What is ASK?
  Goals
  Instruction
  Immersion
  Involvement
  ASK Program Brochure

 

 
 

The Summer Abroad Program: Khmer Language and Culture

The Advanced Study of Khmer (ASK) Program is administered by the Khmer Language Program at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM), and in collaborations with the Center for Khmer Studies (CKS) in Cambodia and the Institute of Foreign Languages (IFL) at the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP), Cambodia. It gives participants an opportunity to undergo intensive immersion language and cultural training in Cambodia. It is an intensive eight-week advanced Khmer language-training program held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It aims to fill in a void in the academic community by providing advanced level students a one-of-a-kind opportunity to acquire the linguistic foundation necessary to engage in academic research, professional discourse, and cultural interaction with all segments of Cambodian society.

This immersion program focuses on advanced level language acquisition. It consists of a structured academic program of seven hours of task-based language instruction and activities every day, five days a week, in addition, the curriculum includes day-long weekend field trips to outlying areas of Phnom Penh. This course is equivalent to two semesters of study. Instruction is given in small-individualized groups taught by in-country Khmer linguists in Phnom Penh. They have extensive experience in teaching Khmer as a foreign language.

This eight-week program will be capped by a written and oral presentation of each participant's mini research project. Participants are encouraged to select their own topic at the beginning of the program. This experience not only adds immeasurably to their language competence, it develops greater awareness and sensitivity about another culture, and possibly of their own. In language study, immersion is fluency's best guarantee. The language immersion provided by this program is only possible in an in-country setting.

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Goals

This program has six primary goals:

  • To provide intensive and specialized instruction in Khmer (Cambodian) for advanced students and learners of Khmer within its natural, cultural, and social context.

  • To enable participants from a variety of American institutions and disciplines to supplement their previous training in Khmer and to attain a high level of language competence within a relatively short six-week period of time.

  • To promote cooperation between the United States and Cambodia and stimulate discussions among individuals from these countries.

  • To provide living in-country experience and preparation, which will enable the participants to deal with cross-cultural differences and to develop the social skills necessary for life in Cambodian society before, they go into the field.

  • To allow potential researchers an opportunity to see their chosen area first hand, and to select appropriate research sites and make introductory contacts.

  • To provide and test a body of pedagogical materials for intensive language study abroad programs and field-test proficiency examinations in Khmer.

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Instruction

The program focuses on advanced-level Khmer language acquisition training designed for non-native speakers. The participants are trained by local Khmer instructors and linguists with extensive experience teaching Khmer as a foreign language. The curriculum is intensive, with class size limited to six-eight students, and implements six instructional modules based on ACTFL proficiency guidelines, equal to one academic semester of study.

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Immersion

The program is a structured academic program consisting of seven hours of classroom instruction and task-based learning activities which provide students with opportunities to observe, analyze, and experience issues introduced in the classroom sessions, as well as to practice their language skills. These activities include meetings with governmental offices, local non- governmental organizations, businesses, community agencies, and cultural associations, and encourage student interaction with all segments of Cambodia society. In addition, the curriculum includes day-long weekend field trips to outlying areas of Phnom Penh. In language study, immersion is fluency’s best guarantee.

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Involvement

At the beginning of the abroad program, each participant selects a topic for an individual mini-research project he or she will conduct during the course of the summer. Each participant will complete a written report as well as an oral presentation on his or her project during the final week of the program. This project adds immeasurably to the abroad experience, as it combines students’ professional and educational interests with practical interaction and involvement with Khmer individuals and communities.

The program provides home-stays with Cambodian families in Phnom Penh which will foster intercultural communication by reinforcing the language skills of participants and increasing their acquistion of relevant cultural knowledge and skills.

The program offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to engage in academic research and cultural interaction with Khmer society. Through the program, participants will develop not only their language competence, but also greater awareness and sensitivity about Khmer culture.

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The Intensive Abroad Program Brochure

Click here to download the brochure (PDF)

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Copyright © ADVANCED STUDY OF KHMER (ASK), All Right Reserved
This website is produced by Dr. Chhany Sak-Humphry (sak@hawaii.edu)
:: University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. U.S.A.
::