India Course List 

PLEASE NOTE THAT NOT ALL COURSES ARE OFFERED EACH SUMMER. YOU WILL BE ASKED TO LIST FOUR COURSES IN ORDER OF PREFERENCE AND YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ENROLL TWO COURSES FOR THE SUMMER PROGRAM.

An Introduction to the Indian Form of Yoga

Five principles constitute the essence of the teaching of any Yoga course, designed for physical and mental health as well as spiritual growth:

1. Proper Exercise : Our physical body is meant to move and exercise. If our lifestyle does not provide natural motion of muscles and joints, then the body encounters disease and great discomfort over a long period. Yoga seeks to alleviate this through proper exercise that is both pleasant to the practitioner as also beneficial to the body, mind and spiritual life.
2. Proper Breathing : Yoga teaches us how to use the lungs to their maximum capacity and how to control the breath. This increases vitality and mental clarity.
3.  Proper Relaxation : Proper relaxation is essential to the human body and mind to rejuvenate the nervous system and attain a deep sense of inner peace.. Many modern stress-management and relaxation methods borrow heavily from this yogic practice.
4. Proper Diet : Yoga advocates a controlled diet that is responsible for maximum body-mind efficiency and complete spiritual awareness,. This is an integral part of the Yogic lifestyle.
5. Meditation : Our thoughts influence our behavior and thus we should strive for positive and creative thoughts. These contribute to vibrant health and a peaceful, joyful mind.

Intro to Indian Art, 3 US credits: Survey of sculpture, painting, and architecture in the Indian sub-continent from 2300 B.C. to the nineteenth century. The Indian sub-continent is the source for a multicultural civilization that has evolved for several thousand years and has flourished so well. Its art is awesomely rich, complex, and diverse. Students are introduced to the complete range of India art with respect to the several avenues that have made its cultural fabric so rich and long lasting. 

Introduction to the Religions of India, 3 US credits: An historical look at the major religious traditions of the Indian sub-continent; Brahmanical traditions; Jain traditions; Buddhist traditions; Hindu traditions; Bhakti, Dharma, Karma, Artha, Kama and Moksha; Islamic traditions; Sikh traditions; Jewish traditions; Christian traditions; Parsi traditions; modes of prayer, contemplation, meditation, etc.; Scriptures – what they are, what they are for, how they are studied and used; sacred centers; art and representation in religion; inter-religious relations.

HINDI AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

The course is designed to help students who are non- conversant (beginners) in the Hindi Language.  It will enable the students understand and pronounce vocabulary with ease.  Students start with basic vocabulary; proceed to speaking simple sentences and replying to queries in Hindi. 

Intro to Indian Literature, 3 US credits: In this course we will read writers of Indian origin writing in English. We will begin with texts reflecting a colonial past rooted in a recently independent India and move on to works that increasingly illustrate postcolonial and postmodern issues and finally we are confronted with global issues and globalization in general. We will include writers such as Raja Rao, Vikrim Seth, and Veranda Shiva.

International Business, 3 US credits: This course is designed to provide students a course in international business from an Indian perspective. It includes a brief glimpse of the Indian business environment, theories of global trade, India and WTO, the political, socio-cultural and economic environment in India, Indian industrial policy and labor laws, global investment policies and regulations of foreign trade and the financial system (including foreign exchange regulations).