INTERSESSION IN INDIA

The 2010-11 Intersession in India runs for four weeks during January semester and is based at the University of Pune, in the state of Maharashtra, India.  The program is designed to provide students with a rigorous academic experience in one of the most dynamic cultures in the modern world.  A mixture of old and new, rural and urban, spectacularly wealthy and brutally poor, eastern and western, India is globally unique as a site and subject for undergraduate study. Greater understanding by Americans of this populous and powerful country will be critical during the XXI century.

CLASSES: Students will earn four (4) academic credits taken from one of the two courses offered on the program. In addition to studying one of the courses below, all students will be enrolled in a basic survival Hindi language class.

• ENVR 495: Environmental Field Studies: India - This course is an introduction to India's complicated environmental legacy, and the struggle to achieve environmentally sustainable development in the third world. India holds over a billion people, as well as some of the world's most spectacular landscapes and biodiversity, and a unique cultural relationship with the natural world. Under the leadership of faculty from the University of Pune's Environmental Sciences department, students will gain a greater understanding of the complexity of global environmental issues in the developing world by studying Indian case studies in lectures and in the field. The course will include field trips in and around Pune, possibly including visits to sacred groves, biodiversity parks, rural villages with different development and irrigation projects, wetlands, and urban environs. This course can also be taken as HIST 399: Study Abroad in India.
   
• PHIL 310: Buddhist Philosophy in India  - Buddhism is a philosophy and a world religion that originated on the Indian subcontinent and spread all over Asia and beyond. In this course you will study some of the fundamental teachings of the historical Buddha as well as later Buddhist Philosophers of what is called the "classical period" of Indian Buddhism. While most Buddhist texts are written in Pali and Sanskrit, you will be studying the material in English translations under the guidance of experts from the Philosophy and Pali Departments at Pune University. In addition, you will have an opportunity to practice Buddhist meditation. There are no pre-requisites for this course. Students who have taken PHIL 323: Buddhist Philosophy are eligible to take this course.  Meets General Education IB. 

HOST INSTITUTION: The University of Pune was founded in 1949 and is one of India’s top five universities.  It is situated on a beautiful campus on the outskirts of the city of Pune.  Pune is a city of around 4 million inhabitants and one of the cultural and educational centers of India.  The university has an International Center which will coordinate the teaching, accommodation and traveling arrangements together with the SU faculty director.

EXCURSIONS: The travel component within India is still under development and will be finalized in the fall 2010, but will certainly include explorations of India's history, culture, art, and nature, from abandoned seats of empire to one of India's most vibrant modern cities, from nature parks to ancient Buddhist caves. We will see the ancient Buddhist and Hindu caves of Ajanta (where paintings inside the caves have lasted nearly 2,000 years) and Ellora (where astounding temples were carved out of solid rock). We will also visit the abandoned temple city of Hampi, a hauntingly beautiful capital of a vanished Hindu empire, spread across 28 square miles. We will take a third trip to one of India's national parks, where we will have an opportunity to hunt some of India's famed wildlife (with our cameras, of course).

HOUSING: During their stay in Pune, students live in or near the beautiful campus of the University of Pune.  Hotel accommodation will be provided during excursions.

COST: Estimated costs for the 2010 Intersession in India Program are $3900.  Costs will be finalized in the fall 2010.  The price will include round-trip airfare, room and partial board in India, in-country travel and lodging during the excursions, and extensive travel assistance provided by the SU faculty director, and the University of Pune.

• APPLY NOW!

Admission is competitive and enrollment is limited.  Students will be admitted on a rolling basis until the program is full.  

The application deadline is September 27, 2010.

Students should also submit the following directly to the program director:

• An unofficial transcript demonstrating overall Grade Point Average of 2.5;
• A completed faculty recommendation form from a faculty member who knows the student well.  Recommendation form available here.