Khmer Distance Language at UCLA

Intermediate Khmer has been offered at UCLA for fifteen years now, since the 2009-2010 academic year. These classes are taught by an instructor (Frank Smith) at UC-Berkeley. For Fall Semester 2024, all Khmer language classes will meet completely remotely via Zoom. If it's more convenient for you, there's a classroom in the Powell Library Media Lab you can join the class from (as opposed to from home). You will be joined by studentsat UC-Irvine and UC-Berkeley (where I'll be), who will participate in the classes with you in real-time. UCLA students enroll for the classes via UC's "simultaneous enrollment." You'll be registered as a UC-Berkeley student for the course, and when it's over, you receive your grade and the appropriate credit on your UCLA transcript.

In the 2018-2019 academic year, for the first time, Beginning and Advanced Khmer were also offered at UCLA in the same way as Intermediate, and we're continuing these classes for the 2024-25 academic year. Read below for descriptions of the various classes.

Beginning Khmer (Khmer 1A and 1B)
10 Semester Units (Fall + Spring) = Fall, Winter, part of Spring Quarter = 15 Quarter Units

This class meets Monday through Friday, 2-2:50 pm

There are no prerequisites for this class; you need no previous exposure to Khmer language or culture. In this class, you'll learn "survival level" spoken and written Khmer: greetings and pleasantries, how to talk about family and friendship, the home, food, directions and travel, work, health, the weather. You'll also learn the basics of the Khmer alphabet, be able to write letters in Khmer and simple narratives about your life, and read things like song lyrics, street signs, and simple folk tales. This class meets five days per week.

See the Fall 2024 Beginning Course Syllabus

See Examples from the Textbook

Intermediate Khmer (Khmer 100A and 100B)
10 Semester Units (Fall + Spring) = Fall, Winter, part of Spring Quarter = 15 Quarter Units

This class meets Monday and Thursday, 4-4:50 pm, and Tuesday and Wednesday, 4-5:15 pm.

This class is for students who can already speak "survival Khmer" (see above course description), usually learned by growing up in a Khmer family in the US. No previous reading or writing knowledge is required. In this class, you'll learn to read and write Khmer, gain experience reading a variety of texts, including folk tales, newspaper articles, proverbs, and (in Winter and Spring Quarters) a Khmer novel. You'll also learn more about Khmer culture, how to speak more formally, and how to discuss topics like religion, history, and traditional literature. This class meets four days per week.

See the Fall 2024 Intermediate Course Syllabus

See Examples from the Textbook

Advanced Khmer (Khmer 101A)
3 Semester Units (Fall only) = Fall Quarter = 4.5 Quarter Units

This class meets Tuesday and Thursday, 12:30 pm - 1:45 pm

This class is for students who already know the basics of the Khmer writing system and can read material like folk tales, newspaper articles, have some experience reading Khmer novels or short stories, and can speak Khmer in formal, polite situations (in addition to informal/home situations). In this class, you'll read several sophisticated Khmer folk tales which deal with issues of Khmer identity and history, and read several contemporary Khmer short stories. This class meets two days per week.

See the Fall 2024 Advanced Course Syllabus

See Examples from the Textbook (same Textbook used in the Intermediate class)

Additional Information

If you're interested in taking any of the above courses, or if you're not sure which one is right for you, contact the instructor at [email protected]

Watch a video of a 2014 Intermediate Khmer UCLA student's independent study project presentation

Download the flyer for Khmer classes at UCLA (please distribute freely!)