Note:
The present version of this project document was discussed and approved by the programfs Steering Committee consisting of Dr. Neth Barom (Royal University of
Phnom Penh), chairman; Mr. Iv Chan, representing Dr. Sorn
Samnang (Royal Academy of Cambodia); Ms. Yiv Seng Vansay,
representing Dr. Hor Lat (Royal University of Fine
Arts); Mr. Nguon Van Chanti,
Buddhist Institute director; and Dr. Hean Sokhom (Center for Advanced Study), project director. The
meeting, at which Dr. Peter Gyallay-Pap, the programfs technical advisor, also participated, was held
on August 23, 2002 at the Buddhist Institute.
Decisions taken at the meeting have been integrated into this document.
Since its
founding in 1930, the Buddhist Institute was the leading research and
publications institution in
Efforts to resume the research and
publications function for which the Institute was established have progressed
with more difficulty. The Institute’s two commissions, Mores & Customs
(founded in 1934) and the Tripitaka (begun in 1929
and incorporated into the Institute in 1930), were formally re-instated in
1992. Both commissions, the Tripitaka in particular,
have been largely inactive for lack of qualified personnel and material
support. Nonetheless, the Institute began republishing its quarterly journal, Kambuja Suriya
[Light of Cambodia], in 1994 and since 2000 has published a handful of translations and
new works in book form. In 2001, the Institute opened a printing house that
seeks to operate on a for-profit basis. Since 2000, the Mores & Customs
Commission has, with the help of a few university volunteers, begun to collect
materials in the provinces. In 2001, the École Française d'Extrémè Orient
provided the commission with a microfiche of the latter's rich pre-1975
collection and is discussing the transfer of extant palm leaf manuscripts in
its possession to the commission.
Following nearly a decade of rebuilding the
infrastructure, administration, and library,
and in reprinting books, a need exists to improve the in-house research capacity of the Institute, enabling it to publish and disseminate original works and improve the quality of its journal. The Institute may not be considered fully restored unless and until it possesses this capacity.
Apart from
restoring its original mission and form, a need also exists for the Institute
to rethink its purposes to ensure its relevance in the 21st century.
It may also be necessary for a new generation of researchers to be equipped
with the knowledge and skills for the contemporary social, cultural, and moral
issues facing not only
The
purpose of the program is to assist the Buddhist Institute to develop its
research capacity over a two-year period. The objective is to train 12 recent
Cambodian university graduates as researchers/writers in the humanities and
social sciences, including Buddhist studies. Upon successful completion of the
first year, they will be appointed through the Ministry of Religious Affairs as
Buddhist Institute staff with civil servant status. As students engaged in
post-graduate (master's level) work, a possibility exists for them to fulfill
requirements for a master’s degree through the Royal University of Phnom Penh.
With RUPP's formal involvement, one objective of the
project is for it to serve as a pilot program for the RUPP to introduce
post-graduate studies in its faculty of humanities and social sciences.
Specific
objectives are to provide coursework in two foreign languages (French and
English), qualitative research methods, and three subject areas (see below for
details) in the first year and to supervise the writing of master's level
essays in these subject areas during the second and final year. (Some course
work is envisaged for the third semester in the second year). Other objectives
include providing lectures and seminars by visiting scholars in the three
subject areas over the two-year period, the second year in particular. A third
set of objectives includes providing basic skills training in the mechanics of
individual, team, and institutional research, including the use of electronic
research tools, as well as in office management.
Spread over two slightly
extended academic years, the program is designed as a research-oriented course
of post-graduate study for 12 students and 6 auditors who are existing BI
staff/volunteers in the two commissions. The first year is devoted primarily to
course work -- languages, research methods, subject areas -- followed, in the
second year, by a concentration on supervised independent research leading to a
master's level thesis. Based on the research needs of the Buddhist Institute on
the one hand, specifically the Mores & Customs and Tripitaka
commissions, and on the academic profiles of the selected participants (see
below) on the other, the program's objective is to provide, in addition to a
research methods course in semester 1, graduate-level research competencies in
three subject areas chaired by scholars/academics based in Cambodia:
§
Khmer Language and Literature (chair: Dr. Hean
Sokhom);
§
Social and Cultural History (post-Angkorian)
(chair: Dr. Peter Gyallay-Pap);
§
Buddhist and Pali Studies (chair: Dr. Olivier
de Bernon)(proposed).
