Luce Asian Archaeology Program (LAAP)

moto ride in cambodiaGeneral Description
Components
How to Apply
Eligibility
Visa Information
Other Components
Curriculum
Description of Content
Visiting Scholar Program
Useful Links

General Description

The Anthropology Department at the University of Hawaiʻi-Mānoa is pleased to introduce the Luce Asian Archaeology Program (launched in July 2008), whose goal is to train junior professionals from East and Southeast Asia in Asian archaeology, history, art, and heritage management. This project is funded by The Henry Luce Foundation's Luce Initiative on East and Southeast Asian Archaeology and Early History and is additionally supported by participating entities within the University system. Mr. Chan Sovichetra from Cambodia, was the 2008-2009 Luce Asian Archaeology Program participant. The 2009-2010 Luce Asian Archaeology Program involved five participants: Mr. Rochtri Bagong Awono (Bali/Indonesia), Mr. Amphone Monepachone (Lao People's Democratic Republic), Mr. Hieu Van Bieu (Socialist Republic of Vietnam), Mr. Chhay Rachna (Kingdom of Cambodia), and Mr. Huang Yunming (People's Republic of China). The current (2010-2011) LAAP cycle involves four participants: Ms. Udomluck Hoontrakul (Kingdom of Thailand), Mr. Seng Kompheak (Kingdom of Cambodia), Ms. Hao Nguyen Thi (Socialist Republic of Vietnam), and Dr. Wang Xintian (People's Republic of China).

The Luce Asian Archaeology Program (hereafter LAAP) is directed by Dr. Miriam T. Stark (Professor) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. LAAP is a non-degree program designed to meet three primary objectives: 1) enhance participants' English language and professional skills to increase and enhance their involvement in the international world of archaeology; 2) provide in-class archaeological training to participants in a variety of subjects as professional development; and 3) provide archaeological field experience by including archaeological field training in Asia following the academic training at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. In addition to the Department of Anthropology, other participating entities at UH-Mānoa include the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Center for Chinese Studies, American Studies, Art & Art History, Asian Studies, and History.

In general, eligibility includes citizenship in participating East and Southeast Asian countries and current employment in archaeology/heritage management fields at junior career stages, for example as a civil servant. Selection will be made on the basis of work-related and academic merit and potential. A limited number of fully funded fellowships as well as self-funded spaces are available each year. All inquiries should be directed to the Program in care of Rachel Hoerman, Program Coordinator, asiaarch@hawaii.edu. We especially encourage junior-level East and Southeast Asian professionals who have obtained all their academic degrees within their own countries (rather than abroad) to apply for a Luce-funded slot in our program by clicking on the 'applications' link in this webpage. (See below for detailed eligibility information.)


Components

Academic: The Program is designed to help junior-level archaeological professionals gain skills involved in international collaborative research and grant seeking. This involves on-campus training at the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa which is administered through Outreach College, and which incorporates the NICE Program for English Language training. The Program of Studies as described in detail below includes English language instruction, coursework in archaeology and Asian archaeology, and class training as well as field experience.

East-West Center: LAAP participants will also be East-West Center Affiliates, mixing with other international students and participating in East-West Center activities. They will also be housed on campus at East-West Center.

Field Training: In the Spring of 2011, Dr. Stephen Acabado, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Guam, Dr. John Peterson, Director, Micronesian Area Research Center (University of Guam) and Dr. Grace Barretto-Tesoro, Associate Professor, Archaeological Studies Program/University of the Philippines will lead an archaeological field school on the island of Cebu, Philippines. All 2010-2011 Luce Asian Archaeology Program participants will participate in this field program.

How to Apply (Deadline, February 10, 2011)

All applicants must submit the first seven items below either electronically or by post (no faxes). Electronic submissions should go to asiaarch@hawaii.edu, with signed documents in PDF format. Posted submissions should be sent to the Department of Anthropology, Luce Asian Archaeology Program, 2424 Maile Way, Saunders Hall 346, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, 96822. Review of applications will begin February 10, 2011.

1. Application Form: The form (see below) must be completed, dated, and signed.

2. Official college/university transcripts: Official transcripts for all post-secondary schools attended must be sent directly by the school or Ministry of Education. Transcripts must include a list of courses taken, grades/marks received, number of hours spent in each class per term, and an explanation of the school's grading system. All documents must be in English or accompanied by an English translation certified by a school or Ministry of Education official.

