Opportunity
CKS Junior Resident Fellows Program
The CKS Junior Resident Fellows Program of the Center for Khmer Studies pays for six weeks of summer study in Cambodia, and Cambodian undergraduates can apply.[1] Each summer the Center for Khmer Studies (CKS) brings together five students from Cambodia, five from France and five from the United States to live and study side by side.[1] The course covers contemporary Cambodian history and society, and the program has run since 2004.[1]
Sponsorship
The Center for Khmer Studies runs the program from its campus in Siem Reap, on the grounds of Wat Damnak, a few minutes from Angkor Wat.[1] Fellows also spend part of the summer in Phnom Penh.[1] The Louisa Sarofim Foundation funds the program.[1] The Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University lists it as a study abroad opportunity for its own students.[2]
Award and support
CKS pays for tuition, a room with breakfast, local transport during program activities, books and study materials, and some field trip costs such as entrance fees at historical and cultural sites.[1] Small program grants of US$600 to US$800 help with international airfare, visas and medical insurance.[1] Fellows pay their other living and personal costs, carry their own health insurance and pay any fees the Cambodian government charges for entry.[1]
A teacher with long experience in Cambodian and Southeast Asian studies leads two hours of class each weekday, in English.[1] The course starts with a short look at Cambodia's ancient past and then follows the country's social, political, economic and cultural change since independence from France in the early 1950s.[1] It gives close attention to how Cambodia has dealt with the years after the Khmer Rouge, and to its ties with Thailand, Vietnam, China, France, the United States and the United Nations.[1] Field trips take fellows to historical and cultural sites and to groups around Siem Reap that work in development, education, human rights, democracy and journalism.[1] Cambodian fellows take English classes, while the American and French fellows study Khmer each day.[1]
Fellows attend every class and field trip. Each one writes a paper of 10 to 15 pages on a topic of their choice and presents it in 10 to 15 minutes at the end of the program. Topics may come from fields such as archaeology, anthropology, economics, linguistics, history, politics or the environment.[1]
Eligibility
The program is open to citizens of Cambodia, France and the United States.[1] Applicants are undergraduates in their third year or later; students who finish their degree in the year of the program may also apply, but students in their last two years of study come first.[1] Applicants need good spoken and written English and must be healthy and fully vaccinated for travel.[1] The program suits students with a real interest in Cambodia and Southeast Asia, especially those thinking about graduate study or a career in the region.[1]
Application
The 2026 program ran from July 6 to August 14, 2026, and applications for it are closed.[1] As of October 7, 2026, the Center had not announced the next call.[1]
Cambodian, American and French applicants each apply through a separate online form.[1] An application includes the form, a one-page personal statement and a summary of one or two pages on a topic of interest. It also needs two confidential references, a curriculum vitae of up to two pages, transcripts or certificates and a scanned COVID-19 vaccine card.[1] Cambodian applicants also send proof of good English in reading, listening, speaking and writing.[1]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 Center for Khmer Studies, Junior Resident Fellows Program (2026)
- ↑ Cornell University, Einaudi Center for International Studies, Junior Resident Fellows Program: Summer in Cambodia