Independent Study Project Options
Namaste Global Learners!
As the start of the semester is now less than a month away, I would like to start conversations about the amazing opportunities for Independent Study Projects (ISPs) that you will be able to choose from in Varanasi and Dharamsala. In Ladakh, we will be embarking on a group ISP; working together to give back to the communities we will visit. There is more information about this project on the way.
These options presented here are only a sampling of possibilities depending on your interests and inquiries about the cultures we will be visiting.
First, think about what draws you to India… what are some things you are curious about, and how would you like to explore them? The best ISPs come from curiosities we all carry and what we would like to learn more about. This is your opportunity to dig into our experiences and pull from them meaningful experiences, knowledge, and skills that you can take back with you and continue studying upon your return to the U.S. in May. The only limit you might have is your curiosity, as the instructors and guides for your studying wishes are plentiful.
In Varanasi, the City of Light, and earthly abode of Lord Shiva, there are options to study about traditional Hindu culture: music, dance, cooking, language, religion, and traditional arts. Also, volunteer opportunities and queries about contemporary social issues are also plentiful. Below you will find a list of what students this past fall found great satisfaction in studying.
--North Indian Cooking Classes
--Observation and study of Hindu Caste System
--Yoga
--Photography and/or Photo-essays
--Stone-Carving
--Tabla Drumming with internationally renound performer Kailash
--Go Ahead Orphanage – volunteering at this home for street children helping with homework, English language support and generally spending time with the students.
--Benatti (fire dancing) – ancient martial art tradition where one learns to spin a bo (a long wooden pole). As your skill increases, one lights the ends of the bo on fire!
--Weaving – exploring the depth of the Varanasi silk and textile resources
--Studying the life and role of Sadhus (wandering ascetics)
--Interviewing Women regarding gender roles, arranged marriage, etc.
--Observing and studying with Ayurvedic Medical Practitioners
In McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala, the hill station which serves as the seat for the Tibetan Government in Exile and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, options abound to study Tibetan refugee culture: music, dance, traditional arts, and language for example, draw you in to this culture living in refugee away from their native land. Dharamsala could be considered the center of Tibetan culture, though at the cost of many lives and livelihoods. Looking at these social issues through an anthropological lens is also possible. Opportunities to study different traditions of Buddhist philosophy are present as well. Below you will find a list of what past students have discovered great meaning in studying.
--Tabla Drumming
--Jewelry Making
--Photography and/or Photo-essays
--Yoga
--Tibetan dance and guitar: the dramyen
--Thangka painting
--Tibetan Healing Massage
--Buddhist Philosophy Classes at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives
--Lha- Local NGO that offers language instruction and other opportunities to give back to the community
--Research on perspectives on the Tibetan political situation
--English conversation partners with Tibetan political prisoners recently arrived to Dharamsala
--Meditation
--Tibetan, as well as North and South Indian cooking
As I stated above, these options are only what has been studied in the past. The sky is the limit based on your curiosity and interests! This list is merely to begin the conversation about what you would like to inquire about once we arrive to these communities.
Feel free to contact me, Michelle, John or Brad to have conversation about these topics if you wish.
See you all very soon,
Tracy