GENERAL INFORMATION

Eligibility:

The Tibet Site Seminar is open to students enrolled in Ph.D. programs in North America in relevant fields of study, including Art History, Buddhist Studies, Religious Studies, and Tibetology.  Preference will be given to students who have completed coursework or qualifying examinations and are beginning to define their dissertation topics.

Application Process:

All application materials must be received in paper form by January 2, 2007. Applicants will be notified of decisions by February 1, 2007. By March 1, 2007 all applicants who wish to participate in the Seminar must submit a signed medical release, proof of insurance, and a $500 deposit to secure their place in the Seminar. The balance of the fee for the seminar is due by May 1, 2007.

Cost:

Students will assume responsibility for paying a $2,000 fee for the Seminar as well as providing their own transportation to and from Lhasa.  (Prospective applicants are urged to apply to their home institutions as early as possible for research grants to cover their fee and travel expenses.)  All other costs (except for health insurance) will be provided by the Tibet Site Seminar, thanks to the generosity of the Seminar’s sponsors.

Within Tibet, the Seminar will provide: transportation (by bus and four-wheel drive vehicle), housing (in hotels, hostels, and tents), entry fees, and food (usually including vegetarian selections).  Students will provide their own water purification systems (tablets or filtration systems), sleeping bags, photographic equipment and supplies, medicines, and any special foods not readily available in western Tibet.

What To Expect During the Seminar:

The Tibet Site Seminar is dedicated to bringing together teachers and students from different disciplines within the shared framework of a site seminar.  Thus, each student can expect to depend on prior knowledge and training but also to be challenged to work in a new discipline.

The itinerary is based on pedagogical coherence rather than conducting new research at undiscovered sites.  During the seminar students should not expect to make side-trips to locations not on the syllabus in order to conduct research for their dissertations or other projects.  Although the faculty will endeavor to teach about specific sites, the greatest benefit to students will be more indirect and methodological.

Teaching and research will be divided among a variety of formal activities, including orientation activities, introductory lectures by faculty, small-group projects, student presentations, and discussion.  Since the group will be traveling together for one month over long distances, much teaching and learning will also take place informally.

Photographs and photographic equipment are the responsibility of the individual student.  Participants should not expect to be able to photograph freely or widely.  Policies regarding permission for photographs as well as cost are in a constant state of flux, usually determined by individual temples or specific archaeological offices.

What To Expect Before the Seminar:

Applicants should expect to finish background reading during the spring of 2007, prior to the Seminar.  A relatively short list of required readings will be posted and some reading materials will be distributed in electronic format to participants in early 2007.  More detailed bibliographies (for optional reading and research) will also be made available.  These and other announcements will be posted on this website under Notifications.

Visa information, suggestions for travel to and from Lhasa, discussion of required items, etc. will also be posted under Notifications.

What To Expect After the Seminar:

All seminar participants will present a formal academic paper growing out of their research at the Princeton Conference on Art History, Buddhist Studies, and Tibet in March, 2008.  The Site Seminar will provide funding for travel to the conference within North America, lodging, and meals.