WFU VIRTUAL STUDY ABROAD FAIR
COM 360: Communication and Cultures of India: Immersed in India (hrs), Dr. Ananda Mitra
The program will focus on the ways in which Indian cultural practices have developed into a hybridized format with elements that sustain some of the traditional components of Indian culture that have been synthesized with global cultural trends. Sustainability in cultural practices is an important emerging issue in understanding global trends. Most courses that deal with sustainability focus only on scientific and technological issues emphasizing the ways in which new practices are being adopted to ensure that ecosystems are protected and sustained. This course examines the issues of sustainability of the cultural ecology of a specific ancient cultural system. As such, it would examine the ways in which fundamental aspects of culture, for instance language, is being sustained in India where new language forms are emerging as the local languages are being transformed by the influence of English. The course would examine different cultural indicators made up of everyday material practices including media practices and technological adaptations that demonstrate how the people of India are creating a unique set of practices that sustain the traditional/local while adopting the modern/global trends.
Secondly, the course will examine the ways in which the hybridized sustainable practices are influencing the modes of intercultural communication as people of Indian origin take on central roles in the global arena. This component of the course would focus on specific practices such as the emergence of a global movie industry (Bollywood) that sustains the traditional Indian cultural elements like those of classical Indian music while combining that with emergent global musical forms; the intercultural component would also focus on issues surrounding interpersonal contact between people from India, like call center workers, and a global clientele.
HST 311 (3hrs) India and the Global Economy, Dr. Raisur Rahman
India and the Global Economy offers an opportunity to learn about India and its place in the world economy in an immersive fashion. By traveling to different parts of India from north to south and from east to west and visiting sites of historical and contemporary interest, this course will provide an overview of India’s history, culture, society, politics, and economy that would enable a better understanding of one of the world’s oldest civilizations. The course will trace the history of India’s domination of the spice and textile trade, its interactions with diverse regions and world cultures, British colonization’s impact on India’s economy as well as its post-colonial and post-liberalization (1991-) developments. Such aspects would help contextualize better questions of prosperity, the burgeoning middle class, state of poverty, and India’s rise as a key player in the global economy in our times. While deliberating upon such themes, the course will touch upon diversity, environment, sustainability, gender roles, and questions of social justice and equity in the world’s largest democracy. Students will have an opportunity to experience firsthand the functioning of businesses and corporates, media houses, non-profit organizations as well as interact with scholars and experts from a diverse range of fields. The class will journey through the historic New Delhi and Kolkata, the serene sites in the foothills of the Himalayas in the north, the glitzy city of Bangalore in the south, and to the city of Agra—the home of the famous Taj Mahal and the city of Jaipur in the northwest—the city of palaces, among others.
Service portion of the trip
The mountain desert of Ladakh lies close to Tibet and is the home of Tibetan Buddhism. This area has a significant number of Tibetan refugees who have settled in the area of Leh, the capital of Ladakh. Over the several years Wake Forest students have visited this region, and in the summer of 2011 three students from Wake Forest (Kendall Hack, Carrie Stokes and Rachel Handel) spent several weeks in Leh working with the children of the Tibetan refugees. Their work has culminated in a service opportunity where the students taking the summer class would have the option of spending seven days in Leh working intensely with the children in one or more schools. During this week the students will also have the opportunity to work with Buddhist scholars in Leh to learn more about the religion and the culture associated with Buddhism. There will also be opportunities for excursions around Leh to visit monasteries that have been in continuous operation for nearly 1,000 years.
The program will focus on the ways in which Indian cultural practices have developed into a hybridized format with elements that sustain some of the traditional components of Indian culture that have been synthesized with global cultural trends. Sustainability in cultural practices is an important emerging issue in understanding global trends. Most courses that deal with sustainability focus only on scientific and technological issues emphasizing the ways in which new practices are being adopted to ensure that ecosystems are protected and sustained. This course examines the issues of sustainability of the cultural ecology of a specific ancient cultural system. As such, it would examine the ways in which fundamental aspects of culture, for instance language, is being sustained in India where new language forms are emerging as the local languages are being transformed by the influence of English. The course would examine different cultural indicators made up of everyday material practices including media practices and technological adaptations that demonstrate how the people of India are creating a unique set of practices that sustain the traditional/local while adopting the modern/global trends.
Secondly, the course will examine the ways in which the hybridized sustainable practices are influencing the modes of intercultural communication as people of Indian origin take on central roles in the global arena. This component of the course would focus on specific practices such as the emergence of a global movie industry (Bollywood) that sustains the traditional Indian cultural elements like those of classical Indian music while combining that with emergent global musical forms; the intercultural component would also focus on issues surrounding interpersonal contact between people from India, like call center workers, and a global clientele.
HST 311 (3hrs) India and the Global Economy, Dr. Raisur Rahman
India and the Global Economy offers an opportunity to learn about India and its place in the world economy in an immersive fashion. By traveling to different parts of India from north to south and from east to west and visiting sites of historical and contemporary interest, this course will provide an overview of India’s history, culture, society, politics, and economy that would enable a better understanding of one of the world’s oldest civilizations. The course will trace the history of India’s domination of the spice and textile trade, its interactions with diverse regions and world cultures, British colonization’s impact on India’s economy as well as its post-colonial and post-liberalization (1991-) developments. Such aspects would help contextualize better questions of prosperity, the burgeoning middle class, state of poverty, and India’s rise as a key player in the global economy in our times. While deliberating upon such themes, the course will touch upon diversity, environment, sustainability, gender roles, and questions of social justice and equity in the world’s largest democracy. Students will have an opportunity to experience firsthand the functioning of businesses and corporates, media houses, non-profit organizations as well as interact with scholars and experts from a diverse range of fields. The class will journey through the historic New Delhi and Kolkata, the serene sites in the foothills of the Himalayas in the north, the glitzy city of Bangalore in the south, and to the city of Agra—the home of the famous Taj Mahal and the city of Jaipur in the northwest—the city of palaces, among others.
Service portion of the trip
The mountain desert of Ladakh lies close to Tibet and is the home of Tibetan Buddhism. This area has a significant number of Tibetan refugees who have settled in the area of Leh, the capital of Ladakh. Over the several years Wake Forest students have visited this region, and in the summer of 2011 three students from Wake Forest (Kendall Hack, Carrie Stokes and Rachel Handel) spent several weeks in Leh working with the children of the Tibetan refugees. Their work has culminated in a service opportunity where the students taking the summer class would have the option of spending seven days in Leh working intensely with the children in one or more schools. During this week the students will also have the opportunity to work with Buddhist scholars in Leh to learn more about the religion and the culture associated with Buddhism. There will also be opportunities for excursions around Leh to visit monasteries that have been in continuous operation for nearly 1,000 years.