3. Statement of Background and Purpose: In this one-page double-spaced essay, you should describe your professional accomplishments to date and how participation in this program will make you a more competent archaeological professional and help you to accomplish future professional or research goals.

4. Resume or Curriculum Vitae: In addition to your work experience and higher education, summarize the following in two pages maximum.
a) Scholarships, fellowships, grants or awards you have received, including academic, professional or community service recognition;
b) Positions of leadership that you currently hold or have held;
c) Publications you have authored or co-authored; and
d) Particular interests, experiences, skills and talents that may be relevant

5. Letter of Nomination from Home Institution: This one to two-page letter should be written and signed by an official of the institution you currently work for and printed on its official letterhead. The letter should include a statement of your qualifications, potential, motivation, and an assessment of how you will benefit from the program and contribute to your home institution, country, and the field of archaeology upon returning. If posted, the letter should be sealed and mailed directly from the institution to the address above and if electronically mailed should be in PDF format and sent in a separate transmission directly from the institution to asiaarch@hawaii.edu.

6. English Competency Test Scores: For 2011, official score reports of either the TOEFL, IELTS, or the TOEIC may either be posted or electronically issued. For applicants who are not able to take these tests, complete the attached Language Competence Evaluation form as an alternative for this requirement.

7. Health Certification Form: This form must be completed, signed by a physician, and submitted with your application.

8. Optional Self-funding Instructions: Since Luce funding is available to only four participants each year, some applicants may wish to find their own funding. Those who wish to be considered as self-funded participants, in lieu of Luce funding, must check the appropriate box on the application form. In addition to all expenses, self-funded participants will have to pay an administrative fee and document that sufficient funds in U.S. dollars will be available for the duration of studies. The estimated cost of a year of study, including transportation is US $25,000. Self-funded applicants will be required to complete several additional forms with accompanying bank statements certifying financial support and signed within the previous six months. Instructions for the self-funding process will be made available to self-identified applicants after the review of applications. Self-funded participants must meet the same minimum requirements as participants receiving the limited Luce awards.

Review of applications begins on February 10, 2011, after all documents have been received, and notification of awards and admissions should be made within several weeks.

Who is Eligible for This Program?

Minimum Qualifications:

1. Asian Citizenship: Applicants must be citizens of an East or Southeast Asian country, with high priority given to low and lower income countries, including The Peoples Republic of China, Kingdom of Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Philippines, Kingdom of Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.

2. Professional work experience: At least two years of full-time, post-baccalaureate work experience in archaeology or heritage management is required, with highest priority given to junior working professionals who have not received degrees outside of their own countries. Work in ancillary fields (like museums) will also be considered.

3. Bachelor's degree: Applicants must have a three or four-year undergraduate degree or its equivalent from a recognized institution in their home countries. See http://www.hawaii.edu/graduatestudies/international/html/international.htm for examples of possible equivalents that in any case will be determined by the program.

4. English competency test scores/evaluation: For the 2011-2012 AY, applicants are required to show English language competency by providing official score reports of either the TOEFL, IELTS, or the TOEIC. For applicants who are not able to take these tests, complete the attached Language Competence Evaluation form as an alternative for this requirement. We, however, prefer to receive results from standardized tests (TOEFL, IELTS, or the TOEIC) and will prioritize applicants that do so.

  • TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language. A minimum composite score of 500/173/61 (Paper/Computer/Internet).
  • IELTS - International English Language Testing System. The academic (not general) overall band test result of 5.00.
  • TOEIC - Test of English for International Communication. Minimum is 600.

Notes:

  • No single attribute outweighs others in the selection process, but strengths in one area may offset weaknesses in another.
  • Regrettably, no accommodations can be made for dependents.
  • While the Anthropology Department at the University of Hawaii at Manoa warmly welcomes graduate students in a separate process, the LAAP is a full-time non-degree program.
  • Medical insurance (covered for Luce grantees) is required to attend the Program. Once selected, grantees will be given information on the Program provider and self-funded participants will be given a choice of providers.