The
instruction is preceded by a two-month course on:
§
Qualitative Social and Cultural Research Methods Seminar (chair. Dr. Neth Barom).
Khmer language and
literature meets needs in both the Customs & Mores and, to a lesser extent,
the Tripitaka commissions. Plausible research
concentrations are Buddhist literature, classical Khmer literature,
modern/contemporary literature, and Khmer language studies (including
linguistics). Post-Angkorian social and cultural
history meets a need primarily within the Customs & Mores Commission. Post-Angkorian history, pre-colonial and colonial in particular
(1432-1953), a period coinciding with the dominance of Theravada Buddhism, is
less well known and researched than the Angkor and even pre-Angkor periods.
There is also a need to transcend some contemporary historical accounts of an ethno-centrist
nature in favor of a more comparative and regional historical approach. The
curriculum will strike a balance between courses of a
general/comparative/regional nature and Khmer-specific courses. The most
problematical of the subject areas in terms of students' basic competencies is
Buddhist and Pali studies, which meets a need of the Tripitaka Commission.[1]
The program will draw on
qualified faculty and scholars, Khmer and non-Khmer, from Cambodian
institutions of higher learning and research – Royal Academy of Cambodia, Royal
University of Phnom Penh, Royal University of Fine Arts, Preah
Sihanouk Raj Buddhist University, and the Center for
Advanced Study –, as well as the international Center for Khmer Studies in Siemreap, to provide the needed specialty instruction.
Scholars based in
The instruction will take
place at the Buddhist Institute, which has set aside a seminar room and program
office for the project. In addition to the Institute’s library, the seminar
room doubles as a workroom for students when instruction is not taking place.
The seminar/work room is equipped with four computers connected to the
internet.
Profile of students.
The twelve students in the program were
selected through an open recruitment process. Thirty-eight applicants met the
Up to six
additional participants working for the Mores & Customs or Tripitaka commissions as paid or unpaid volunteers,
including two university graduates who had applied to the program, will
participate as auditors.[2]
To promote team-based learning and research, the 18 maximum total participants
will be organized into five teams consisting of: a team leader (from among the
most qualified of the 12 students), one or two team members, and one or two
auditors/assistants. Although all participants follow the same course of study,
the teams will be organized along the three thematic areas of study, with two
teams each assigned to Khmer Language & Literature and Social and Cultural
History, and one to Buddhist and Pali Studies.
3.1 Curriculum Outline
The course
of study comprises four five-month semesters over two academic years, September
to June inclusive. Each semester comprises 18 weeks of instruction (excluding
official holidays and an exam week). [3]
The first semester of year 1 is devoted to intensive (25 hours per week) French
and English language instruction for the first three months followed by a two
months' course on qualitative socio-cultural research methods. The second, and
to a some extent, third semester, focuses on
coursework in the three subject areas, with three courses offered in each area.
Throughout the two-year course of study, and in
particular in year 2, occasional complementary lectures and seminars by
visiting scholars will be organized around the three subject areas. Also
running concurrently with the courses, lectures, and seminars will ongoing
English and French language instruction at 3 hours per week each. Year 2 is
devoted primarily to independent supervised research, leading to a master's
level thesis. In the third semester, one course each in the three subject areas
will be offered, with no courses offered in the fourth semester apart from
language instruction and guest lectures and seminars. In part because of the
heavy coursework during year 1, the frequency of the lectures and seminars will
be greater in year 2, when students will also be better prepared to participate.
In year 1, visiting scholars/academics will be encouraged where appropriate to
participate as guests in the courses.
