreen jungle highlands, efforts to preserve biodiversity are deeply intertwined with community livelihoods. Spend your semester in this fascinating country, learning about threats to ecosystems and natural resources, environmental governance, and the ethics of conservation and development. Traveling extensively, you will spend time in the elephant-inhabited forests of Mondulkiri, along the banks of the mighty Mekong River, and the vibrant capital city of Phnom Penh.
In the final weeks of the semester, you’ll spend your time out in the field conducting an extensive research project.
- Spend the night in a floating village on the Tonle Sap Lake and speak with villagers about climate-related livelihood challenges and adaptation strategies.
- Visit the Mondulkiri highlands to study elephant conservation and learn about the changes and challenges to the indigenous Bunong peoples’ traditional lifestyles.
- Conduct a comprehensive field research project: Develop a research question, collect and analyze data, write a paper, and present your findings. Read more about SFS Directed Research projects.
Application deadlines:
Spring – November 15
Fall – May 15
Follow sfs cambodia on instagram
Academics
This academically rigorous program follows a six-day/week schedule. The interdisciplinary curriculum is designed to help students actively discover and understand the complexities of environmental, social, and economic issues in Cambodia. Read more about the SFS program model. Major academic themes include:
- Climate change impacts
- Elephant ecology and conservation
- Traditional livelihoods and ecological knowledge
- Community conservation strategies
- Indigenous rights and challenges
- Protected areas and threatened ecosystems
- Environmental ethics and justice
- Natural resource governance
Courses
On the Climate Change, Ethics, and Conservation program, you will take three 4-credit disciplinary courses, one 2-credit language and culture course, and a 4-credit capstone Directed Research course. Courses are participatory in nature and are designed to foster inquiry and active learning. Each course combines lectures, field exercises, assignments, tests, and research. All courses are taught in English. Click on each course to view a description and download the syllabus
SFS 2080
Language and Culture of Cambodia
2 credits
SFS 3800
Conservation Science and Practice
4 credits
SFS 3810
Ecosystems and Livelihoods
4 credits
SFS 3820
Environmental Ethics and Development
4 credits
SFS 4910
Directed Research
4 credits
SFS 2080 Language and Culture of Cambodia (2 credits)
This course contains two distinct but related modules: society and culture of Cambodia, and Khmer language. This course provides a basic introduction to spoken and written Khmer as well as the history and culture of Southeast Asia. The Khmer language module offers listening, oral, and limited written practice of the Khmer language at a beginner/basic level of proficiency to increase students’ communication and comprehension skills. The sociocultural model helps students develop a more refined understanding of Cambodian and Vietnamese cultures while learning about the rich history of the region. Both modules are designed to help students immerse into regional culture and work more effectively in their Directed Research efforts.
SFS 3800 Conservation Science and Practice (4 credits)
This course introduces the concepts, tools, and incentives to effect conservation of the environment and natural resources. The field of conservation is focused on protecting biological diversity—including ecosystems, species, and genetic diversity—by promoting processes, both ecological and social, that support biodiversity. The course focuses on five core themes: what biodiversity is; why biodiversity is important; threats to biodiversity; strategies for conservation; and the concept of sustainability. We explore the practical aspects of conservation using local case studies, considering the array of conservation strategies in the region, and using this lens to evaluate global concerns on a local scale.
SFS 3810 Ecosystems and Livelihoods (4 credits)
This course focuses on the human landscape that envelops the natural ecosystems of the Lower Mekong Basin. We examine the intersection of natural and physical systems with the livelihood strategies employed by fishers, farmers, and merchants in the Mekong Basin. Students investigate the high levels of dependence upon natural resources by local populations and the critical threats to the ecology of the region. Students discover the primary drivers of change in local livelihood strategies and analyze attempts by international and national actors to find a sustainable balance between human needs and preserving biodiversity.
SFS 3820 Environmental Ethics and Development (4 credits)
This course takes a pragmatic approach to environmental ethics, looking, through a variety of thematic scenarios, at how decisions relating to the environment can be made through an applied ethical lens. Following an introduction to the foundations of environmental ethics and the cultural context of Cambodia, we explore ethical problems that are pertinent to environmental studies. In particular, students in this course examine contemporary environmental dilemmas and topics as they affect Cambodia and its neighbor further down the delta, Vietnam. Students study environmental ethics in relation to economic growth and development, and consider the purpose of nature and humans’ role in managing it while still encouraging responsible development.
SFS 4910 Directed Research (4 credits)
This course prepares students to distinguish hidden assumptions in scientific approaches and separate fact from interpretation, cause from correlation, and advocacy from objectivity. Students learn specific tools including: experimental design; field techniques; basic descriptive statistics; and parametric and non-parametric quantitative analysis. Emphasis is placed on succinct scientific writing, graphic and tabular presentation of results, and effective delivery of oral presentations.
