Travel Study Summer Programs

The UCLA Asian American Studies Department offers Summer Travel Study Programs. UCLA Summer Travel Study Programs are open to undergraduates and graduate students of all majors, at UCLA and beyond.

Guam Travel Study Program

Program Dates: Summer 2019

Faculty: Professor Keith Camacho

#NativeJustice: Social Movements in Guam

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Annexed by the United States in 1898, Guam has long been a dynamic site for both the rise of American imperial expansion in the Pacific and for the persistence of indigenous ways of life.  UCLA’s Guam Travel Study program takes you to the crossroads of these forces by discussing social movements on the island, providing an appreciation of international politics, and engaging vital community-based knowledge and practices.  As the saying goes, Guam is “Where America’s Day Begins.”  Join us and find out what happens the rest of the day.

Facilitated by Professor Keith L. Camacho of the UCLA Asian American Studies Department, students will spend a summer in the U.S. territory of Guam, learn about the island’s legacy of social justice, and make positive contributions to the community.  Over a period of four weeks, students will thus explore native forms of justice in the widest sense possible.  From the ecological preservation of jungle and reef habitats to the ongoing quest for indigenous Chamorro self-determination, students will receive training in and everyday exposure to the social movements of Guam, the Mariana Islands, and the wider Asia-Pacific.  By way of weekly field trips to cultural landmarks, food fairs, local museums, and World War II battle sites, students will also immerse themselves in the island’s political and social landscape.  Finally, students will partner with various non-profit organizations, conduct original research projects for them, and critically reflect on the multiple meanings and applications of social justice.

Course Descriptions

Asian American Studies 177: Social Movements in Guam and the Pacific (Topics in Research Methodologies) – This course surveys the rise of indigenous and immigrant social movements in Guam, the Mariana Islands, and Oceania.  Histories of American and Japanese colonialism and militarisms in the archipelago and in the wider Asia-Pacific are likewise discussed and analyzed.

  • may be used to count towards the Global/Transnational Perspectives requirement for the UCLA Asian American Studies major or minor

Asian American Studies 140SL: Community-Based Research in Guam (Power to People: Asian American and Pacific Islander Community-Based Learning) – This course places groups of students in diverse non-profit organizations in Guam.  The issues addressed by these organizations may include disability access, environmental preservation, health awareness, indigenous rights, language survival, and native performance, among other topics.  By way of community engagement and faculty supervision, students have ample opportunities to learn from and participate in organizational initiatives and activities.

  • may be used to count towards the Engaged Scholarship requirement for the UCLA Asian American Studies major or minor

Asian American Studies 199 (OPTIONAL): Directed Research or Senior Project in Asian American Studies – Supervised individual research or investigation under guidance of faculty mentor. Culminating research paper or project report required.

  • may be used to satisfy one elective for UCLA Asian American Studies major
  • depending on research project student may also petition to satisfy a minor requirement