Explorations in Social Justice
2009 Exploration Seminar in India
Program Director: Anu Taranath (Department of English)
Dates of Instruction: July 27 - August 21 , 2009
NOTE THAT THIS PROGRAM IS A SUMMER (B Term) AND NOT AN EARLY FALL PROGRAM: This affects how credit, payments and financial aid are handled. Please click here for information.
In this month long program, we will learn about and explore the current scene of social justice activism in Bangalore, India. Bangalore has been growing in dramatic ways over the past 10 years with the rise of information technology companies, the IT enabled services sector, and more recently, biotechnology. For the city's inhabitants, what this means is greater frustration with city infrastructure (roads, traffic congestion, pollution, water, electricity), and a vociferous debate on citizenship (who counts as a Bangalorean, what that has to do with
privilege and power, what happens to those who fall beyond the scope and sight of lawmakers, etc). Our program in Bangalore will help us learn about these complex issues of the city, and encourage analysis that takes into account issues of history, language politics, gender relations, and theories of globalization.
 Engaging in a combination of field trips, site visits, trainings, guest lectures, and group discussions, we will investigate the following questions: What are the most pressing issues facing feminist and environmental activists around the city; what are the historical roots of contemporary power structures based on gender, sexuality, class, and caste; what does it mean to be an 'activist' in a rapidly globalizing and changing city like Bangalore; are there any similarities to being an activist or social justice worker in Seattle; and how might one conceptualize a transnational or international movement for social justice in our complicated present moments?
Students will be housed in dormitories in the green and serene campus of the United Theological College in the city center.
Students from all disciplines welcome; students of color, glbt students, first  generation college students, especially welcome to apply. You might be a good fit for this program if:
you enjoy the challenge and unpredictability of being 'uncomfortable' now and then,
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you ruminate on what it means to 'be political' or 'do good work',
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you want to join a community of political people committed to making and learning about positive change happen in our communities today
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you want to build a movement for change that reaches across many communities and issues.
Credits: This program will offer a total of 6 credits, including five (5) credits of one of the following options, plus one (1) credit of GEN ST 392.
- ENGL 490: Study Abroad
- SISSA 490 (Special Topics in South Asian Studies)
- GEOG 395 (I&S)
- GEOG 495 (I&S)
- WOMEN 496 (I&S)
Students are free to petition their departments for particular credits (with prior approval of the program director and with no guarantees). Participants should check with their advisors to determine how these credits can count towards departmental requirements.
 About the instructor: Dr. Anu Taranath created the Bangalore social justice program in 2003. She studies and teaches about world and multi-ethnic literatures; colonial and postcolonial literatures and theory; transnational feminist and cultural studies.
Student costs:
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