Information Regarding Visas:

  • Visa: An I-20 AB (the Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant F-1 Student Status) is sent to applicants after admission into the Luce Asian Archaeology Program and, in the case of self-funded applicants, satisfactory review of available funding for the duration of the approximately ten-month program in the US. (In some cases alternative types of visas may be sought.)
  • This I-20 AB will only be valid for participants intending to study full-time in the Luce Asian Archaeology Program at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. Participants should present the I-20 AB and verification of funding (either Luce award or self-funding) to the nearest consulate/embassy for an F-1 visa. Complete instructions will accompany the 1-20 package sent to participants selected for the program. Participants will enter the U.S. under the F-1 visa.

Other Components of LAAP

motos in cambodiaLuce Visiting Asian Archaeology Scholars Program: The Luce institutional grant to the University of Hawai'i-Manoa also includes funding to support a Visiting Asian Archaeology Scholars program. Since 2008, we have hosted five scholars who work in Southeast Asia (including South China), and facilitated participation for two China-based archaeologists. Each of these visiting scholars has made public university-based presentations on her/his field-based archaeological research; most have also met with Asian archaeology graduate students, and some have met with members of our University of Hawai’i Centers for Southeast Asia, China, and Philippine Studies.  In April 2011, we were also privileged to host three Vietnamese archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology (Academy of Sciences) in Hanoi: Dr. Le Thi Lien, Dr. Lam My Dung, and Dr. Nguyen Tien Dong. Finally, we are most grateful to Dr. Peter Lape (University of Washington), who met with Luce Asian Archaeology Program participants and Southeast Asian Archaeology graduate students in February 2011 while he was on sabbatical in Hawai’i.

October 2008 Roundtable Discussion: Archaeology in Contemporary China (involving  Dr. Tianlong Jiao [Bishop Museum, Hawai’i, USA]; Dr. Fan Li [Beijing University, PRC]; Dr. Fan Xuechun [Institute of Archaeology, Provincial Museum of Fujian], Dr. Christopher Norton [University of Hawai’i-Manoa, Hawai’i, USA] and Dr. Christian Peterson [University of Hawai’i-Manoa, Hawai’I, USA])

April 2009 Philippines Archaeology Visiting Scholar: Dr Victor Paz (Archaeological Studies Program, University of the Philippines)
Click and scroll down for audio of Dr. Paz's presentation on "History and the Historiography of Archaeology in the Philippines"

October 2009 Southern Chinese Archaeology Visiting Scholar: Dr. Wang Wei (Guangxi Natural History Museum, People’s Republic of China)

January 2010 Thai Archaeology Visiting Scholar: Dr. Rasmi Shoocongdej (Silpakorn University, Thailand)

September 2010 Lao Archaeology Visiting Scholar: Dr. Nigel Chang (James Cook University, Australia)

November 2011 Philippines Archaeology Visiting Scholar: Dr. Stephen Acabado (University of Guam)
Click for full video of Dr. Acabado's seminar on "The San Remigio, Cebu Excavations: Notes from the University of Guam 2011 Archaeological Field School"

Detailed Program of Studies: This year long archaeological Program beginning in July of 2011 provides full-time non-credit coursework for East and Southeast Asian participants, with priority given to applicants from low and lower income countries. An additional five-week field school in an Asian country follows the ten-month period in the U.S. at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Full funding for four participants each year (for three years) has been granted to the Program through the Anthropology Department at the University of Hawaii at Manoa by The Henry Luce Foundation's Luce Initiative on East and Southeast Asian Archaeology and Early History. Self-funded applicants will also be considered. Dr. Miriam T. Stark (Professor) is the Luce Asian Archaeology Program director. Rachel Hoerman is the Program Coordinator for 2011-2012 and can be reached at asiaarch@hawaii.edu.

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Participants will be selected primarily on the basis of professional merit and potential from among the ranks of junior archaeology/heritage management professionals in need of additional academic, technical, and practical coursework that may not be available in their own countries. They will have affiliate status at East West Center where they will be housed. See "WHO IS ELIGIBILE FOR THIS PROGRAM" above, as well as "HOW TO APPLY" for complete information and instructions. Links to all forms are listed at the bottom of this webpage. Review of applications begins February 10, 2011.

