COUNCIL ON INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE
COUNCIL STUDY CENTER AT VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

Spring 2004 Program

In 2004, CIEE will offer a program that allows undergraduate students to explore Vietnam and the Indochinese peninsula region from a variety of humanities and social sciences perspectives. The program is based at the Council Study Center at Vietnam National University, Hanoi and is organized in collaboration with the Hanoi College of Social Sciences and Humanities.

The Spring 2004 program takes a comparative look at the three countries of former French Indochina: Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Fostering an understanding of both the past and the present in each of these countries, the program takes students on week-long study trips to Cambodia and the Viet-Laos border region, as well as weekend trips in northern Vietnam, in order to supplement learning at the program’s base in Hanoi.

Courses and faculty slated for the spring program include:

1. Vietnamese Language (VIET 1001-3001 VHAN). Taught at beginning through advanced levels at the Department of Vietnamese Language, Vietnam National University, this course is required of all participants and provides a basis for more in-depth understanding of Vietnamese culture and society. Comprehensive attention is given to speaking, listening, reading, and writing, with the learning process regularly enhanced by interactive learning in the local community. 120 hours / 6 semester credits.
2. Vietnamese History (HIST 3002 VHAN). Taught by the Resident Director, Brian Ostrowski (Ph.D. candidate., Cornell University), this course traces the history of Vietnam from the Bronze Age through the conclusion of the Vietnam War in 1975. Particular attention is given to regional and ethnic struggles, the role of religion, and competing concepts of political legitimacy. 45 contact hours / 3 semester credits.
3. History of Cambodia and Laos (HIST 3004 VHAN). Taught by Brian Zottoli (Ph.D. candidate., University of Michigan), this course studies the histories of Vietnam’s immediate neighbors in Southeast Asia. Particular attention is given to regional political and trade relations, responses to the West, and the development of cultural and religious institutions. 45 contact hours / 3 semester credits.
4. Ethnicity and Local Traditions in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos (ANTH 3002 VHAN). Taught by anthropologists and ethnographers of the National Institute of Anthropology, this course studies how the various ethnic groups inhabiting the Indochinese peninsula commemorate the human life cycle, construct notions of family and community, and interact with the physical environment. 45 contact hours / 3 semester credits.
5. Vietnamese Women in Historical Perspective (GEND 3002 VHAN). This course is taught by Dr. Vu Kieu Dung of the Faculty of Sociology, Hanoi College of Social Sciences and Humanities, who received her Ph.D. in Sociology from Michigan State University in 2002. Dr. Dung, who has a strong research interest in modern gender issues, will lead students in understanding how Vietnamese women in both the past and present have acted as agents of social change, as well what social, economic, and political factors have either facilitated or hindered women’s activities in society. 45 contact hours / 3 semester credits.
6. Economic Development Issues in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos (ECON 3002 VHAN). This course presents an overview of key issues in the modernizing economies of former Indochina. Topics such as urbanization, pollution, privatization, monetary policy, population, foreign trade, and the role of NGOs are treated in detail. 45 contact hours / 3 semester credits.
7. Studio Art (STAR 3001 VHAN). Taught by instructors of the Hanoi Fine Arts University, this course allows students to create artworks using traditional Vietnamese artistic methods such as lacquer painting, silk painting, and woodblock printing. No previous artistic experience is required. 30 contact hours / 2 credits.

Applications for the Spring 2004 program are being accepted through November 1, 2003. Further information about the Spring 2004 curriculum, including complete course descriptions and a program application, may be obtained by contacting us at 1-800-40-STUDY (Ext. 611) or by visiting our website at www.ciee.org/isp.