Short Term Summer Training Courses
2010
Contemporary
India
University of
Hyderabad
Contemporary India : 2009
June 20th to July 17th , 2010 – Capacity: 50 students
For more
details about
this course
please visit
www.nci.uu.se
Course Outline
 18-20 Lectures (1.5 hour
duration) + 1 city-trip + 1
field-trip + discussions +
library work
 Assessment: term paper +
book report + field report +
quiz
 Topics covered include
Indian politics, philosophy,
society, economy, religion,
temporal, spatial and
linguistic diversity,
development concerns, etc.
Strengths of the host institution
Study in India Program – a
specialized, interdisciplinary initiative
of the University of Hyderabad with
more than a decade’s experience
that caters to the needs of foreign
students in India. Led by faculty
members trained in various reputed
universities abroad, this program
tries to bridge the cultural gap in a
meaningful fashion through the
various specialized courses they
offer.
Study in India Program
For more information look at
http://www.uohyd.ernet.in/academic/academic_outreach/stud
y_in_india_prog/index.html
Strengths of the host institution
Infrastructure – air-conditioned
classrooms, library, computers,
internet access, air-conditioned
single/double occupancy hostel
rooms at international student
hostel, food and water meeting
standards acceptable to
international students, health
centre, shopping centre, tailor,
bicycles for rent, sports facility,
yoga centre, movie hall, ATM,
etc.
Strengths of the host institution
10 schools of study + several
specialized centers + 348
permanent teaching staff +
extensive and able
administrative support
Administrative, financial, and
academic will to make the
university an attractive choice
for foreign students and
faculty members
Strengths of the course
 Interdisciplinary – can cater to students from various
disciplinary backgrounds
 Holistic introduction to India – from a practical, academic
and cultural point of view
 Great primary orientation course from a social science
perspective
 Can serve as a useful starting point for students interested in
India as it not only introduces the complexities of the issues
characteristic of and confronting India, but also provides a
guided introduction to faculty members of certain
specializations that can answer questions with a lot more
clarity, and that could lead to research support and
assistance in the future.
Strengths of the course cont.
 Coherent assessment standards with assignment details
given to the students before the course begins, and with
assignments spread over the length of the whole four
weeks so as to not make the workload too high
 Flexible approach to topics for lectures => contemporary
issues included + additional lecture topics arranged for
according to the interests of the students, e.g. in 2007
lectures were arranged on homosexuality in Indian
literature and Indian society, in 2008, lectures were
arranged on Indian philosophy, and in 2009, lectures were
arranged on Indian religion, religion and politics in India
Strengths of the course cont.
 Supplementary Yoga and Hindi classes available
 Student program asst. available for academic and
practical assistance 24X7
 Finally, at-least 2 weekends off for independent travel to
nearby areas of interest like Hampi, Nagarjunakonda, and
evenings off for a slow discovery of the city itself which is
an interesting juxtaposition of diverse historical elements
and contemporary economic forces, and even better,
evening s off for a slow discovery of the great cuisine of
Hyderabad, its rich heritage, and its typical laid back pace
of life
Demography, Gender and
Reproductive Health
IIPS, Mumbai
Demography, Gender and Reproductive Health
July 18th to August 14th, 2010 – 7.5 ECTS
Capacity: 24 students
For more details
about this course
please visit
www.nci.uu.se
Students at IIPS in 2008
Course Outline
 Specialized course dealing with basic introduction to India’s
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

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history, culture, economy and society + demographic concepts
and methods + population studies + gender and reproductive
health
20-25 lectures + 8 field trips + library work
Assessment: 1 term paper + 1 book review + 1 assignment
based on any one field visit
Extensive field trips: Shanti Van: Panvel, Mankhud Slum,
Family Planning Association of India, Tata Institute of Social
Science, National Institute of Research on Reproductive Health
Excursions: Pachod, Ellora, Lonavala, Bombay City trip
Strengths of the host institution
Organization: Short term Training
Program Coordination cell
Infrastructure – single occupancy
accommodation + air-conditioning
+ catered food + safe drinking
water + computer center +
internet access + well stocked
library
Faculty proficient in all kinds of
empirical demographic methods +
institute known for its reliable
nationwide surveys
Strengths of the course
 Does not assume prior knowledge and therefore, is open
to students from various disciplinary backgrounds
 Good introduction to population studies, gender and
reproductive health in the Indian context
 Can serve as a useful starting point for students
interested in social dilemmas confronting India as it not
only introduces the complexities of the issues
characteristic of and confronting India, but also provides
a guided introduction to faculty members of certain
specializations that can answer questions with a lot more
clarity, and that could lead to research support and
assistance in the future
Strengths of the course cont.
