Post-War Development and Reconciliation in Cambodia and Vietnam
Stacy Kowtko
I decided to apply for this particular IFDS seminar for a variety of reasons. My interest in IFDS seminars rests primarily on the opportunity to study and explore “non-western” areas of the world from an academic and personal experience perspective. Specifically, my chosen seminar relates to several areas of teaching and course creation interest, especially since my weakest areas of scholarship are Asia and Southeast Asia. This year I participated in the Vietnam/Cambodia experience.
My objectives for participation in the program centered on experiencing firsthand many of the issues I teach my students about involving the state of Southeast Asia and American history, presence, and influence there. Although I have studied the region “from the outside in,” I had little understanding of society, economy, politics, and culture from inside these countries. My overall objective was to gain different perspectives on issues involving Vietnam and Cambodia and their position in the world today. Through this experience, that’s exactly what I did. Additionally, I am in the process of developing world history curriculum and my experiences with CIEE have greatly contributed to my curriculum content. Rather than covering events in minute detail, these classes look at larger social, political, economic, and cultural issues in an effort to illuminate the varied realities of peoples world-wide. Additionally, as I mentioned, I am including a great deal of this experience in my classes on Modern American History, which brings a perspective to an American history class that is often missing; the perspective of the “Others,” the ones on the other end of American events, a necessary element for outstanding American history education. Finally, I am conducting a 6 part series that includes three student focused lectures and 3 faculty/staff seminar experiences. A surprising development has been the personal requests for lectures, seminars, and brown-bag experiences outside of my series from departments and divisions across campus. Vietnam and Cambodia are more enticing to my colleagues than I imagined and I believe, based on my presentations, you may have more applicants from our community college!
There are several ways I feel my participation in this CIEE seminar is benefiting myself, my colleagues, my campus, and my students. Our institution is part of a community college district serving two individual colleges. Our campus, Spokane Community College, is generally perceived as the vocational, technical, professional half of the district. Seventy percent of the programs on our campus are vocational/technical, but hidden percentages tell the most about our constituency. Over sixty percent of our students are registered in A.A. degree programs that are part of articulation agreements with local 4-year institutions. That means approximately 5500 students at our college expect to continue their education through to a two year degree and possibly transfer to a larger university. Because of the historical perception of SCC as vocational/technical, however, we often sit in the shadows of our district when it comes to international exchanges, study abroad programs, and on-campus activities. While in Cambodia, I was “struck” with inspiration and have recently begun the creation of alternative Winter, Spring, and Summer breaks for our student body. Our students, because of their majors and often their personal situations, do not expect to leave the country. 10 weeks or more in a European country in a traditional study abroad program does not appeal to our largely non-traditional population; they simply can’t do it, financially or physically, because of life situations. One or two weeks, however, spent in a developing area helping those that need it most is something I believe our students can wrap their minds around. Less time and money commitment helps, but with such a significant vocational, professional, technical student population, our possibilities are broader than more traditional institutions. My college, as well as the city of Spokane, is getting on the bandwagon for this project, and it was all inspired by a visit to Handicapped International in Siem Reap.
Only recently has SCC been able to support faculty in international travel experiences and most of these have been based on participation and presentation at international conferences. Based on growing positive campus experiences, I hope to continue our burgeoning trend of international activities on the world educational stage. My contributions resulting from this seminar are a new and unique facet to our campus activities. Specifically, although faculty members benefit greatly from conference experience, the short time periods and limited focus of conference interaction result in a limited benefit upon the return home. Conference participation allows us to share paper and presentation experiences with colleagues and enhance our classroom teaching, but fails to provide the kind of immersion and in-depth study offered by IFDS programs.
Another beneficial facet of this experience has been the “networking” connections I made with faculty across the US and internationally. Living, traveling, and learning with other scholars interested in the same issues fostered relationships that can benefit every participant long after the end of the seminar. I am still in contact with at least half of my seminar group and our Cambodian facilitator, as well. The information I have received from these new friends has been invaluable to me personally and professionally.
As mentioned above, SCC’s administration is very supportive of faculty efforts to broaden the campus perspective in relation to international issues. The mostly immediately affective element is the series I am currently offering. In speaking with our division dean about this opportunity, a plan for a seminar series emerged that would culminate in a panel discussion, all based entirely off of my seminar participation. During this Fall quarter, I am organizing and executing several seminar experiences for faculty and students that involve prior readings, interactive activities, and lecture experiences all based on the knowledge gained during my trip. There will be a panel discussion finale that presents Vietnam and Cambodia today in light of Western historical and current presence and relationship. I believe it is possible to come to a more complete understanding of what Western and American presence in other regions means both for the “hosting” region and for the US from both positive and negative perspectives. Our campus was the lucky recipient of a major NEH Challenge Grant that, along with matching funds, allowed us to create a Center for the Humanities that gives us a unique venue for campus activities and large-scale programming. We were the only community college in the country to receive an NEH Challenge Grant of this size and as a result, SCC has a Center unlike any other in the region. Combined with SCC’s resources, the long-terms benefits from this seminar participation are great and as one of the lucky few on our campus to have this opportunity, I hope to inspire colleagues to seek these experiences themselves, continuing our campus’ growth as a cutting-edge globally-focused educational environment. Thank you for your indispensable help in achieving this goal.