2020 Indonesia Field School

The 2020 Southeast Asia field school course is SOAN 312, Indonesia and Southeast Asia in Cultural Context, taught by Professors Gareth Barkin and Sunil Kukreja. The course involves a semester of on-campus study during spring, 2020, and three weeks in Indonesia after the semester ends. It focuses on the anthropology and sociology of Southeast Asia with an emphasis on Indonesian cultural and environmental topics.

The course will explore how topics including religion, ethnic relations, gender and sexuality, media, and economic power intersect with tourism in Bali. Students will attend class throughout the spring semester at Puget Sound, and then travel to Udayana University in southern Bali, Indonesia, for a three-week period of intensive, experiential learning, collaboration with Indonesian participants, and independent, visual anthropological research. 

A partner of the 2020 program is the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), ten of whose members from across Indonesia will work remotely with Puget Sound students during the semester, then live along side and engage in collaborative ethnographic work with Puget Sound students in Indonesia. Student teams will explore cultural themes in Bali, and how they influence different sectors of the pervasive tourism industry on the island.

Thanks to the generosity of the Henry Luce Foundation, most student costs on this program will be covered, with the exception of international transportation to and from Denpasar, Indonesia. An application is required for this subsidized program. If you have questions, please reach out to Gareth Barkin.

To get an idea of the program's focus and philosophy, read this feature from Arches Magazine about the 2017 Indonesia program.

Puget Sound student applications are now closed.

Instructions

1. Before you apply, you will need to complete the interest form (if you haven’t already completed one) in the Horizons system: https://pugetsound-horizons.symplicity.com.
2. After you've done that, search for SOAN 312 in the program search in order to find your program and fill out the application.
3. Note that, in addition to the online form itself, the application requires a short essay, an unofficial transcript, and for you to list a faculty member who can complete a brief recommendation.

If you have any questions, please contact Professor Barkin or the Office of International Programs.