Program Description

Offered through the Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE), this program is co-sponsored by UW-Madison. Participants will gain insight into the historical, cultural, and current challenges faced by contemporary India. Hyderabad, the fifth largest city in India, is a bustling city with a mixed population that combines Muslim and Hindu cultures. It stands as a point of interaction between Northern and Southern India and has a rich tradition in art, poetry, calligraphy, architecture, dance, and music. The language of the state is Telegu, but in Hyderabad, Urdu is also spoken and people are comfortable with Hindi and English.

The program is designed for students with a desire to understand the complexities and paradoxes of the world's largest democracy. Students have the opportunity to explore India's cultural and religious diversity while experiencing the impact of modernity upon tradition. This program is also ideal for a student who would like to do a service project, participate in volunteer work or undertake an internship.

Academics

The University of Hyderabad was the first federally-funded university to be established in the culturally and linguistically rich southern part of India. The university has more than 200 faculty and 2,100 full-time students. The university has eight schools: Chemistry; Life Sciences; Mathematics and Computer and Information Sciences; Physics; Humanities; Social Sciences; Management Studies; and Performing Arts, Fine Arts and Communication.

The University of Hyderabad is a graduate-level Indian university. This designation is somewhat different than it is in the U.S. system, but should not provide a barrier to undergraduates. The student body is made up of mostly Indian students from all over the country. Classes are relatively small, and are taught through lectures, although discussion and active participation is welcomed by most professors.

The CIEE Study Center offers students a combination of specially designed courses and regular university courses in such fields as history, literature, philosophy, sociology, communications, management studies, anthropology, dance, art history, cinema, political science, economics, natural sciences, and Hindi, Telugu, and Urdu languages.

Participants are required to take one Indian language (Hindi, Telugu, or Urdu), one core course on contemporary Indian society and culture, and two other university courses. Participants usually take their university courses primarily from the arts, social sciences, and humanities departments.

Housing

Students have the choice of three housing options: a double or single room at the Study in India Program guest house for foreign students; university dormitory rooms; or a homestay. Meals are included in the program fee. Student preferences are taken into consideration when given housing placements; however, due to space constraints, students do not always receive their first choice.

Excursions and Activities

Students fly into Hyderabad, where they participate in an orientation program, which includes site visits, workshops, lectures on aspects of Indian life, and music or dance performances. The University of Hyderabad organizes a full orientation that includes information on academic requirements, safety and security issues, a campus tour, an introduction to student facilities, and academic conventions in India.

The program includes visits to sites of historic and cultural importance in and around Hyderabad. Students interested in undertaking daily yoga practice may do so at the Yoga Center located on campus. Opportunities are also available for students to study classical Indian music and dance. Volunteer projects may be available for interested students.