Living in Cambodia
Professor
Dr. D. Michael Shafer (BA Yale, PhD Harvard, Council on Foreign Relations, 21st Century Trust Fellow) is an award-winning teacher, who lectures globally, has published widely, and consults across the United States and abroad. With funds from foundations, the European Union, USAID, and the U.S. State Department, Dr. Shafer has established civic education programs to transform universities throughout the newly democratic world. For a decade, Dr. Shafer directed the Rutgers Citizenship and Service Education (CASE) Program, among the most international service-learning programs in the US. Under his leadership, CASE staff provided on-campus and overseas training to teams from 15 countries and dozens of American universities. CASE volunteers rendered more than 730,000 hours of service to more than 500 Community Partners valued conservatively $4 million. At CASE, he also created http://njserves.rutgers.edu/, an Internet portal for the New Jersey civic sector and test bed for the development of Internet tools for citizens.
A Typical Day
The entire program is conducted in English, and local international students must submit TOEFL scores for eligibility. During a typical day, you will receive six hours of class time -- three in the morning and three in the afternoon. You will listen to lectures, interact with instructors as a class, conduct field research, and work one-to-one with a small, multi-national group and the training staff. In addition, you will frequently make class presentations at various stages of your project. After class, you will generally be left to interact with your classmates as you please; some project work will require you to work after classroom hours are over.
Housing & Food
You will be staying in local guest houses with shared rooms. Most rooms will have shared single-sex bathrooms. Two meals per day are included in the program fee.
Weather
Cambodia falls in a tropical zone. The average temperature in March ranges from 74 to 90 degrees and can include both sun and rain. Fluctuations will make you want to layer clothing.
