Winter Intersession
Art on the Edge of Politics
Vietnam and Cambodia
TRAVEL DATES: December 29, 2014 - January 20, 2015
Dr. Hal Wert and Molly Kaderka want to take you to Vietnam and Cambodia during winter intersession 2015.
Make plans now to participate in this marvelous ASIAN ADVENTURE. The trip will commence on December
29, 2014 and end on January 2015. The focus in Vietnam will be on the Viet Minh War with the French (19451954), the Vietnamese War with the United States (1954-1975), the ethnic groups of northern Vietnam, art,
Buddhism and modernization.
The focus in Cambodia will be to familiarize you with the country as well as its ethic groups, Buddhism, art, and the
history of the rise and fall of the Khmer Rouge. We have put together an exciting itinerary that includes the
spectacular temple ruins of Angkor Wat, visiting an orphanage, a traditional Cambodian shadow dance performance
erformance, d fabulous museums!
and fabulous museums!
Important Trip Deadlines
ESTIMATED TRIP COST: $___8,240.00_________six credit hours
$6,920.00 three credit hours
$6,000.00
no credit hours
Friday, September 19, 2014
Application and accompanying required documentation must be submitted to the Academic Affairs
office in the Jannes Library, second floor no later than 4:00 p.m., PLUS a $250 non-refundable deposit
is due in the Business Office. (located on the second floor of Vanderslice Hall). If the student is not
accepted into the program this deposit will be refunded.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Student selections will be made and confirmations via email
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
A non-refundable payment, half of the TOTAL trip fee is due in the Business Office
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Full payment of the total trip fee is due in the Business Office
Monday, December 29, 2014
Depart USA . Return to USA January 20, 2015.
APPLICATIONS: Spaces are limited so apply as soon as possible. Applications are available on the KCAI website at
http://www.kcai.edu/academics/enrichment-exchange/faculty-led-travel-programs. Applications are due no later
than 4:00pm on September 19, 2014; students will be notified the following week regarding acceptance into the
program. A $250 program deposit is also due in the Business Office by September 19, 2014; if you are not admitted
to this travel program your deposit will be refunded to you in full. Incomplete applications will not be
considered.
COURSE
Winter Intersession
Art on the Edge of Politics
Vietnam and Cambodia
TRAVEL DATES: December 29, 2014 - January 20, 2015
Art on the Edge of Politics: Vietnam and Cambodia
Course Number LAEL 3800-02
Six credit hours comprised of three hour units from an of the following areas: History, Literature, Social Science, or
Liberal Arts Open Elective.
December 29 through January 20, 2015
Art on the Edge of Politics is a mobile class conducted in the field in Vietnam and Cambodia. Both
countries are struggling to connect to the global economy and are countries undergoing profound social, economic,
political and cultural change. Vietnam is more advanced economically than Cambodia and has recently had years of
very high growth rates, but has suffered ups and downs as the global market fluctuates. Both countries offer a wide
range of geographic diversity; mountains, beaches, jungles, and rugged coastlines and contain a number of minority
groups. This trip offers an once-in-a-lifetime educational opportunity to become familiar with the history, literature,
art, religion, geography, anthropology, archeology, politics, and economics of a fascinating area of the world. This is
an experience you do not want to miss! The class will spend one day in Kansas City, December 29, 2014. You will
take a test on previously assigned reading materials, receive passports and airline tickets, and make sure you’ve
packed everything you’ll need. The following day you will depart for Hanoi, Vietnam. You will return from
Bangkok, Thailand on January 20, 2015.
You will get around “in country” mostly by airplane and bus and you will be in the field everyday with
native speaking guides, but you will also take trains, tuk tuks, cyclos, taxicabs, and go on many walking tours.
In Vietnam, you will explore several subjects, one of which is the long war between the Communist
Vietnamese and the French, and then beginning in 1954, with the United States. The wars left a profound impact
on all three countries. To understand how the war in Vietnam shaped the larger Cold War, you will undertake
battlefield tours of Dien Bien Phu, Khe Sanh/DMZ, Hue, the infamous “Hanoi Hilton,” the Chu Chi Tunnels, and
various military sites around Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).
