Summary

Co-sponsored by UW-Madison, the Pune Internship program by the Alliance for Global Education offers students an opportunity to gain an understanding of the global workplace through the combination of a professional internship experience and academic coursework in Pune, India. The city has numerous colleges and universities, offering a vibrant college-aged culture. Pune is often referred to as the Oxford of the East.

Students will spend two months in India during the summer (first week of June to first week of August) participating in structured seminar-lecture courses and a six-week academic internship with an Indian company, non-governmental organization, or other organization, or in an apprentice relationship with individuals in academia, policy, the performing arts (dance, vocal, instrumental), visual arts (painters), or other media (film, television, photography).

The program is designed to address two sets of student needs. The seminars offer students basic knowledge of Indian history, society, and political economy, and provide a shared intellectual space to discuss their learning and experiences while in India. The academic internship caters to the individual interests of the student, particularly in areas of future professional engagement. The program seeks to address the growing demand for practical experiences, especially within the fields of business, film and media, development, global health, and information technology, while maintaining options for students interested in the traditional aims of study abroad programs to India, those subjects within the realm of language, religion, history, culture, anthropology, and sociology.

Academics

The Alliance for Global Education is a not-for-profit partnership of the Arcadia University and the Institute for Study Abroad at Butler University. The Alliance was formed with the vision of opening non-traditional destinations to an ever-growing and more diverse U.S. undergraduate population.

During the Pune Academic Internship program, classes will be held at the Alliance program center in Pune. During weeks one and two students will have an intensive group seminar-lecture entitled "Contemporary India" that will emphasize an overview of history, society, culture, and political economy geared toward understanding contemporary India. Students will begin to select their academic internships or apprenticeships under the guidance of the director and staff.

During weeks three through eight students will conduct their academic internships. For two mornings a week during the six week internship period, students will choose one of two seminars taught by Indian faculty, divided by a humanities offering (film studies, media studies, religious studies, literature, history, or cultural studies) and a social science offering (political science, development economics, health and development, gender and sexuality, caste and anthropology, etc.).

The final three days of the program will be a capstone event in the form of a retreat to a nearby hill station resort.

Cost

Program cost information includes not only program fees, but out-of-pocket expenses with notes to help explain costs. Program fees are estimated and can be adjusted at any time. Accepted students receive cost sheets with confirmed program fees in their acceptance packets.

Summer 2008-09 Cost Estimate Sheet Summer 2009-10 Cost Estimate Sheet

Location

The program will take place primarily in the city of Pune, in Maharashtra, located two hours by highway from Bombay. Pune offers an ideal setting for undergraduate students. The city has numerous colleges and universities, offering a vibrant college-aged culture - it is often referred to as the Oxford of the East.

It has long been considered the center of Maharashtrian culture and arts, with a plethora of traditional artists and performers. Pune is the home of India's National Film Archive and its premier Film and Television Institute, offering students interested in media and film ample opportunities.

Over the last five years, Pune has also become a key center for information technology and other global technology industries, offering students opportunities for well-placed internships with some of India's biggest companies. Furthermore, Pune has long hosted a tradition of NGO activity in slums, in rural areas, and with organizations dedicated to the welfare of women and children.

Student Life

Orientation:  A required orientation session held before departure at UW-Madison helps students prepare for studying abroad. Topics covered include academic, financial, administrative, cultural, and site-specific issues.

Students will arrive in Bombay early in the first week of June and are given a three-day orientation. These days will allow students to adjust to a new time zone and a new climate. There will be informational and orientation sessions, as well as excursions to tour Bombay and some of its surrounding areas. This period will include a visit to the famous Film City of Bollywood, to the Elephanta caves, to areas around Bombay such as Marine Drive, and the Dobhi Ghats, Crawford Market. After this orientation and tour of Bombay, the students will move to Pune and their host families.

Housing:  Students will be placed with host families or student apartments. Homestay arrangements will be made according to student preferences and availability. Meal arrangements vary according to housing arrangements, but students are responsible for most of their meals. Breakfasts are provided on weekdays at the program center, and there are plentiful inexpensive eateries around the Fergusson College neighborhood, bustling with Pune's vibrant student population.

A comprehensive orientation to living with Indian host families will be included as part of the opening program orientation, and Alliance staff will be available throughout the program to assist with student adjustment.

Excursions and Activities:  Besides the orientation and capstone event held outside of Pune, all scheduled activities and day-trips during the program will be in Pune or its immediate environs. These field activities will be designed as supplements and extensions of the program's academic coursework, and student participation will be expected.

Given the intensive nature of the program, there will be little time for independent student travel while the program is in session. Students are encouraged to plan for independent travel after the program's conclusion.