 Coherent assessment standards with assignment details
given to the students before the course begins, and with
assignments spread over the length of the whole four
weeks so as to not make the workload too high
 Extensive field trips and excursions
Approaching the Environment
in India
ISEC, Bangalore
Approaching the Environment in India
4th July to 31st July 2010 -7.5 ECTS Capacity: 22 students
For more details
about this
course and for
information
about deadlines
please visit
www.nci.uu.se
Course Outline
 Introductory course on environmental concerns in India with a
focus on trends in Indian environmental research with
particular emphasis on management of water and forests,
history of the environmental movement, and tradeoff
between development concerns and those of environmental
sustainability
 37 lectures (1 to 1.5 hr duration) + 4 field trips + discussions +
viewing films on environmental concerns + library work
 Assessment: book report + term paper + one/two written/oral
assignments based on one of the field trips
Course Outline
Field trips: formal and
informal E-waste
recycling sites, visit to
Kolar district, Green
buildings, urban slums
Excursions: Bangalore
City trip +
Shravanabelgola +
Belur + Halebid or
Bangalore +
Mysore/Hampi
Strengths of the host institution
Infrastructure – single occupancy
accommodation + catered food +
safe drinking water + computer
center + internet access + well
stocked library
Faculty primarily researchers in
the field of environmental
management and ecological
economics.
Efficient staff that aim at satisfying
every want of the student.
Strengths of the course
 Does not assume prior knowledge and therefore is open
to students from various disciplinary backgrounds
 Timely field trips + flexibility in approach
 Great introduction to environmental concerns of
developing countries and to Indian strategies and visions
in the field of environmental management.
 Resource persons include policymakers, researchers, and
university professors
 Use of digital media to further increase awareness of
societal ramifications of environmental problems and
proposed solutions
Strengths of the course cont.
 Coherent assessment standards with assignment details
given to the students before the course begins, and with
assignments spread over the length of the whole four
weeks so as to not make the workload too high
 Atleast two weekends off for trips to nearby towns and
villages of historical interest like Halebid, Belur,
Shravanabelgola, Mysore, Hampi, Badami Caves, etc.
 Enough time after classes and library hours to get to
experience the delights of IT city - Bangalore, or as it is
more recently called Bengaluru
Basic orientation for potential
applicants
 Applicants must be truly interested in understanding
India, and not come with an intention of playing tourist
as the course is a rigorous academic one which demands
time, attention, and most importantly regular classroom
attendance and participation to justify the 7.5 ECTS
 Applicants must realize that the course is set in a different
cultural context with different rules of behavior and
modes of functioning, very dissimilar to the Nordic
sensibility, and therefore, the student must be mentally
prepared to handle this different approach to life and
learning
Basic orientation for potential
applicants cont.
 Despite the utmost efforts at efficiency and structure,
there can be last moment changes in the schedule since
there is a certain amount of uncertainty that is tolerated
in the Indian context, and that means that the student
must consider this when looking at the schedule and not
get too perturbed if there are a few changes during the
course of the programme
 Applicants must also remember that they are in a
developing country, and in universities with resources
that are a fraction of their home universities, and so one
cannot always expect the same standards for example in
internet connectivity speed,
Basic orientation for
potential applicants cont.
 Attitude of the faculty can be quite paternal since the
student’s health and well being is of paramount concern,
more so than the course itself sometimes. Some students
find this attitude of the management and the faculty
particularly stifling, and therefore, it is better to know
that one can expect this kind of interference in one’s
independent style of functioning.
Basic Procedure with regard to
the courses
 Have a look at the website and determine programme of
interest
 Get the name of the contact person of your
university/institute, and find out from them the deadline
and procedure for applying
 After getting the nominations from all member
universities, NCI contacts all the selected students
 A letter of invitation will then be sent by email and if
required by post to selected students from the host
institution in India, which will enable student to apply for
a visa
Basic Procedure with regard to
the courses cont.
 Orientation letter will be sent from host institution and
NCI regarding all the practical matters involved including
mode of payment of course fees
 Course certificates will be provided by NCI and the host
institution for the transfer of 7.5 ECTS as per the
requirements of the home university
 NCI provides practical support throughout this entire
process and you can always write to Christabel Royan
(christabel.royan@gmail.com), Programme Manager, NCI,
with any queries you have about the course