Mongolia
Mongolia: Empire and Democracy
June 1-11, 2008
Itinerary
This 11-day seminar begins and ends in Ulaanbaatar. Included is a study tour to Khentii province, birthplace of Chinggis Khaan, where participants will spend two nights at a traditional ger camp, the circular felt tents that the Mongolians have traditionally lived in for centuries. This is a unique opportunity to travel off-the-beaten-track for on site lectures in places of historic significance and witness the traditional Mongolian nomadic lifestyle. Please note that the hotel in Ulaanbaatar, where participants will spend the majority of their time, meets traditional IFDS standards. The tourist ger accommodation, however, while clean and comfortable, is double-occupancy and has a separate building with hot water and toilets.
Seminar Fee
CIEE Member: $2,500 Non-Member: $2,700
Add-on Tour: Gobi Desert
June 11-15, 2008
Fee: $780
There is an optional 5 day excursion in which participants will travel on the Trans-Siberian Railroad to Beijing, stopping in Sainsand in the Gobi desert. From the Tavan Tohoi tourist base camp, participants will visit Khamaryn Khiid (Khamaryn Monastery) and tour the Gobi desert.
Academic Content (please note this is tentative and subject to change)
Lectures
- Mongolian Imperial History
- History of Mongolian Statehood
- Politics & Foreign Relations
- Economic Development
- Mongolian Buddhism
- Baldan Beraivan Khiid Monastery Restoration Project (on-site)
- Significance of Archeological Sites in Binder Soum, where Chinggis Khan united the Mongol tribes in 1206 and is allegedly buried (on-site)
Co-curricular Site Visits & Field Trips
- City tour of Ulaanbaatar
- National University of Mongolia
- Meet with NGOs working on issues of policy, governance and development
- Museums of National History, Natural History and Fine Art
- Tsenkhermandal Soum and Khokh nuur, site of Chinggis Khaan's coronation where Chinggis Khan first united local tribes
- Meet soum government and community officials
- Visit a herding families and participate in daily activities
Rationale
The establishment of the Mongol Empire is one of the most important events in world history, and Mongolia is the only former Soviet-bloc state in Asia to have successfully developed a functioning democratic political system and market economy. In spite of this, the predominant and persistent view of the Mongolians and the Mongol Empire remains one of barbaric conquerors. Providing educators the opportunity to learn about Mongolia firsthand can contribute to a more nuanced portrayal of Chinggis Khaan and the Mongol Empire, as well as a greater understanding of the dynamics of Asian empires and an appreciation of Asian cultures generally.
The seminar will allow participants to visit many of the historical sites associated with Chinggis Khan (popularly spelled Genghis Khan) and the Mongol Empire to develop a greater understanding of the context and geography that led to the Mongol’s conquest of much of Eurasia, a subject of growing, yet still underrepresented academic and popular interest. The seminar will also introduce participants to contemporary Mongolia to explore how Mongolians have sought to reconcile the heritage of Chinggis Khaan, who founded the great Mongol State in 1206, with the demands of the modern world and their experience transitioning from Communism to democracy and a market economy. IFDS participants will witness a society experiencing over 800 years of social, cultural, and political change, with a combination of lectures by important Mongolian and international scholars in the field of Mongolian Studies and field trips to significant sites.
Host Institution
American Center for Mongolian Studies (ACMS) is a non-profit educational organization that has over 30 institutional members in the US and Mongolia, and over 200 individual members. In May 2004, the ACMS opened a permanent office in Ulaanbaatar at the National University of Mongolia with support from the US Department of Education’s Fulbright-Hays program, the US State Department, member institutions and individuals, and private donors. The center has organized approximately 10 major international academic conferences in Mongolia, and regularly hosts visiting academics, public academic lectures, and Mongolian Studies resource development projects.
Seminar Leadership
Mr. Demchig Enkhbaatar is Resident Deputy Director of the American Center for Mongolian Studies (ACMS) in Ulaanbaatar. He has a BA in Linguistics from Rostov State University, Russia, and holds a Master of Education degree from the University of Pittsburgh in the United States. Mr. Enkhbaatar has worked as a coordinator for educational programs at the Mongolian Foundation for an Open Society (Soros Foundation) in Ulaanbaatar, and as a cultural trainer for the US Peace Corps program. He has worked previously as a Russian language teacher at secondary schools of Bayankhongor province, and as a teacher-trainer at the Education Methodology Center in Bayankhongor. His responsibilities with the ACMS and other organizations have included organizing international conferences and planning and carrying out training workshops with international participants.
Brian White is Resident Director of the ACMS in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. He earned his B.A. in Economics (cum laude) from the University of Washington and holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Cornell University. Mr. White has spent significant amounts of time working in Japan, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia in the field of education. He worked for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Mongolia as a teacher trainer and methodologist, and is proficient in written and spoken Mongolian. His Master’s research focused on international development and the use of the Internet in non-profit management and education. Mr. White also has experience working as an archivist at the Cornell University Kroch Asian Library.
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