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Southeast Asia at Michigan

The LS&A Language Requirement: There's more at Michigan than Romance Languages!

Seriously, why repeat high school to fulfill your language requirement? At Michigan, one of four Southeast Asian languages can fit the bill, open up a whole new world of opportunity, AND help stand out in the crowd when job time comes around. We offer small classes, taught by excellent instructors who are also native speakers. Check out one of the following, and contact the instructors with any questions:

Filipino - the national language of the Philipines, Filipino is the language of the largest Southeast Asian-American population in the United States and the language of America's only major colony in Asia. Understanding the Philippine-American relationship, at once familiar and difficult, through the eyes of the Filipino language is one of the best ways to understand the United States' position in the world today.
Instructor: Deling Agas Weller

Indonesian - the national language of Indonesia, the world's fourth largest nation, which is also the largest Islamic-majority country in the world, and of neighboring Malaysia as well. More people in the world (159 million) speak Indonesian/Malay than speak French (129 million). Indonesian is an accessible and easy-to-start language, and large numbers of Indonesian and Malaysian students and a weekly Indonesian coffee table at Michigan offer up conversational opportunities for all levels of speakers.
Instructor: Menuk Sudarish

Thai - the national and royal language of Thailand. Like Chinese, Thai is a tonal language, but unlike Chinese, it is written in its own alphabet, rather than in thousands of individual characters. Like Russian or Greek, once you learn the letters in Thai alphabet, it's easy to read. Thailand is the only South or Southeast Asian country never occupied by a colonial force and its strong cultural and historical identity is expressed through its beautiful language.
Instructor: Montatip Krishnamra

Vietnamese - the language of Viet Nam, and particularly its exquisite poetry, is among the world's most expressive, reflecting a long and unbroken cultural history that goes back millennia. Vietnamese is tonal, like Chinese, but written in the Roman alphabet. If you've wondered why the United States fought such a long and protracted war in Viet Nam studying Vietnamese will give you insights that English alone never will.
Instructor: Nga Thi Nguyen

Solid Introductions: Cool Courses to Get You Started!

History 207: Introduction to Southeast Asian Civilization. Award-winning professor Victor Lieberman take you on a whirl-wind tour from stone temples and inscriptions to colonialism and war in the 20th century.

Asian Studies 250: Love & Compassion in Buddhism. Loving kindness and compassion have been important themes throughout the history of Buddhism. Mudagzmuwe Maithrimuurthi's new course will explore the various meanings of love and compassion in Buddhist thought and practice.

Residential College Humanities 256: Studying and Playing Southeast Asian Music. So how often dyou take a music appreciation course and actually get to play the music? Susan Pratt Walton helps you learn by doing.

Residential College 250: Beginning Javanese Dance. Visiting Artist Yulisa Mastati, a dancer from thte royal courts of Central Java, introduces you to one of the world's great classical dance traditions, famous for its highly refined and flowing motions, an artistic expression with the same movement philosophy as many Asian martial arts.

Only at Michigan: A One Of A Kind Offering Not To Be Missed!

Theater and Drama 399: Javanese Puppet Theater Workshop. Visiting Javanese Dalang (puppet master) Sigit Adji Sabdoprijono introduces you to one of the world's most refined art forms, wayang kulit, or Javanese shadow puppetry. Based on the Hindu classics Mahabharata and Ramayana, the stories of the wayang explore themes of good and evil, and the place of humans in the cosmos. The workshop will explore both traditional and emerging more globally influenced forms of wayang, and students willl learn to both manipulate and give voice to the puppoets from one of Indonesia's emerging artistic stars.

Fall Course Listing

Through Michigan you can not only study about Southeast Asia, you can study IN Southeast Asia!

International Exchange Programs: Semester and Summer Abroad opporunities in Southeast Asia are available through the University's Office of International Programs. Don't just study Southeast Asia, through Michigan, experience it first-hand! A program in Khon Kaen, Thailand is fully up and running, and an exchange with the National University of Singapore is being brough on board. Both programs include options for travel within the region.

Office of International Programs

A Special Opportunity to Chart Your Own Course in Southeast Asia: Develop Your Own Summer Program in 2006.

Thanks to a special funding source, undergraduate students at U-M will have the opportunity to design their own programs in Southeast Asia and spend next summer carrying them out!

U-M junior David Duong in Vietnam this past summer.

• Apprentice yourself to an artist, traditional or modern
• Learn Vietnamese in Hanoi, Filipino in Baguio, Thai in Chiang Mai or Malay in Penang
• Work on women's studies, landmines, deforestation, AIDS, children's health, urbanization or another issue with a non-governmental organization
• Do fieldwork with orangutans in Malaysia or study marine biology in the Philipines
• Prepare an honors thesis
• Get an internship in business, social work, government or education.

You develop a plan of study or service that you're interested in and apply for funding to carry it out. The Center for Southeast Asian Studies will select and fully fund several undergraduate summer study programs, with preference to those that use Southeast Asian languages. Applications will be due in early November. Applications are here.

Keep in touch: get regular emails with information about Southeast Asian studies, Center events and program news.

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.