North Carolina State University: Thailand Ethnographic Field School

Thailand (known around the world as "The Land of Smiles") is a thriving Southeast Asian nation. Thais display deep respect for their monarchy and the values of Buddhism. Thailand is blessed with a tasty cuisine, magnificent temples, and idyllic beaches. Over the course of the Field School students will be based for varying periods in three locations (Bangkok, Hua Hin, and Udon Thani) that cover the breadth of Thai society, from rural to urban and from poor to wealthy. In addition to scheduled program excursions there will be a significant amount of time for students to create their own independent travel itineraries to visit places of significance such as Buddhist temples, museums, beaches, forests, and entertainment venues.Students will learn about Thai culture and society and about significant regional Southeast Asian social issues while they simultaneously learn to conduct cross-cultural ethnographic (anthropological) research in a true field setting.