Southeast Asian Studies Program - Ateneo de Manila University

The impending ASEAN integration in 2015 and the increasing strategic importance of Southeast Asia and the ASEAN in regional and global affairs underscore the salience and relevance of the Southeast Asian Studies program.

Created under the aegis of the School of Social Sciences Dean's Office in late 2013 and in coordination with the School of Humanities Dean's Office, the Southeast Asian Studies Program addresses the need for Filipinos to arrive at a deeper understanding and appreciation of the other countries and cultures in the Southeast Asian region - just as other countries and cultures in the region need to have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Philippines.

With the twenty-first century evolving into the “Asian Century”, Filipinos also need to keep abreast of the developments in the region in order to take advantage of the opportunities that the Asian century brings and deal with the accompanying changes and challenges in the regional and global governance architecture.

Moreover, the Southeast Asian Studies Program makes a significant contribution to the Ateneo de Manila University’s goals to provide an education that is not only transformative and globally competitive but also Asian in perspective, and to offer programs that are responsive to the Philippine, global, and Asian realities.