India is a place of immense contrasts and diversities, being home to a wide array of languages, cultures, religions, and communities. Amid this diversity, the impact of globalization on the country’s 1.3 billion people is a topic of intense debate. This OCS program will explore the responses of several distinct communities to the pressures and opportunities generated in India’s globalizing economy. With a focus on the intersections of tourism, politics, development, sustainability, and gender relations, we will see how individuals and groups navigate social structures and institutions as they work to make a decent living. Questions that will frame our enquiries include: What is globalization and how does it impact different regions and groups of India? What are the major paradigms of economic and social development currently dominant in India? How do these play out on the local level? What roles do the government and NGOs play in Indian communities today? What are the forces of modernity and tradition in India and how do they affect different strata of society?
Gain an appreciation for the immense diversity and complexity that characterize Indian society, while learning about the social structures and institutions that shape and influence daily life.
Learn about issues in contemporary India including economic development, gender and sexuality, and tourism.
Work with local organizations and communities committed to creating just and sustainable socio-economic systems.
Develop the skills required to live, study, and work collaboratively in a challenging environment.
There are no course prerequisites for the program. Applicants should be highly motivated to seek out new experiences; display respect, curiosity, and humility toward others; and be prepared to work and study in unusual and challenging circumstances.
18 Credits
All courses will count toward the South Asian Studies Minor (SAST)
HIST 268: History, Globalization & Politics in Modern India (6 credits)
Indian democracy represents a complicated terrain, and the social and political landscape of modern India is traversed with a wide variety of efforts to bring about economic development, social change, political representation, justice, and equality. In this course we will examine the history of modern India with a focus on political movements concerning issues of colonialism, nationalism, class, gender, and caste, among other topics. We will then examine contemporary changes in India under the impact of globalization, and study how particular groups and communities have been reacting and adapting to these developments. Instructor: Brendan LaRocque
SOAN 257: Culture and Politics in India(6 credits)
India is a region of immense diversity where more than one billion people live. We will explore social structures in India–through a focus on key areas of everyday life such as family, religion, economy, systems of stratification and social movements. Close attention will be given to religious nationalism, globalization and militarism as dominant trends affecting contemporary India. We will consider: How has India been represented in the Western imagination and why do such representations matter? What are the forces of modernity and tradition in India? What are the similarities and differences in systems of stratification in India and the United States?
Social Inquiry, International Studies; Women’s & Gender Studies Instructor: Meera Sehgal
ASST 130: Tourism and Development in India(3 credits – S/CR/NC)
This course will examine concepts and practices regarding socio-economic development in India, with a special focus on the role of tourism as part of the process of globalization. We will study the scholarly writings and debates around the varied agendas and ideologies concerning development, and analyze the different approaches to economic growth that have historically been dominant in India. As part of our learning process, we will visit numerous sites wherein economic development is being undertaken, including urban and rural locales as well as tourist and pilgrimage sites. The course also aims to facilitate positive, respectful, and reciprocal relationships between Carleton students and community groups that support local visions for an equitable and sustainable society. We will aim to transform ourselves and our place in the world through approaching communities with an informed curiosity, in-depth knowledge about local conditions, and open-minded engagement across various differences. This course will include scholarly readings, instructor and guest lectures, and require student presentations of their work. Instructor: Brendan LaRocque
LCST 101: ELEMENTARY HINDI (3 credits, S/CR/NC)
This course will introduce students to the basics of spoken and written Hindi. This will give students an investment in Indian culture and allow them to interact with their surroundings with some degree of familiarity. Instructor: Brendan LaRocque
Language of Instruction
English
Meera Sehgal, Associate Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies and Sociology
Meera Sehgal India Winter 2021
Meera Sehgal (B.A., Ferguson College, India; M.A., Pune University, India; M.A. & Ph.D. in Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2004) has a joint appointment in the Sociology & Anthropology department and in the Women’s & Gender studies program. Her research interests are in the areas of gender, race, class & sexuality; social movements; globalization; militarism; transnational feminisms and India. Based on ethnographic methods, her research examines the mobilization of women in the right-wing Hindu nationalist movement in India. Her more recent fieldwork centers on a South Asian transnational feminist network and its consciousness-raising work in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Brendan LaRocque, Visiting Assistant Professor of History and South Asian Studies
Brendan LaRocque (Ph.D. in History, University of Wisconsin, 2004), is keenly interested in researching the relations between different religious communities in South Asia, particularly Hindus and Muslims. He teaches courses on subjects including modern South Asian history, Gandhi and non-violent resistance, social movements in India, the history of Muslim societies, and Muslim-Hindu community relations. He has spent many years living, traveling and conducting research in South Asia, and has led several off-campus programs there. He particularly values the opportunity provided on the India program to explore the connections between heritage sites and monuments and history and contemporary tourism practices.
Students will have homestays with local Indian families for much of the program. There will also be hotels and hostels.
The 2019 India program will travel to several regions of the country, with three distinct sites serving as our central focus. Students will have homestays with local Indian families for much of the program. Our first stay will be in the coastal state of Goa on the Indian Ocean, where international and domestic tourism, as well as agriculture, represent major segments of the local economy. These will provide a focal point for students to explore legacies of Portuguese colonialism, the interplay between the development model of neoliberal globalization, sustainability and gender. Our second stay will be in the megacity of Delhi, where we will interact with various NGO’s working for gender justice and LGBTQ rights. Finally, we will travel to the state of Uttarakhand (nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas), where domestic tourism mingles with religious pilgrimage in a precarious ecological zone.
Program dates roughly correspond to the Carleton academic term. Specific dates will be communicated to program participants.
All Carleton-sponsored 10-week off-campus study programs charge the Carleton comprehensive fee, which includes instruction, room and board, group excursions, public transportation, medical and evacuation insurance, travel assistance, and most cultural events.
Students are responsible for books and supplies, passports and visas (when required), transportation to and from the program sites, and personal expenses and travel during the seminar. Students will receive a program-specific Additional Cost Estimate at the time of acceptance.
Student financial aid is applicable as on campus. See the Off-Campus Studies website for further information on billing, financial aid, and scholarships.
