An informational meeting for the Village India Program will be held 13 Dec 2008 -- check back here for the location.

The application form is now available online at http://artsci.wustl.edu/~overseas/ (see under "Announcements") or from Jennifer White Reding of the Overseas Programs Office at overseas@wustl.edu. 

Village India:
Washington Univ. Summer Teaching Internships and
Fieldschool in Rural India

approx. June 25- August 5, 2008

This program description is provisional.  The program is new and many aspects of it are not yet finalized.

About the Program

In summer 2007 the Dept. of Anthropology started a unique six-week study abroad program in rural Andhra Pradesh, India. This program is designed for self-starter students with an interest in experiencing village life in India, in exploring anthropological research and/or visual arts in the field, and in service-learning through teaching Indian students. Based at the Pai Junior College, students will participate in anthropological research projects designed by Washington University faculty, will teach a mini course to high school students, and will study Telugu language for a total of five Washington University credits. Students will be housed at the school and optional independent travel is possible. Tuition will cover housing, meals, research expenses, transportation within India, the costs of the WU faculty, and on-site coordinator and translators.

Program Location

The program will be located at Pai Junior College in Kalleda Village, Warangal District, Andhra Pradesh (website). This is an English-language junior college (equivalent of grades 11-12), associated with (and located next to) Kalleda Rural School (a Telugu-medium primary-middle school with grades 1-10). These are two of the five schools run by Hyderabad-based Rural Development Foundation (website).

Kalleda is a village of around 3000 in a rural agricultural (mainly rice and cotton) area in Warangal District. It is a 1-hour drive from Warangal City and a 3.5 hour drive from Hyderabad . It is home to a wide range of castes and communities, including scheduled tribes and scheduled castes, and with farmers, toddy-tappers, shop-keepers, and craftsmen. Kalleda Rural School is housed in a beautiful old estate that Prof. Stone, the program director, has used as his headquarters for ethnographic research since 2000. Pai Junior College is new, with an opening date in June 2007.

Summary of the Program:

The program comprises the three components of instruction, teaching, and field research.

• Instruction. An orientation by Washington Univ. faculty will take place before the end of the Spring semester.  The group will attend a 2-day background seminar, including history and culture, at a Hyderabad college before relocating to Kalleda village. We hope to arrange for a weekly seminar on local culture and politics taught by a professor from Kakatiya University in Warangal. Students will also spend time each day in Telugu language learning.
  
• Research. Students will participate in ongoing studies overseen by Anthropology Profs. Stone, Bradley Stoner, and Geoff Childs. These studies concern effects of education on growth, development, health, and reproductive behavior; and the impacts of agricultural biotechnology on local farmers. Contribution to these studies will involve various forms of data collection, including interviewing and participant observation. In special cases, independent research projects will be possible. Translators will be provided where needed. Students will be expected to present their data and a report at the completion of the program.
  
• Teaching. Students will engage in service-learning by teaching a mini course at the Pai Junior College . Course templates will be provided but students may design much of their course in consultation with Prof. Stone and the college and RDF staff. (The kids' pressing educational need is learning and using English, so course content is not the primary consideration.)  Students may optionally run extra-curricular programs for either the junior college or the primary school; examples are drama, photography, internet use, computers, or entrepeneurial activities.  The village photoblog, begun by an American student in 2005, is an example of the sort of project that is possible.

Students will normally earn a total of 5 credits.  The seminar and language training will earn 1 generic credit; research and teaching will earn 4 credits at the 400 level, distributed between anthropology and internship credits.  For example:

Outside the Classroom:

Some transportation will be available to allow students to travel around the area, and at least one field trip will be organized. Students who wish to travel in India after the program will be put in touch with a Hyderabad travel agent who will provide travel packages.

Costs

The program cost has not yet been determined but it will not differ significantly from other Washington U. study abraod programs; this would be in the range of $3000-3500 for a 5-credit program. Airfare will be an estimated $1800-2200. We real;ize this cost will be prohibitive for most students, but some travel subsidy will be available, through Washington Univ. as well as the India Rural Development Fund (website), and we are actively working to raise more funds.

If you are interested in learning more about the program, contact Glenn Stone at stone@wustl.edu.

You can help support the Village India program -- details.