spring quarter 2008

March 26 - June  10, 2008

Do you love the mountains?  Are you curious to learn more about how people "do" the work of sustainability and development in the moutainous forests of the Himalaya? Do you get excited by the prospect of immersing yourself in a culture unlike your own?  Then consider a quarter studying in the Kumaon Himalaya of India!

The South Asia Studies Program is excited to offer the first UW study abroad program in the Indian Himalaya.  In a unique partnership with the non-governmental organization, the Central Himalayan Rural Action Group (CHIRAG), UW students will study forest ecology, sustainable development and introductory or intermediate Hindi .  The opportunity to do service learning extends the academic focus to subject areas of each students choosing.  Students will live in groups of five in rented houses in the area near CHIRAG'S new Orakhan campus.

Where are the Kumaon Himalaya?  The map below shows the location, the eastern half of the recently formed state of Uttaranchal in northen India.  Uttaranchal is characterized, in part, by its mountain topography.  The state and the region in which we will be studying and living is unique in the combination of extraordinary beauty, the ecological complexity, and the dynamic culture in the rural agricultural livelihood of the people of this region.  This map (from CHIRAG's website) identifies the sites of several on-going CHIRAG projects.

The three courses provide a transdisciplinary framework for students to work with researchers and area residents.

An important aspect of this study program is the rural location. Students will live in groups of 4-6 in rented furnished houses in the area near the CHIRAG campus in Orakhan. The nearest railway station, approximately 60 miles south, requires a 3-hour journey by road due to an elevation gain of over 6000 feet.  Students must be prepared to spend the entire program in a rural agricultural environment. Please keep in mind many of the conveniences of urban life, especially Internet access, are available but on a much more modest scale.