Course content includes English language training, archaeology of Asia, prehistory and history of Asia, art and art history of Asia, and heritage management. Courses are categorized into five teaching domains, i.e., language skills, professional skills, technical skills, history or context, and theoretical issues. Each domain and course offering is described in more detail below. Each year, the intensive English language component begins in July (first cohort, July 11, 2008) followed by courses offered in Fall and Spring terms of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa regular academic year. Cooperating professors allow Program participants to join degree students in their regular classes, resulting in cross-cultural interactions that should benefit all. Spring Semester may be followed by field training for one additional week at an archaeological site in Hawai`i, followed by five weeks at a site in an Asian country to be designated on a year-by-year basis. Specifically tailored for the Program's participants, all courses are offered under the umbrella of Outreach College, through the N.I.C.E. English language program beginning with the 'Intensive Spoken English' component beginning in July of each year. English language instruction becomes less intensive throughout the year culminating with 'NICE at Night', as content courses become the focus of study. Assessment will be based on Student Learning Outcomes listed below. The Curriculum of Study (pdf) document charts the specific required courses by semester. Structured activities range from 18 to 20 hours per week, with classroom credit hour equivalencies equaling or exceeding 12 credit hours for a ten-month period prior to fieldwork.

Luce Asian Archaeology Program Curriculum of Study
For Summer 2011, Fall 2011 and Spring 2012

Language Skills

  • New Intensive Courses in English (N.I.C.E.) focusing on English comprehension as well as written and spoken communication

Professional Skills

  • AMST 474 – Preservation: Hawaii/Asia/Pacific

Technical Skills

  • ANTH 215 Introduction to Physical Anthropology
  • ANTH 380 Archaeological Lab Techniques
  • ANTH 399 Shell Analysis
  • ANTH 475 Faunal Analysis
  • History or Context
  • ANTH 462 – East Asian Archaeology
  • ANTH 491 – Special Topics in Southeast Asian Art History: Monuments and Nationalism in
  • Southeast Asia

Theoretical Issues

  • ANTH 310 – Human Origins
  • Visiting Asian Scholar Program

Field Training

  • 5 weeks of archaeological fieldwork in Cebu Island, the Philippines

Description of Content Courses for academic year 2011/2012

Language courses incorporated into the Program are described separately on the NICE website under I.S.E. and NICE at Night. Curriculum for a given year will be drawn from the following courses offered at UH Mānoa on a regular basis.

ANTH 210 Archaeology: Introduction to prehistoric archaeology; methods and techniques of excavation and laboratory analysis; brief survey of theory in relation to change and diversity in prehistoric human groups.

ANTH 215 Physical Anthropology: Evolutionary theory, primate studies, fossil evidence, genetics, biological variation in living human populations, human adaptability, growth and nutrition, race. Laboratory included.

ANTH 310 Human Origins: Theory of evolution, evolutionary systematics, and taxonomy; evolutionary biology of primates; fossil records for primate and human evolution. Laboratory included.

ANTH 323 Pacific Island Archaeology: Origins of Pacific peoples; chronology of settlement; sequences of culture in Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.

ANTH 325 Origins of Cities: A combined lecture/discussion on the emergence and development of ancient cities in comparative perspective and the dynamics of (pre)modern urban life. Examples are drawn from the Near East, Mediterranean, Africa, India, China, and the Americas.

ANTH 461 Southeast Asian Archaeology: Prehistory and protohistory of Southeast Asia and of Southeast Asian contacts with East Asia, India, Australia, and Oceania.

ANTH 464 East Asian Archaeology: Prehistory and protohistory of China, Japan, and Korea from earliest human occupation to historic times. Geographical emphasis may vary between China and Japan/Korea.

AMST 474 Preservation: Hawai'i, Asia, and the Pacific: Lectures and discussions on historic preservation issues in Hawai'i, Asia, and the Pacific. Emphasis on indigenous and national expressions.

AMST 677 Historic Preservation Planning: Local-level historic preservation, with an emphasis on historic districts, design guidelines, regulatory controls, and community consensus-building.

ART 492 Art and Architecture of South Asia: Art and architecture of South Asia in historical and cultural context. (B) art of Pre-Colonial South Asia; (C) Hindu visual culture.

Visiting Scholar Program

Each year the Program plans to co-sponsor two proseminars given by visiting Asian scholars on recent research. These scholars will be individuals with active research profiles, international experience, and with work focused on south China or Southeast Asia. In addition to participation and responses by students, the seminars will provide opportunities for interaction with Asian colleagues and topics for discussion in other courses.

The course schedule for the first cohort, 2008/2009, can be viewed by clicking on the link at the bottom of this webpage.

Useful Links:

Application form (pdf)

Assumption of Risk and Release form (pdf)

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