Ethnic groups abound in the mountains along the Chinese border to the north of Hanoi and you will have
the opportunity to visit villages, stay overnight with a Red Dao tribe, a banquet and an evening of entertainment
with the Black Thai, visit the Flower Hmong market in Bac Ha, and the ethnically rich markets in Sapa. For those
interested in weaving, dying, and costuming, it doesn’t get any better. On the return to Hanoi, you’ll visit the snake
village and can pick out the one you wish for dinner. You will also enjoy the half-day cooking school with the
famous Miss Vy in beautiful Hoian. In Ho Chi Minh City you’ll visit President Diem’s Palace and take a day trip to
visit the Cao Dai and the Chu Chi Tunnels. The following day we’ll travel south to the huge floating market at Can
Tho, bus to Chau Doc and visit the Tra Su forest and Sam Mountains. Then it is on to Phnom Penh by speed boat.
In Phnom Penh you’ll visit the fabulous art museum, an orphanage, and the Khmer Rouge “Killing Fields.” That
evening you’ll attend a Shadow dancing performance. The next morning we fly for Siem Reap and visit the nearby
Angkor temples! This is your chance to ride elephants, and explore the beautiful ruins of the royal city. The
following day we start the long journey home.
Class requirements: Before our meeting on December 29 you will be given a reading list and a syllabus and are
expected to attend four Thursday evening session in October and November on various aspects of Vietnamese and
Cambodian history and culture, etc. You will have time to undertake the readings during Christmas break and you
must be prepared to take an in-class test on December 29. While attending the information sessions and doing the
readings, you should be thinking about particular subjects on which you wish to focus. Topics may include the war
in Vietnam, Confucianism, Buddhism (Vietnam and/or Myanmar), ethnic minorities, contemporary art, politics, or
Winter Intersession
Art on the Edge of Politics
Vietnam and Cambodia
TRAVEL DATES: December 29, 2014 - January 20, 2015
economic development. Three weeks after you return you will be required to turn in a 7-10 page paper or two 4-6
page papers depending on how you arranged your credits.
We will take only fifteen students.
Itinerary for Vietnam and Cambodia 2015
Winter Intersession
DEC 29
Test, check-in, passports, tickets, and last minute questions.
DEC 30
Flight from Kansas City
DEC 31
In Flight
JAN 1
Land in Hanoi
Check into Hotel
Temple of Literature
JAN 2
Hanoi:
Ethnographic museum
Catfish Restaurant
Hanoi Military Museum
Water Puppet Show
JAN 3
Hanoi
Art Museum (Private viewing of propaganda posters)
Hanoi Hilton
Night Train to Lao Cai
JAN 4
Arrive Lao Cai early morning
Drive to Bac ha Sunday Market (Flower Hmong)
Drive to Sapa
Market in Sapa, Dao, and black Hmong
Walk around Black Hmong Village
Over Night with Dao people
JAN 5
Winter Intersession
Art on the Edge of Politics
Vietnam and Cambodia
TRAVEL DATES: December 29, 2014 - January 20, 2015
Bus ride to Dien Bien Phu
Stop in villages and walk around rice patties on the way.
JAN 6
Dien Bien Phu Battle field(s)
Dinner in the Black Thai village
JAN 7
Morning in the Dien Bien Phu food market
Flight to Hanoi
Snake village on the way back from airport
Free night in Hanoi
JAN 8
Flight to Hue
Ancient Royal Palace Complex (Battle of Hue)
JAN 9
Day Bus trip to Khe Sanh
Khe Sanh Museum
Drive though DMZ, Coffee/ Tea plantations
Back to Hue
JAN 10
Drive to Hoi An
Cham Museum on the way
Fee time
JAN 11
Traditional Vietnamese Cooking School
JAN 12
Hoi An to Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City
War Remnants Museum
JAN 13
Ho Chi Minh City
Cao Dai Temple
Cu Chi Tunnels
JAN 14
Ho Chi Minh City to Cantho
JAN 15
Can Tho
Winter Intersession
Art on the Edge of Politics
Vietnam and Cambodia
TRAVEL DATES: December 29, 2014 - January 20, 2015
Floating markets
Bus to Chaudoc and visit Tra su forest
JAN 16
Visit Sam Mountains
JAN 17
Chaudoc to Phnom Penh by speed boat
Phnom Penh Art Museum
JAN 18
Phnom Penh
Orphanage
Prison
Killing Fields
late flight to Siem Reap
JAN19
Angkor Temples (3 different Complexes)
JAN 20
Depart for Kansas City
Winter Intersession
Art on the Edge of Politics
Vietnam and Cambodia
TRAVEL DATES: December 29, 2014 - January 20, 2015
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
In order to be considered for the Faculty Led Travel Program you must:
Submit the completed application by the specified deadline.