For a
semester-by-semester breakdown of the curriculum, including course listings,
instructors (incomplete), and credit hours, see Annex
A. Students fulfilling the requirements for the degree will receive an M.A. in
Cultural Studies. Those not fulfilling all requirements will receive a diploma
or certificate with which they may receive advance standing for an M.A. degree
at a later date.
3.2
Courses (Year 1).
Semester 1. The first semester concentrates on the
rapid improvement of foreign language competencies and a course in social and
cultural research methods. Intensive French and English language courses – 15
hours per week for French, 10 hours for English – will be directed at improving
reading comprehension, text analysis, and translation/writing skills. The
language courses are credit-bearing (64 hours of instruction for one credit)
but these credits not applied towards the M.A. degree. The objective of the
language intensives is for students to be able to follow/participate in
subsequent lectures, seminars, and courses offered in French or English; to
read introductory or intermediate-level scholarly materials; and to be able to
adequately write class assignments in those languages. Following the
three-month language intensives, language study continues at 3 hours per week
each for English and French for the remainder of the two-year course.[4]
A basic
qualitative research methods course of two months at 12 hours per week (3 hours
per day of instruction) commences following the language intensives. The
instruction concentrates on qualitative socio-cultural research approaches,
including fieldwork methods. The units (to be finalized) to be covered are:[5]
§
Activities of the Research Process
§
Qualitative Research Design
§
Comparative Historical Research
§
Ethnographic/Anthropological Research
§
Qualitative Field Research
§
Folklore Collection, Analysis, Archiving
§
Qualitative Research Communications (reports, articles, theses)
§
Evaluating Research Reports
§
Ethical/Legal Considerations in Conducting Research
During the first
semester, instruction takes place on Monday-Tuesday and Thursday-Friday.
Wednesdays are reserved for homework assignments and skills training (see
below). Reading assignments will be given as homework for the week-end. During
the week, students receive instruction or work on assignments at the Buddhist
Institute from
Semester 2.
The second semester of year 1 is devoted to two courses each in the
three subject areas cited above. One course in each area is general/comparative
in nature, the other specific to Khmer studies. The six planned courses are:
·
In Khmer language & literature: Modern Khmer; Comparative
Folk Literature (Khmer, Lao, Thai, Vietnamese);
·
In social and cultural history (post-Angkorian):
·
In Buddhism & Pali Studies: Buddhist Philosophy; Pali Language & Scriptures I;
A subject
area course requires the writing and evaluation by the teacher of a book
review, essay, and a research (term) paper in addition to mid-term and final
exams.[6] Each course (including in semester 1) is
conducted as a seminar using, where appropriate, a problem-based learning (PBL)
approach that combines lectures with discussion and individual or team
presentations. Problem-based learning is student centered and embraces the
principle of learning through practice, or practicums,
for which the seminar size/format is conducive. The courses may be team taught
with one instructor assuming responsibility for a course.
3.3
Independent supervised research (Year 2)
Semesters 3 and 4.
Year 2 is devoted primarily to writing a master's level thesis under
the supervision of an academic advisory council member, who as a rule will be a
Ph.D with knowledge and experience in the subject
area concerned. The third semester will include one course in each of the
subject areas:
·
In Khmer language & literature: Buddhist Literature or
Khmer Classical Literature;
·
In social and cultural history (post-Angkorian): The History and Practice
of Buddhism in
·
In Buddhism & Pali Studies: Pali
Language & Scriptures II.
Both semesters will continue with ongoing French and English language instruction. Lectures and seminars by visiting scholars will be emphasized in year 2.
For the thesis, each student
submits a draft research proposal for review to a prospective thesis supervisor
serving on the program’s academic advisory council at the end of year 1. A
final research proposal defining a research topic, approach, outline, and
working bibliography will be due for approval at the beginning of year 2.[7]
With assistance from the program's teaching assistant, the thesis supervisor
works directly with the student in person and via electronic communication
(email, telephone). Each thesis is defended in front of a committee consisting
of the supervisor, a member of RUPP’s faculty of
humanities and social sciences, a second member of the program's academic
advisory council, and an external examiner.
