Lap  SiuAdjunct Instructor, Anthropology

Lap Siu was inspired to pursue a career in anthropology by Gerald C. Hickey, who conducted ethnographic field research among the Jarai for over 20 years. Prior to his death, he provided a scholarship for Mr. Siu to pursue an anthropology degree, so that he could research his own Jarai language, culture, and other ways of life.

Instructor Siu enjoys teaching online as well as face-to-face, because he believes both instructional methods provide effective learning environments for students. While the traditional classroom enables the instructor to interact and engage students on a personal level, the online delivery mode also provides numerous ways for students to interact with their peers, instructors, and course material.

In general, anthropology tends to focus more on traditional or non-Western societies. As an indigenous person, instructor Siu has personal experience with native worldviews, traditional practices such as hunting-gathering, and other tribal systems. Instructor Siu engages his students by “making the unfamiliar familiar and the familiar unfamiliar” to help learners grasp complex cross-cultural concepts.

Besides teaching, instructor Siu spends time with his wife and children. He enjoys interacting with people from other cultural groups in order to learn about their countries, cultures, and languages. His other hobbies include playing guitar, singing, biking, playing soccer, and gardening. Instructor Siu speaks Vietnamese, Rhade, and Bahnar languages. He is the only person in West Texas who speaks his native language, Jarai!

Instructor Vitae (pdf)