Contemporary Southeast Asia Issues Program

Participant Comments

Program Schedule

Program Photos

This program allows students to interact closely with Southeast Asia: its people, cultures and current issues. By focusing on the three nations of Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore--each with a distinct culture, religious heritage, and economic status--it is possible to appreciate the diversity of this dynamic region. The program centers on:

• Meetings with university students in each nation, in order to understand the perspective of young people and their hopes for their societies and their own lives.
• The role of NGOs in a region in which they can be important forces. The group will meet with staffs of development, health and human rights groups to get a firsthand view of how these organizations work both with and outside of government to achieve their goals.
• Political and economic factors shaping each of these nations. Briefings will be given by knowledgeable professors in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, as well as the director of the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce. Prof. Toru Nomura of Keio University (SFC campus), will join the program in Singapore and provide a lecture.
• The role of media, especially new media. The founders of a widely-read and very successful Malaysian internet "newspaper" will explain how their website has become the leading alternative to the government-controlled media of that country. The staff of al Jazeera’s Asia broadcast center will tell how they approach world news in a different way than the BBC or CNN.
• The central role of religion in two of these nations: Malaysia and Thailand. Malaysia must balance the needs of both the majority Malays (who are Muslim) with the Chinese and Indian populations. Thailand draws much of its unity from its Buddhist faith and the unique role of its King who, though he has no formal political power, plays a crucial role in that nation.
• Rural life. Visitors to Southeast Asia often see only urban areas, yet so many of the people and so much of the traditional culture are found in the countryside. The group will live in a Thai village for several days; this village has a coconut-based economy and a transportation system of small canals.
• The region's predominant ecology, which will be experienced firsthand through a day's trek in the rainforest of Malaysia.
• English as an international language of communication. All scheduled meetings, as well as group meetings and meals, will utilize English. Thus, participants get an "immersion" experience in the practical use of English as a worldwide language and should be committed to its use throughout the program.

The program allows participants to do what they could not do on their own:meet the people and organizations now shaping the future of this dynamic region. The emphasis is on direct experience: understanding Thailand's development issues by meeting with Ashoka staff who find and support outstanding "social entrepreneurs", talking with workers who are part of Thailand's effective campaign against HIV-AIDS, meeting with Malaysian journalists who now "publish" on the Internet, and exploring with Singaporean students the contradictions of financial success and what some feel are limitations on their freedoms.

The group, while mostly Japanese, is expected to include several students from Korea, Thailand and Myanmar/Burma (and possibly Taiwan).  Thus, the group experience itself will be an international one.

Dates: February 12 - 28, 2008.

Cost: (estimated) ¥248,000. Includes air fare (3 flights), hotel accommodations, most meals, local transportation, guides where necessary, and staff and support services. Does not include: airline fuel surcharge and tax, travel (medical) insurance, some meals.

Leadership:This program is planned and led by Dwight Clark, who first began introducing Asia to university students when he was Dean of Freshman Men at Stanford University. He founded VIA at Stanford and served as its President for 40 years. Recently, he started Learning Across Borders, a non-profit educational organization which offers international study programs such as this.  He has led this program since 1991.

For application and further information: See Schedule for complete daily plans and for a link to application. Application deadline is November 25, 2007. Early applications are strongly encouraged. For questions, contact Dwight Clark at learningacrossborders@earthlink.net.

These challenging times require a new generation of young people who have directly experienced the world's diversity and who can understand and appreciate the different cultures, values and aspirations which lie behind the leading issues of the day.