Roukema Center for International Education
Office of Study Abroad & Off-Campus Programs
Media, Culture & Arts in South India
Credits: 16
Program Location: Bangalore, India
Term: Fall
All students in good academic and judicial standing are eligible.
Faculty / Program Team
Ruma Sen, Professor of Communication Arts, rsen@ramapo.edu
Ashwani Vasishth, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, vasishth@ramapo.edu
Sanghamitra Padhy, Assistant Professor of Law & Sustainability, spadhy@ramapo.edu
Siddhartha
The founder of Fireflies and the Director of Pipal Tree is an activist and writer who regularly contributes to Indian and international newspapers and journals. Siddhartha lectures all over the world on issues related to culture, ecology, and sustainable development.
Renowned faculty from Indian universities along with famous writers, journalists and activists will deliver lectures to students throughout the semester.
Program Description
Students register for 4 sequential courses (each worth 4 credits) for a total of 16 credits. Courses fulfill requirements in Communication and Contemporary Arts, Sociology, International Studies, and Environmental Studies majors, the Anthropology minor, and may apply to some General Education requirements as well. Course credit towards other majors is possible with permission. As a student you will "live your courses;" all of these courses include a wide range of experiential learning opportunities such as frequent trips to temples, markets, urban and rural projects, and cultural sites. Students will also view and respond to a series of Indian films.
Site Description
The Ramapo College South India Semester Program is based at the Fireflies Intercultural Centre, thirty kilometers from Bangalore, in a beautiful grove of fruit trees and flowers on a hill that slopes down to a lake. Fireflies is concerned with promoting Earth spirituality, the resolution of ethnic violence, and the deepening of demoncracy and civil society in India. Fireflies hosts international events and seminars on social transformation. Pipal Tree, an organization located at Fireflies, conducts local workshops for the cultural revitilization fo religion, myth, folk traditions, dance, arts and crafts, as well as conflict resolution, environmental resources and spirituality. Students will also travel widely in South India as part of their coursework.
Course Descriptions
Indian Culture & Society (INTD 302)
This course will introduce students to pre- and postcolonial Indian history; social diversity, including class, caste, and gender, philosophical, spiritual, and religious traditions; contemporary political and economic issues and some basic conversational Kannada, the local language.
INTD-302 Indian Culture and Society.pdf
Global Indian Culture & Media (COMM 357)
This course will discuss a range of topics including: (1) Understanding what constitutes the Indian culture industry with focus on the exponential growth of Indian film and media distribution and exhibition globally; (2) Studying the evolution of “Bollywood” into a global phenomenon, as a source for global flows of culture, and its strategic marketing and its visual aesthetic appeal; (3) Examining the role of advertising, fashion, music, and/or art in pushing Indian “culture” at a global scale; (4) Understanding the impact of Indian mainstream and community-based media on local audiences. This course is designed particularly for students of Communication Arts and Contemporary Arts. It will serve as a framework for planning their field study projects. While the course serves as an alternate to Course 2A: "Development Issues in India", it will run tandem with Course 2 for some of the days and will have other field activities and assignments due later in the semester. An integral part of this course is the Cinematheque – a series of films, which will be scheduled throughout the semester. All India program students are encouraged to watch these films, some of which will be scheduled as part of the other courses (Course 1 and 3).
Social Movements in South India (INTD 303)
This course explores ways in which people in India are organizing to achieve social justice and working to find solutions to economic, social and political problems. The course begins by reviewing the legal and political structures that shape the lives of India's citizens. Through readings, lectures, and excursions, students learn about the history and contemporary forms of several key social movements in India, including the women's movement, sexual minorities' movement, child rights movement, environmental movement, and tribal (adivasi) movement. Finally, the course examines tools for social change such as grassroots media, alternative law practices and conflict resolution groups.
Field Study Project (INTD 409)
In this course, students conduct qualitative field research to investigate a topic related to development or social justice. This course requires students to complete field study research involving interviews, observations and qualitative analysis and to present a paper at conclusion of the semester. Expertise is available in projects related to Media, Journalism, Photography, Filmmaking, and Music.
INTD-409 Field Study Project.pdf
Learning Outcomes
- Draw comparisons between their own culture and that of India
- Analyze the trends of social movements in South India
- Examine the effects of media on development and globalization in India
- Initiate individual research projects including fieldwork
- Practice cross-cultural communication
Student Assessment
Evaluation will differ from course to course, ranging from a variety of final examinations, reflection papers and self-initiated research projects.
Excursions
Students will spend approximately a third of their semester on field trips outside of Fireflies during the 15-week semester. Trips will include visits to development projects promoting women's literacy and ecological sustainability, ancient temples and palaces, tribal villages and Bangalore-based media outlets and institutes. During the fourth course, Field Study Project, students may elect to remain at Fireflies and conduct research in the Bangalore area, or they may go to an approved study site outside of Fireflies..
Accommodations
Students live and study at Fireflies for most of their stay and will share comfortable double bedrooms, each with attached bath. The Fireflies campus has conference halls, meditation centers, walking paths, computers, wireless internet service*, a library and several dining pavilions. During field trips, accommodations will include educational institutions and hotels with roughly equivalent facilities. Leisure activities include pottery, volleyball, carom board, scrabble, swimming in an outdoor pool, and exploring sites in and around Bangalore, such as the Banerghatta tiger reserve (at student's own expense).
*Internet service may be intermittent due to local realities
Program Costs
Approximately $14,500 ($19,000 non-NJ residents).
Program fee includes:
- 16 credits (tuition & fees) from Ramapo College of New Jersey
- Round-trip airfare from NYC to Bangalore, India
- Accommodations in double room
- Most meals
- All program-related excursions and entrance fees
- Comprehensive international health and security insurance (HTH Worldwide)
- Indian immigration entry visa
- 24/7 on-site support staff
- Academic materials (i.e. books)
- Preparatory & administrative costs
Program fee does not include:
-
Some meals
- Immunization fees
- U.S. airport transfers
- Costs associated with the Field Project Course (i.e. research materials & travel, etc.)
- Personal expenses (i.e. independent travel, etc.)
- Supplemental dietary needs
- Fees associated with flight date changes
Contact Us
For more information regarding application process, important dates and deadlines, scholarship information, contact the Study Abroad Office by email at
goabroad@ramapo.edu, by phone at 201-684-7533 or by visiting our website.
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