The Hmong Diaspora Field School is a team-based research program focused on understanding the social and cultural dynamics in the Hmong Diaspora through ethnographic research. The program will focus on a community of Hmong refugees from Southeast Asia living in central France. France is home to thousands of Hmong refugees who resettled there in the aftermath of the Second Indochinese war, which ended in 1975. The research in the program will address issues of religion, ritual practice and healing, cultural change and adaptation, intergenerational dynamics, and other issues that are relevant to understanding how people adapt to new social contexts. This research program will provide grounded ethnographic training to the student members of the research team (including both undergraduate and graduate students) while we conduct cutting-edge research on theoretically innovative topics. Students will receive mentored training in ethnographic research (including a broad array of social science methods) and use these skills to conduct fieldwork on various topics. This program is based in the Department of Anthropology but is relevant to a wide variety of research interests including art, Asian studies, French studies, folklore, history, law, linguistics, music, philosophy, political science, psychology, religious studies, and sociology. Please visit https://www.jacobrhickman.com/field-school for more information.
DATES
19 May–8 August 2022 (approximately)
HOUSING
Students will live with local host families in the community where we will be conducting research. This will facilitate the experience of cultural immersion and also provide students with a local contact base to help them conduct their fieldwork.
COURSES
Students will typically register for 12-13 credit hours during the spring-summer program. Enrollment options include:
ANTHR 327 – Hmong Diaspora: Culture, History, and Language (3 credit hours)
ANTHR 495R – Ethnographic Field Project (6 credit hours)
ANTHR 490R – Special Topics in Anthropology (3 credit hours)
HMONG 102 – First Year Language Study – Hmong (4 credit hours)
Alternative course options may be considered with the program director.
COST
$7,000–7,500
Includes Latter-day Saint, undergraduate full spring/summer tuition (increased tuition cost for graduate and non–Latter-day Saint students), lodging plus two meals a day with host family, local research assistants/translators to assist students with research, limited group travel during the program, and international health insurance coverage.
Does not include airfare (typically $1,000–2,000), passport, vaccinations ($100–200), lunches, personal expenses, personal travel, or additional research expenses not covered by the program.
TRAVEL
Students are responsible for purchasing their own airfare to and from the program sites. Airline reservations must be made through BYU Travel. Students should contact a BYU Travel agent.
BYU Travel
280 HRCB | (801) 422-6293 | travel@byu.edu
PREPARATION
HMONG 101 (4 credits) will be required for the program in order to train students in basic communicative competence for their projects during the summer. Students are also required to participate in an international, cross-cultural preparation course (ANTHR 390R/IAS 201, 1 credit hour). This evening course will be held during the winter semester 2022. Part-time and non-BYU students will need to pay an additional tuition fee for enrolling in the prep class.
All anthropology students must have taken ANTHR 442, and all other students are strongly encouraged to take this course as well in order to develop their research proposal and learn principles of social research for the program.
It is also strongly recommended that all students take ANTHR 101 (which fulfills the university core Global & Cultural Awareness requirement and Social Science requirement) prior to the program.
All participants are required to show proof of complete COVID-19 vaccination (including booster) at least two weeks prior to departure.
FUNDING SOURCES
Regular BYU tuition scholarships, Pell Grants, and Federal Insured Student Loans may be applied to study abroad programs.
Students who submit the financial aid section of the ISP application and who have a current FAFSA form on file at the Financial Aid Office (A-41 ASB) will be considered for a study abroad scholarship and may be considered for other scholarships. They must indicate on their original online application that they want to be considered for financial aid. Academic departments and colleges may assist with scholarships and grants. Private grants and scholarships outside of BYU may also assist (see kennedy.byu.edu/scholarships). The director will also be applying for various sources of funding for this program, and there may be department specific funds available to anthropology majors.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Students must be 18 years of age or older to participate. Priority deadline: 15 November 2021. For priority considerations for program specific funding, please apply by the priority deadline. Applications will remain open until program is filled. Final deadline is anticipated to be 15 December 2021. Complete the online application at kennedy.byu.edu/apply. A nonrefundable $35 application fee is required. Applicants will be interviewed once the application is complete. Students will be notified via e-mail of their acceptance into the program. The first payment is due upon acceptance. Please refer to the 2022 Payment Information document (see kennedy.byu.edu/isp-forms/ISPpayments2022.pdf).
Priority Deadline: 15 November 2021
Deadline: 15 February 2022
FACULTY
Jacob R. Hickman is the faculty director of the program. He teaches courses in the Department of Anthropology and has conducted research in Hmong communities in Thailand, the United States, and throughout the global Hmong diaspora for over fifteen years. He has directed previous field school programs in Thailand, Vietnam, and China.
(801) 422-9373 | jhickman@byu.edu | jacobrhickman.com
SCHEDULE AND TIME COMMITMENT
Students must plan to be in France for the complete duration of the program from the first day of the program in May until the last day of the program in August and refrain from scheduling late arrivals or early departures.
INTERESTED STUDENTS SHOULD CONTACT
International Study Programs
101 HRCB
(801) 422-3686
isp@byu.edu
PROGRAM ADJUSTMENTS
International Study Programs (ISP) reserves the right to cancel this program, revise its offerings, or make any adjustments to the preliminary cost. If it becomes necessary for ISP to cancel a program, all program payments made to BYU ISP will be refunded to the student’s BYU financial account. ISP is the only office authorized to cancel any of its programs.
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