Core Skills
You will gain practical skills in the field such as: biodiversity assessments, population monitoring, animal behavior observation, protected areas assessments, tourism impact assessments, environmental impacts assessments, conservation strategy assessments, biodiversity survey techniques, forest survey methods, tag/recapture techniques, camera trapping, video and photo tracking, forest restoration techniques, interview methods, species management planning, citizen science protocols, conservation projects proposals, grant writing, ethics and reasoning, research design and implementation, quantitative/qualitative data collection and analysis, scientific writing and communication, basic Khmer language skills.
Field Sites
You will visit different ecosystems and communities which may include multiple elephant and animal sanctuaries, the ancient temple complex of Angkor, freshwater ecosystems of the Tonle Sap Lake, Mekong River, fishing and farming villages, protected community forests, semi-evergreen rainforests, historical and cultural sites in Phnom Penh, mountains, farms, and the bustling markets of Siem Reap.
summer session I
06 Weeks
|06 Credits
Summer 2023
Jun 6 - Jul 18
Closed
PROGRAM COSTS
Tuition:
$6,955
Room & Board:
$3,800
Total Cost:
$10,755
Sample Itinerary
Sample Itinerary:
summer session I PROGRAM
Elephants of Southeast Asia
Cambodia & Thailand
Spend your summer exploring some of the remote regions of Southeast Asia where the elephants roam. In Cambodia, the lush Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary will be your base, studying the behavior, ecology, and welfare needs of the endangered Asian elephant. Visit the vibrant city of Phnom Penh and the ancient temples of Angkor to explore the history and culture of Cambodia.
- In Thailand, delve into human-wildlife conflict and conservation pressures and examine elephant management practices while you are based in a village bordering KuiBuri National Park. Complete your journey in the vibrant hustle and bustle of Bangkok. Stay at the Elephant Valley Project (EVP) in the forested Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary to observe semi-wild, rehabilitated, Asian elephants from meters away as they forage, bathe, and interact with each other in a protected setting.
- Stay at Bring the Elephants Home (BTEH) in homestays in Ruam Thai village next to the world reknown Kuiburi National Park where you are guaranteed to see wild elephants on safari tours and when crop-raiding.
Application deadline:
April 1
follow sfs cambodia on instagram
Academics
This academically rigorous program follows a six-day/week schedule. The interdisciplinary curriculum is designed to help students actively discover and understand the complexities of environmental, social, and economic issues in Cambodia. Read more about the SFS program model. 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 6-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. Click on the course to view a description and download the syllabus
SFS 3112
Ecology and Conservation of Southeast Asian Elephants
6 credits
SFS 3112 Ecology and Conservation of Southeast Asian Elephants (6 credits)
Please note: this syllabus is still in draft form, pending final approval from the University of Minnesota, our School of Record. This special topics 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. View Syllabus Draft
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.
What Students Are Saying:
“The friendships, multicultural experiences, field research techniques, and self-understanding I gained during this program made it definitely worthwhile. And the food at the SFS center is amazing. I eat a plant-based diet, and there were always plenty of yummy options at the center.”
– Yuxi, Wellesley College
“It was a dream-come-true, honestly, and more dreams were realized while on program. The amount of cultural immersion and opportunities for observation, appreciation, and critical consideration of all aspects of the country – cultural, environmental, political, historical, social, traditional, religious – is surely unparalleled. Beyond worthwhile; this was life-changing.”
– Kayla, Hollins University
“I had an amazing time with SFS Cambodia. The classwork is incredibly interesting and the ability to go into the field and connect what you have learned in class to real life experiences is unlike any learning setting I have been in before.”
– Hanna, University of Washington
Where You'll Be Living
Our most urban center lies on the outskirts of Siem Reap, near the famed temples of Angkor. The Center is a breezy, modern campus nestled in a quiet neighborhood minutes away from the bustling downtown area where you will find restaurants, artisan shops, markets, and many Cambodian cultural activities.
- Dorm living with air-conditioned, four-person bunkrooms
- Classroom building with library and balcony
- Student lounge with open loft and beanbag chairs
- Expansive open-air dining area, and on-site cooking staff
- Gyms and running routes in surrounding neighborhood
- Swimming pool, badminton court, and hammock bungalow
Community
Siem Reap, Cambodia
SFS is an active part of the Siem Reap community, where we have been based since 2014.
We have built long-term, collaborative relationships in the communities around the Center, where the Center is locally known as the Center for Environmental Research in Conservation and Development Studies, and we have developed our research plans based on the environmental issues they and the surrounding ecosystems face. Throughout the program, students collaborate with local students at the Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia (PUC), take a short homestay in a floating village, visit bustling markets, and attend festivals.
At the end of each semester program, we host a Community Research Night where select students will present their research findings to the community. SFS research data is shared with the community, local NGOs, and the Cambodian government.
