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India
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FALL 2008
August 25 - December 18 Offered in even-numbered falls
i.e. 2008, 2010 The Program
Group Travel
Study in India
Resident Director
Academic Calendar
Housing and Meals
Financial Information
Application Information
Additional Program Information
The Program
Davidson College will conduct its 16th consecutive Fall Semester in India Program in 2008. Conducted continuously since 1981, Davidson’s Semester-in-India Program is among the oldest study abroad opportunities offered by liberal arts colleges in the United States.
Our program has earned respect for academic integrity, high caliber of participants, extensive travel opportunities and sound execution. The success of our program has been demonstrated by the return to India by nearly half of our past participants. Several participants have considered their semester in India to be a life-changing experience. In addition to providing a very stimulating academic experience the program provides extensive travel opportunities and affords the student the special pleasure of living with a group of students drawn from various college backgrounds in an atmosphere of trust, goodwill, and mutual care. The Davidson College program is an undergraduate program that strives to provide a comprehensive as well as safe exposure to the Indian sub-continent through a well-defined academic program.
Group Travel
 Group travel is an integral part of the Fall Semester in India program. Places the program visits include: Agra, Ajanta, Aurangabad/Ajanta, Bangalore/Mysore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi/Khajuraho, Ellora, Fatehpur Sikri, Gandhigram, Goa, Jaipur, Kerala (Cochin, Munnar, Trivandrum), Kodaikanal, Kolkata (Calcutta), Madurai, Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram), Mumbai (Bombay), Mysore, Shimla (Simla), and Varanasi.
Study in India
For much of the semester, the group will stay on the Madras Christian College campus near the prominent southern city of Chennai (formerly Madras). While on the M.C.C. campus, students will take four courses approved by Davidson College. The Director of the program, Dr. Dennis Appleyard, will be assisted by a coordinator and a team of scholars for each course. Lectures will be delivered by Indian academics, officials, and resource persons, and each course will contain about 15-20 lectures.
The four courses for the Fall 2008 Semester-in-India Program are: SOU 310 - India: Past and Present - (A series of lectures relating to important historical developments in India.) SOU 354 - Issues in Contemporary India - (These lectures focus on prominent topics such as environmental problems and women's issues. An individual research project will also be included in the course, a project that will involve field work for each student.) SOU 385 - Public Health in India - These lectures view public health from economic, social, political, and medical perspectives. Sample topics are HIV/AIDS and the health status of women and children. ECO 195 - Economic Development and the Indian Economy - This course will focus on theories of growth and development and on various aspects of the Indian economy, including the promise as well as the problems relating to international trade, foreign investment, the rural sector, and other aspects of the economy.
Resident Director
The 2008 Resident Director of the Fall Semester in India Program, Dr. Dennis Appleyard, is the James B. Duke Professor of International Studies, Professor of Economics, and currently Chair of the Department of Economics at Davidson. He is co-author of an international economics textbook that is now in its 6th edition, and he has had a long-time research interest in India. He was on the faculty of UNC-Chapel Hill for over 20 years before coming to Davidson in 1990. He directed Davidson’s 1996 Fall Semester in India Program and 2000 Fall Semester in India and Nepal Program.
Academic Calendar
The program will begin in Davidson on August 25 with several days of orientation. The group, which usually includes a few selected students from other colleges/universities, will then leave for India. The program will conclude on December 18. Here is a tentative 2008 schedule:
August 25-28 Orientation in Davidson College
August 29 Leave Davidson
August 30 Arrive at Madras Christian College
September 1-4 Academic program at M.C.C.
Spetember 5-7 Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram)
September 8-19 Academic program at M.C.C.
September 20-22 Delhi/Khajuraho
September 23-24 Varanasi
September 25-27 Kolkata (Calcutta)
Sept. 28-Oct. 10 Academic program at M.C.C.
October 11-19 Kerala (Cochin, Munnar, Trivandrum)
October 20-31 Academic program at M.C.C.
November 1-8 Madurai, Gandhigram, Kodaikanal
November 9-13 Academic program at M.C.C.
November 14-17 Bangalore/Mysore
November 18-25 Academic program at M.C.C.
November 26 Leave for Delhi and northern tour
The northern tour schedule is not yet set as regards to precise dates at each location, but the schedule will approximate the one given below. November 27-28 Delhi
Nov. 29-Dec. 1 Agra, Fatehpur Sikri
December 2 Delhi
December 3-5 Jaipur
December 6-8 Chandigarh, Shimla (Simla)
December 9-10 Aurangabad/Ajanta and Ellora
December 11-12 Mumbai (Bombay)
December 13-16 Goa
December 17 Delhi
December 18 Return to United States from Delhi Davidson College reserves the right to change this preliminary schedule as circumstances warrant.
Housing and Meals
 Students stay at the International Guest House of Madras Christian College. This modern building, designed by a Swedish architect to western standards, is situated in the midst of a densely wooded area near the athletic fields. Wild deer grazing outside the dining room is not an uncommon sight. The building is air-conditioned and the rooms are spacious and airy. The facility has two separate, self-contained flats upstairs. Each of these flats has two bedrooms, a large living room and a long covered verandah. Downstairs there are two double occupancy rooms; a suite where the director will stay and a spacious dining room with a kitchenette. Food is specially prepared for the program participants in the Guest House by a chef from a leading hotel in Chennai. Meals include breakfast, lunch and dinner, including afternoon tea. In addition, fruits, snacks, soft drinks and bottled water will be stocked in the dining room refrigerators. Initially meals will be bland. After a week or so Indian dishes will be introduced. After two weeks every meal will have more Indian and less western dishes.
Financial Information
The cost of the program is the same as Davidson's comprehensive fee. In 2008 it should be around $21,000. This will cover board and lodging during the pre-departure program in Davidson as well as during the semester in India, tuition for a four-course academic load, laundry, museum and monument entrance fees, visa fees, travel from Charlotte, NC to India and back, and travel within India including local travel in Chennai by commuter train. Porterage, tips and entrance to performances will also be covered by the program. During travels, where necessary, students will be given an allowance for food and laundry charges. Expenses for celebrations such as Halloween and Thanksgiving will be met by the Program. At all times, travel arrangements and accommodations are made with student safety as a primary focus.
Application Information
Application forms can be found at the top right of this webpage. Please be sure to download and complete ALL necessary documents including:
PART 1 - GENERAL APPLICATION
PART 2 - APPLICATION RECOMMENDATION FORMS
PART 3 - APPLICATION WAIVER & RELEASE FORM
For NON-DAVIDSON students ONLY:
PART 4 - APPLICATION HOME SCHOOL APPROVAL FORM
Also, please have an OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT sent to the Davidson College Study Abroad Office. Applications, including all supporting materials, are due in the Study Abroad Office. Deadline: February 1
Notification: March 1
Additional Program Information
Davidson College reserves the right to cancel or modify part or all of this study abroad program should changing circumstances make it necessary to do so. Davidson admits qualified students without discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, age, handicap, gender, or sexual preference.
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT, IN INDIA, THERE IS VERY LIMITED ACCESS FOR STUDENTS WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES. For more information please contact:
Study Abroad Coordinator
Duke Residence Hall
704-894-2250
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