Summer Seminar and Internship
Experience in India

Overview:

The Alliance’s Summer Seminar and Internship Experience in India allows U.S. undergraduates to spend two months in India during the summer (mid-June to mid-August) earning 8 course credits through a structured seminar-lecture course and a six-week internship with an Indian company, NGO, or other organization.

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 internship caters to the individual interests of the students, particularly in areas of future professional engagement.  The program seeks to address the growing demand by students who study in India for practical experiences, especially within the fields of international development, business, film and media, global health, and information technology.

2010 Summer Semester Calendar

29 May 2010        Flight departure from U.S.

30 May 2010        Arrival in Mumbai

1 June 2010        Travel to orientation site - Program begins

23 July 2010        Program concludes

24 July 2010        Return flight to U.S.   

Venue:

The program takes place in the city of Pune, in Maharashtra, located two hours by highway from Mumbai.  Pune offers an ideal setting for undergraduate students.  Often referred to as the 'Oxford of the East," Pune has numerous top-notch colleges, universities, and think tanks, and offers a vibrant college-aged culture.

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

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 and most well-known 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. 

Schedule:

Students arrive in Mumbai and are taken to an off-site retreat location for orientation. After arrival in Pune, classes begin at the Alliance program center at Fergusson College.

The program structure is as follows: 

• During Weeks One and Two students attend an intensive group seminar-lecture on Contemporary India, taught by Dr. Shrikant Paranjpe.  This 4-credit course provides an overview of history, society, culture, and political economy geared toward understanding contemporary India and preparing students for their internship. 

Classes will be in the mornings, and during the afternoons students will begin to select their internships under the guidance of faculty and staff.   

• During Weeks Three-Eight students conduct their internships concurrently with the continued Contemporary India class.  Students will be required to keep a detailed journal of their internship activities, which must total at least 20 hours a week.  In addition, students will have weekly meetings with their faculty advisors, as well as with the rest of group.  4 credits will be granted for successful completion of this portion of the program.

The final product of the internship will be a paper and accompanying presentation that report and reflect on the student’s experience.  Students will be expected to take an ethnographic approach to involving themselves in some aspect of life in Pune, and to document their experiences rigorously.     

Intern managers, faculty advisors, and guides for apprenticeships will be asked to give the student at least one discrete task they can accomplish in the time of their internship/apprenticeship.

The final three days of the program will be a capstone event that will consist of students presenting their work and discussing their experiences and observations as a group.  The capstone event is an opportunity for each student to benefit from the experiences of his or her fellow students. 

Trips and excursions:

Besides the orientation 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 any independent travel for after the program’s conclusion.