My approach is for students to learn by doing. Many of my classes have a field component, where students work on “real-life” projects. Other courses involve a considerable amount of research and require in-class presentations. I believe strongly on the need for individual initiative and creativity. The teacher is a guide and sounding board for the development of independent–and sometimes team–ideas.

Research & Creative Work

1877 Volcano House, the subject of a recent monograph published by the National Park Service (2017)

Cover for new book on ruins in Southeast Asia (2017)

Cover photo for A Heritage of Ruins, a published study of conservation in Southeast Asia (2013)

French explorers in Cambodia, an illustration from a recent (2017) article on the French School of the Far East (EFEO)

Climate Change in The Pacific, a study funded by the National Park Service (2015)

Cover of a publication for the National Park Service on the military uses of the parks in World War II (2012)

The Wright Brothers National Memorial, the subject of a National Park Service study

Cover of Asia Conserved, part of a nearly twenty-year program by UNESCO in which Chapman has played a central role

Areas of Interest

Architectural History
Historic Preservation
Urban Conservation
Vernacular Architecture

Professional Experience

Faculty member, UH Manoa (1993- present);
Associate Professor, University of Georgia (1985-1993);
Historian, National Park Service (1983-1985);
Associate Director and Historian, Virgin Islands Division of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (1979-1983)

Selected Publications

Ancient Sites of Southeast Asia: A Traveler’s Guide through History, Ruins, and Landscapes. Bangkok: River Books and Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2018.

 A Heritage of Ruins: The Ancient Sites of Southeast Asia and their Conservation. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2013.

Asia Conserved IV: New Directions, The Asia-Pacific Awards Program (2015-2019), Editor. Bangkok and Nanjing: UNESCO and Southeast University Press, 2020.

Asia Conserved III: Heritage Conservation and Sustainability (2010-2014), Editor. Bangkok and Nanjing: UNESCO and Southeast University Press, 2019.

“Neat, Roomy and Well-Kept…” The Story of Hawai‘i’s First Volcano House(s), 1844-1940. Special Anniversary Publication. Kilauea, Hawai‘i: National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, 2017.

“The Hawai‘i Capital National Heritage Area: A Wonderful But Premature Idea.” In Richard Engelhardt and Walter Jamieson, eds. Heritage Conservation and Sustainable Tourism Planning. London: Goodfellow, 2018.

“Intangible Culture in The United States: A History of Separate Initiatives.” International Journal of Intangible Heritage14 (2019), 68-81.

“Adjuncts to Empire: The EFEO and the Conservation of Champa Antiquities.” Bulletin of the History of Archaeology 28, 1 (January 2018), 1-12. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/bhha-584

“Cambodia.” In Sandra Piesek, ed. Habitat: Vernacular Architecture for a Changing Planet. London: Thames and Hudson, 2017.

“Thailand.” In Sandra Piesek, ed. Habitat: Vernacular Architecture for a Changing Planet. London: Thames and Hudson, 2017.

“Architectural Conservation Training in Asia.” In John H. Stubbs and Robert G. Thomson, eds. Architectural Conservation in Asia: National Experiences and Practice. London: Routledge, 2016, pp. 18-22.

“New Design in Heritage Contexts.” In John H. Stubbs and Robert G. Thomson, eds. Architectural Conservation in Asia: National Experiences and Practice. London: Routledge, 2016, pp. 146-149.

“Ancient Ruins and their Landscape Settings.” “Na Jua:” Journal of the Faculty of Architecture Silpakorn University and AHMT: Architectural Management and Tourism [Silpakorn University Journal, International Program in Architectural Heritage Management and Tourism] Special Combined Issue 31 (February 2016), 39-62.