Program Description

The University of Wisconsin’s College Year in India program, founded in 1961, offers students the opportunity to study in either Madurai or Varanasi, India - each site highlighting India’s ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversity for an academic year. Both sites feature intensive language study and allow students to learn about their surroundings firsthand by completing an in-depth, year-long fieldwork project.

Madurai, with a population of about 1.23 million, centers around the famous temple of the goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareshvar. Students will discover distinctly South Indian arts and a cultural heritage that blends the Sanskritic and Dravidian cultures. Surrounding villages allow students to choose between village and urban based projects. Students will study the Tamil language.

Varanasi (formerly known as Benares ) is located along the Ganges River and is a major Indian pilgrimage center as well as a thriving modern city of approximately 1.3 million inhabitants. Students will encounter large Hindu and Muslim communities. Participants will study the Hindi language.

Academics

The College year in India program is divided into three academic components:

• Language study: Instruction is in group and tutorial settings. Hindi instruction for Varanasi and Tamil instruction for Madurai.

• Subject tutorials: Students choose a subject tutorial that continues for the entire year or one for each semester.

• Fieldwork Project: A faculty-supervised study that takes students off campus and into the field. The project structure proves to be both flexible and challenging; it allows students to pursue their personal interests, but also requires taking primary responsibility for designing and successfully completing an in-depth research project.

All instruction in India is provided by local faculty and experts. Various on-site staff members assist in administrative and academic aspects of the program as well as daily concerns.

Housing

Students will either spend their first few days after arrival in India living in a hotel or at the program house. During this time, students will make their own housing arrangements with the assistance of on-site support staff. Options including renting a room or renting an apartment. During the program, students eat two daily meals at the program house throughout the academic year. The program house has a library and computers, and serves as a center of operations.

Excursions and Activities

A required preparatory summer session at the UW-Madison includes intensive language training worth up to 8 credits, as well as an in-depth orientation to South Asian life and cultures. Several excursions are planned throughout the academic year.