1. It's an Asian century, but will it be China or India that leads the way? In Southeast Asia, you can learn to suck up properly in both cultures!

Quick Links:
Languages: Thai, Indonesian, Filipino; Vietnamese
Courses: History, Music, Religion, Dance & SPECIAL: Javenese Puppetry
International Programs: Semesters Abroad in Thailand and Singapore
Design Your Own Summer Program in Southeast Asia: You Plan, We Pay

But seriously why Study Southeast Asia??

Beyond the coolness factor (c'mon, who doesn't want to say they're studying about Bali?), there are plenty of reasons to think that the 21st century will truly be an Asian century.

Southeast Asia is home to not only its own distinctive cultures, it is the long-time crossroads between China and India, and now Australia as well. For centuries, it has been a meeting place - of trade routes and trade goods, of ideas, of languages, religions and cultures. By studying Southeast Asia, you can cover an entire continent, and understand the whole world.

And whether you're interested in Business, Law, History and Politics, Languages and Literature, the Arts, or Science and Engineering, understanding Southeast Asia will prove not only intellectually interesting, but also help set you apart as you proceed beyond Michigan.

Ancient and Thoroughly Modern

Classical Thai and Cambodian dancers, Javanese shadow puppet plays, monumental stone Buddhist temple complexes, and mountainsides of riced terraces dating back millennia testify to the ancient, deeply rich and vibrant cultures of Southeast Asia.

Yet glass business towers preside over almost all the region's capitals - Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Manila, Jakarta - as banking, trade and information technology fuel an economy that also makes these cities among the most crowded on earth.

The region is bursting with development and growth, financially, politically and culturally. Singapore and Malaysia are home to two of the most dynamic and growing economies in the world, the Philippines and Indonesia are among the world's most important laboratories of democracy, and Vietnam and Cambodia help us understand how societies can build themselves back from the punishments of war.

Southeast Asia remains one of the most fascinatingly complex areas of the globe, offering incredible lenses for discovering not only the region itself, but through reflection, insights into other parts of Asia, Europe, America and the rest of the world.

The center is committed to promoting a broader and deeper understanding of Southeast Asia and its peoples, cultures, and historiesby providing resources for faculty, students and the community to learn and disseminate knowledge about the region.