3.3
Lectures and seminars (Year 1 and 2).
The
lectures and seminars are designed to fit thematically into the three major
subject areas during the two-year course of study. A visiting scholar may
provide a single lecture for the research seminar or may give a public lecture
at the BI in the late afternoon with a follow-up discussion session with the
students the next morning. A seminar is at least a half-day (three- or
four-hour) commitment involving student participation, such as a preparatory
reading, individual or team assignments (for longer seminars), or small
group/plenary discussions. The lecture/seminar series bear partial credit, with
students required to write a one-page review of a lecture or seminar in the
language used (Khmer, French, English). Apart from
their thematic relevance, an objective in these offerings is to have guest
lecturers and seminar leaders talk about their research or an aspect of their
research on Cambodia/the region/Buddhism from a perspective that includes or
concentrates on how they went about their work (viz., approach, method). The
visiting scholars, together with the course instructors, also provide students
with a network of potential future professional contacts in their respective
research concentrations.
Because of
the heavy coursework in year 1, the lectures and seminars will be more frequent
in year 2 than in year 1. During year 2, students will also be better prepared
to absorb and participate in the series. The goal will be to schedule at least
one lecture or seminar per month after the language intensives, for a total of
seven in year 1. In year 2, the goal will be to schedule two lectures or
seminars per month for a total of 20 over 10 months. In year 1, visiting
scholars and academics will be encouraged to take part as resource persons in the
courses.
Some 40
academics/scholars on
3.4 Skills training (Year 1)
The
language and research methods courses in the first semester are supplemented by
three hours per week devoted to basic research skills training. This practical
training includes exposure trips to libraries, documentation centers, and
archives in
. With a
modest grant from the Soros Foundation's Open Society
Institute (OSI), the project is administered jointly with RUPP through the
Center for Advanced Study (CAS), an independent Cambodian research institute
founded in 1994 and registered in 1996.[8]
There are two project staff and a consultant hired
through the Center for Advanced Study. The president of CAS serves as part-time
project director. The project director is assisted by a part-time expatriate
technical advisor and a full-time Khmer teaching assistant with subject area
knowledge and teaching and/or research experience in the humanities and social
sciences. The teaching assistant is responsible for assisting with program
coordination, day-to-day interaction with the students, maintaining student
records, and facilitating the teaching/advising effort. Project staff and the
technical advisor work through a joint CAS-OSI/RUPP(pending)
program office at the Buddhist Institute.
Program implementation is the responsibility
of two project-specific organs that will disband when the project period ends. The
program is managed by a Steering Committee of representatives of the five
Cambodian participating institutions: the Buddhist Institute, as project
beneficiary; Center for Advanced Study (CAS), grant administrator and program
coordinator; the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP), project partner and
monitor/facilitator of the M.A. degree program; the Royal Academy of Cambodia
(RAC), project partner with experience in M.A.-level teaching/studies in the
humanities and social sciences; and the Royal University of Fine Arts, project
partner with knowledge and experience in archeology/anthropology, history, and
cultural preservation. The steering committee is responsible for program
decision-making including academic policy. The chairman of the steering committee,
elected at its inaugural meeting on
The
steering committee is advised by an Academic Advisory Council comprised of the
program’s faculty and other selected scholars and academics. Council members
also serve as academic advisors to the students and research teams in year 1
and as thesis supervisors to individual students in year 2. The international
Center for Khmer Studies (CKS), based in Siemreap,
serves as an international project partner to the program. CKS's
director, Dr. Philippe Peycam, who has advised the
Ministry of Education on accreditation policy in Cambodian higher education,
was elected chairman (pending confirmation) of the council on August 23. Dr. Sorn Samnang, director of the
Royal Academy of Cambodia, was elected co-chairman (pending confirmation).
The
Steering Committee, also at its August 23 meeting, decided that it would meet
as a body once per semester as well as on an ad hoc basis if there was a need.
It also decided that the Academic Advisory Council should also meet once per
semester, perhaps prior to a regularly scheduled Steering Committee meeting.