The number of students who can participate in this program is limited, it is therefore in the best interest of all
applying students to do their best work in filling out their application. All application materials must be turned in to
the Academic Affairs Office by the deadline (incomplete applications will not be considered). Course deposits must
be paid to the Business Office by the deadline. There will be no exceptions to these conditions.
Have completed at least one semester at KCAI; Freshmen are eligible for participation in this program.
Have at least a 2.0 minimum GPA. Be in good standing and not currently on Disciplinary Probation.
If the applicant’s academic or behavioral record is such that it would not be
appropriate for the applicant to participate, the applicant’s deposit will be refunded
to them.
As representatives of KCAI, students are expected to conduct themselves in a
mature and respectful manner.
If a student is in good standing when accepted into the program but jeopardizes that status
through inappropriate conduct prior to the start of the program, the student may be precluded from
participating in the program. This prohibition may include forfeiture of all program fees previously
paid.
FINANCIAL AID OPPORTUNITIES
The Kansas City Art Institute is pleased to be able to offer you the opportunity to participate in Travel Programs.
As a participant you may receive a total of six hours of academic credit.
Federal funding is available for this program through the Federal Stafford Loan Program; you must be admitted to
the KCAI BFA degree program and participate in the program for 6 credit hours in order to qualify. In addition,
private alternative loans are available to those who qualify.
KCAI scholarships are not applicable toward the cost of this program.
For more information or details, stop by the Financial Aid Office or contact Lori Baer at 816-8023558 or
lbaer@kcai.edu.
Winter Intersession
Art on the Edge of Politics
Vietnam and Cambodia
TRAVEL DATES: December 29, 2014 - January 20, 2015
TIPS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
1. Passport
a.
Make sure you have a passport that is valid for at least six months past the dates of
your trip.
b.
Make sure you have signed your passport.
c.
Make sure to fill in the Emergency Information page.
d.
Make sure to make photocopies of your passport prior to departure. Leave one
copy with a friend or family member in the U.S. and keep one stored with you on
your trip, but separately from your actual passport.
e.
Make sure to procure any required visas for entry into the countries you will be
traveling to prior to departure.
2. Pre-Departure Prep
a.
Review the Country Specific Information posted by the U.S. Department of State for
the country/ies you are traveling to prior to departure. This information can be
found at: http://www.state.gov/p/eur/ci/hu/
b.
Review the list of Current Travel Warnings posted by the U.S. Department of State
prior to departure to see if there is one for the country/ies to which you are
traveling. This information can be found at at:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html
Please note: If there is a U.S. Department of State issued travel warning for the destination country of your trip, your trip will
be cancelled.
c.
Register with the U.S. Embassy or Consulate nearest to your destination. You may
register your trip online through the U.S. Department of State’s travel registration
website at: https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/
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The State Department strongly encourages American citizens planning travel abroad to register their travel with the
Department of State. Travel registration makes it possible to contact a traveler if necessary, whether because of a
family emergency in the United States or because of a crisis in the place the traveler is visiting. Registration is a free
service provided by the State Department, and is easily accomplished.
d.
Familiarize yourself with the local laws and customs of the country/ies you are traveling to. While
traveling abroad the Constitution does not follow you; you are subject to the laws of each country you
visit just as the country’s citizens are.
e.
Leave a copy of your itinerary with a friend or family member in the U.S. so that you
can be contacted in case of an emergency.
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If your family needs to reach you because of an emergency, they can pass a message to you through the Office of
Overseas Citizens Services, which can be contacted from within the United States at 1-888-407-4747 (toll free), and
Winter Intersession
Art on the Edge of Politics
Vietnam and Cambodia
TRAVEL DATES: December 29, 2014 - January 20, 2015
from overseas at 202-501-4444. The Office of Overseas Citizens Services will contact the U.S. Embassy or Consulate
in the country in which you are traveling in order to pass the message to you.
f.
Visit the website of the airline you are traveling on for luggage guidelines. Some airlines require that all
liquids packed in your carry-on luggage be in containers no larger than 3 oz. and all must fit into one quartor liter-sized clear plastic bag; other airlines do not allow liquids in your carry-on luggage at all. Most airlines
also have weight limits for your luggage.
g.
Make yourself aware of restrictions on items that may be taken overseas (see “Bringing
Medications or Filling Prescriptions Abroad,”at:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/tips_1232.html#medications) and even on items that
may be brought into the U.S. upon return (see “Customs and Import Restrictions,” at
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/tips_1232.html#customs).
3. Health
a.
Familiarize yourself with conditions at your destination that could affect your health.
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b.
