SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA: History, Tragedy, and Renewal

Join Professor Alan Kolata for intensive study in Cambodia during the September Term of 2026. 

Based first at Wat Damnat, a tranquil, historically significant Buddhist monastery that houses the campus of the Center for Khmer Studies (CKS) in Siem Reap, Cambodia, the course will explore the history, politics, and culture of Khmer civilization from the 10th century to the present. The course focus will be on three exceptional periods in the history of Khmer civilization: the cultural florescence of one of the largest indigenous empires of Southeast Asia with its capital at the World Heritage Site of Angkor; the tragedy of repeated Western intervention and the emergence of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime in the mid-1970s that resulted in the deaths of 1.7 to 2 million Cambodians; and the contemporary moment of renewal in the form of modernization, accelerating economic development, globalization and the social and environmental impacts of hyper-capitalism.

Over the course of three intensive weeks, students will frequently travel outside the classroom on excursions to explore archaeological, historical, and environmental sites and landscapes that shaped the course of Khmer civilization.

The course application deadline is February 9, 2026.