Likely dates for these meetings would be soon after the completion of a
semester (at the end of January and June). For a diagram on the project's
organizational structure, see Annex C. For a list of members of the project
staff, steering committee, and academic advisory council (in formation), see
Annex D.
Project evaluation.
The
program's second year of funding is contingent on the success of the first
year. Renewal is determined in part by project staff reports drawing on student
evaluation questionnaires and written evaluations by non-project personnel
serving on the steering committee and academic advisory council. Course
instructors, lecturers, and seminar leaders will be asked to write evaluations
based on their visits and knowledge of the program. OSI's
6.
Notes.
a. Master's degree. This program has been designed in part to serve as
vehicle through which the Royal University of Phnom Penh may introduce, or
pilot, post-graduate (M.A.) level studies in its Faculty of Humanities and
Social Sciences. Awarding an M.A degree in Cultural Studies for students
fulfilling the requirements was the subject of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the RUPP and the Buddhist Institute by the
Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Religious Affairs (for the Buddhist
Institute). The detailed curriculum and list of students remain to be approved
by the MoE's department of higher education. The
academic program adheres to guidelines in the gStudent
Assessment Regulations for Master Degree of Arts Programsh
issued by the RUPP through the Ministry of Education and Sport in August 2001
(See Annex E.). Following approval of the MoU, a list
of the students; a listing of course offerings per semester with instructors’
names; and a list of brief course descriptions will be submitted to the
Ministry of Education’s Department for Scientific Research.
b. Buddhist and Pali Studies. In the absence of a qualified monk graduate from a
Buddhist university in
c. Language studies. The group's basic competency
in the French language is weaker than in English. Only one student can be
considered a francophone with relatively good working command of the language.
All but two student participants attempted the French language translation exam
but did not perform well. The group as a whole attained a grade of four on a
scale 0 to 10, with only three students achieving 6-7. Hence the greater number
of hours in the first thee months devoted to French instruction.[10]
It may be necessary for the first two months of French instruction to be devoted
to intensive general language instruction based on grammar, conjugation, tense,
and other drills. Language proficiency exams were administered by the English
teacher and the Centre Culturel Français
to the participants on
d. Research management in the
Buddhist Institute. While the grant from the Open Society Institute (OSI) was provided to
train researchers for the Buddhist Institute to strengthen its research
capacity, a commensurate need exists to strengthen the Buddhist Institute’s
institutional framework for managing research. The Mores & Customs and Tripitika commissions lack qualified personnel and
procedures to effectively manage research and translate research into scholarly
publications. Under the original program design (as submitted to the OSI),
which did not include the M.A. degree component, it was thought possible to
accomplish this institution-building function informally, as a side benefit of
the grant during the project period. Given the increased administrative demands
of the M.A. degree program, this function cannot be met with existing
resources. Additional means for a supplementary project component thus need to
be found to strengthen the institutional capacity for research during the
project period.
e. The Buddhist Institute’s
relevance in the 21st century. The issue of the Buddhist Institute’s future
relevance was cited in the introductory section of this project document. In
brief, this two-year M.A. research degree program in cultural studies is
designed to provide students with a foundation, in terms of knowledge and
skills, including critical thinking abilities, with which to be able to better
address contemporary issues upon graduation. In addition to their formal
studies, students’ interactions with project staff, faculty, and visiting
scholars during the project period will serve to expose, sensitize, and better
equip them to deal with moral and intellectual challenges facing their country,
the region, and global society. In institutional development terms relating to d.
(above), it may be possible to develop a third research track dealing with
contemporary social and cultural issues within the Mores & Customs
Commission with the view of formalizing this track into a separate research
organ or program at a later date. At this time, the only two official
research-based organs in the Buddhist Institute are the two commissions cited
in this project document.
Curriculum
Structure
M.A. in Cultural
Studies
in cooperation with the
Buddhist Institute
Intensive
English for Research (3
credits)
Intensive
French for Research (2
credits)
Qualitative
Research Methods – Dr. Neth Barom (6
credits)
Description: The course, taught by specialists,
will train graduate students in general and socio-cultural research methods.