High altitude or pollution
Types of medical facilities
Required immunizations
Availability of required pharmaceuticals
Visit the Center for Disease Control’s website at www.cdc.gov/travel for:
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General guidance on health precautions
Country specific health guidelines and recommended vaccinations:
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/list.aspx
c.
U.S. medical insurance is generally not accepted outside the United States. It is a good idea to
increase the current level of your insurance to include international travel.
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d.
This insurance should cover emergency medical evacuation and repatriation.
If you have a pre-existing medical condition, you should carry a letter from your
attending physician describing the medical condition and any prescription
medications, including the generic names of prescribed drugs.
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Any medications being carried overseas should be left in their original containers and be clearly
labeled.
Carry medications in your carry-on luggage so you will have them with you in case your checked
luggage is lost.
Check with the foreign embassy of the country/ies you are visiting to make sure any required
medications are not considered to be illegal narcotics.
You can find information for the embassy in the country/ies you are visiting at:
http://www.state.gov/s/cpr/rls/dpl/32122.htm
Winter Intersession
Art on the Edge of Politics
Vietnam and Cambodia
TRAVEL DATES: December 29, 2014 - January 20, 2015

Some countries require foreign visitors to have inoculations or medical tests before entering. Check
with the foreign embassy of the country/ies you are visiting for the latest entry requirements.

If you have allergies, reactions to certain medications, food, or insect bites, or other unique medical
problems, consider wearing a “medical alert” bracelet. You may also carry a letter from your
physician explaining required treatment should you become ill.
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If you wear corrective lenses, be sure to pack an extra pair in your carry-on luggage so you will have
them with you in case your checked luggage is lost.
4. Traveling
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Do not leave your luggage unattended.
Do not accept packages from strangers.
Try not to wear conspicuous clothes or expensive jewelry, and do not carry large amounts of cash or unnecessary
credit cards. These can make you the target of thievery.
Deal only with authorized agents when purchasing art or antiques to avoid violating any local laws.
Deal only with authorized agents when exchanging money to avoid violating any local laws.
If you become the victim of a crime, the American Consulate can help you:
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Address other emergency needs that arise as a result of the crime.
Provide information about local resources to assist victims, including foreign crime victim compensation programs.
Obtain information about U.S. crime victim assistance and compensation programs.
Obtain a list of local attorneys who speak English.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
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Replace a stolen passport.
Contact family, friends, or employers.
Obtain appropriate medical care.
More information about consular assistance for victims of crime abroad can be found at:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/emergencies/emergencies_1212.html. When you
are in a foreign country, you are subject to its laws and American officials are limited
as to how they can assist you.
If you are arrested, immediately ask to speak to a consular officer at the nearest U.S. Embassy or
Consulate.
Under international agreements, the U.S. Government has a right to provide consular
assistance to you upon your request. If your request to speak to your consul is turned down,
keep asking – politely, but persistently.
Information on how consuls assist American arrestees can be found at:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/emergencies/arrest/arrest3879.html
Every year, several hundred Americans are arrested abroad on drug charges. Persons caught with
illegal drugs in a foreign country are subject to the drug laws of that country, not those of the U.S.
Ignorance of the law is no excuse.
Winter Intersession
Art on the Edge of Politics
Vietnam and Cambodia
TRAVEL DATES: December 29, 2014 - January 20, 2015
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Persons convicted may face sentences ranging from fines and jail time, to years of hard labor, and even the
death penalty.
Physical abuse, confiscation of property, degrading treatment and extortion are possible.
Officials may not speak English.
Diets are often inadequate and require supplements from relatives and friends.
Prisons may lack even minimal comforts, such as beds, toilets, and washbasins.
Pre-trial detention, often in solitary confinement, can last several months.
Many countries do not permit pre-trial release on bail.
Few countries provide a jury trial.
Every aspect of a drug arrest abroad can be different from U.S. practice.
f. If you find yourself temporarily destitute due to unforeseen circumstances, contact the nearest U.S.
Embassy or Consulate or the State Department’s Office of Overseas Citizens Services. They can assist
you in contacting your family, bank, or employer to arrange for transfer of funds. In some cases, these
funds can be wired through the Department of State.
g. The U.S. Department of State has also developed a travel website specifically geared towards U.S.
students studying abroad. You can peruse their Student Study Abroad site at:
http://www.studentsabroad.state.gov/
Winter Intersession
Art on the Edge of Politics
Vietnam and Cambodia
TRAVEL DATES: December 29, 2014 - January 20, 2015