The units covered include: Activities of the Research Process; Qualitative
Research Design; Comparative Historical Research; Ethnographic/Anthropological
Research; Qualitative Field Research; Folklore Collection, Analysis, Archiving;
Qualitative Research Communications (reports, articles, theses); Evaluating
Research Reports; and Ethical/Legal Considerations in Conducting Research.
Semester
English
for Research (1
credit)
French
for Research (1
credit)
Khmer
Language & Literature:
·
Modern Khmer – Dr. Hean Sokhom (3
credits)
Description:
·
Comparative Folk Literature – Dr. Klairung Amratisha (3
credits)
Description:
Comparative study of myths,
legends, and folktales of
Social
and Cultural History (Post-Angkor):
·
Description: A comparative socio-cultural history of Southeast Asia
in the 18th-20th centuries, with emphasis on how the local
societies, cultures, and polities adapted and changed according to western
colonial influence.
·
Khmer Cultural History – Dr. Om Ravy (pending) (3
credits)
Description:
Buddhist
& Pali Studies:
·
Buddhist Philosophy – Dr. Hema Goonatilake (pending) (3
credits)
Description:
·
Pali Language & Scriptures I – Kangvol Sachima,
Description:
Semester
English
for Research (1
credit)
French
for Research (1
credit)
Independent
supervised research (M.A. thesis) (4
credits)
Khmer
Language & Literature:
·
Buddhist Literature - Dr. Teri S. Yamada, Calif
State Univ. (pending) (3
credits)
Description:
·
Special Lectures/Seminars* (1
credit)
Social
and Cultural History (Post-Angkor):
·
History & Practice of Buddhism in
Description:
·
Special Lectures/Seminars* (1
credit)
Buddhist
& Pali Studies:
·
Pali Language & Scriptures II – Kangvol
Sachima,
Description:
·
Special Lectures/Seminars* (1
credit)
Semester
English
for Research (1
credit)
French
for Research (1
credit)
Independent
supervised research (M.A. thesis) (8
credits)
Khmer
Language & Literature:
·
Special Lectures/Seminars * (1
credit)
Social
and Cultural History (Post-Angkor):
·
Special Lectures/Seminars* (1
credit)
Buddhist
& Pali Studies:
·
Special Lectures/Seminars* (1
credit)
*
Lectures
and seminars are given by visiting scholars & academics and are organized
to fit into the three thematic areas.
Resource persons for lectures, seminars, courses 2002-04
(partial listing)
Alain
Daniel,
Gerard
Difflot. Siemreap, EFEO
Jean-Michel
Filippi,
HEAN
Sokhom, Phom Penh, CAS
KHING
Hoc Dy,
LONG
Seam,
POU
PRUM
Moal,
Silvain Vogel,
SOM
Somony,
Teri
Shaffer Yamada,
Social
and Cultural History (post-Angkorian):
Ang
Choulean, Siemreap, APSARA
David
Chandler,
William
Collins (anthropology), Berkeley, UCB
Stéphane Dovert, Paris?
May
Alain
Forrest, Paris?
Anne
Hansen,
Caroline
Hughes,
IV
Chan,
KHIN
Sok,
KIM
Sedara (anthropology),
Judy
Ledgerwood (anthropology),
John
Marston (anthropology), Univ.
NOUTH
Narang,
Jacques
Népote (sociologue), France
Philippe
Peycam, Siemreap, CKS
ROS
Chantrabot,
SORN
Samnang,
Christine
Su,
François
Tainturier, Siemreap, CKS [also: Khmer Buddhism]
Ashley
Thompson, Paris?
Olivier de Bernon, Phnom Penh
EFEO
Jacqueline
Filliozat, Paris
François
Bizot, Chiang Mai EFEO
Hema Goonatilake,
Ian
Harris,
Heike
Loeschmann, Chiengmai
Peter
Skilling,
David
Snellgrove, Siemreap(?)
Donald
K. Swearer, Swarthmore (
Organigram
gSt