IGSOR 310: Religion, Culture, and The Life of The Dalit in South India

The IGSOR India program merges academic study and cultural immersion in an intensive study of the life of the Dalit (Untouchables) in South India. Students spend a semester in academic preparation for the trip, learning from campus experts on religion in India, the history of British colonization, environmental politics, and feminist movements. Embarking on their two-week cultural immersion, students learn from scholars and professors at Loyola College, Chennai about the history of Indian economics, Indian culture, religions tensions in India, Indian aesthetics, and the development of the Indian constitution after British rule. Following the academic portion of this immersion in metropolitan Chennai, students spend the remainder of their immersion in a small, rural village surrounded by Dalit communities. They are introduced first-hand to the struggles and triumphs of the Dalit by the Jesuit priests who run the Chennai Jesuit Mission, a series of social service programs that empower the Dalit through education, economic independence, and advocacy. This seminar is a partnership with Campus Ministry and the Institute for the Global Study of Religion (IGSOR). Campus ministry helps with recruiting and training students, while IGSOR helps with funding and the academic component.

Credit Information:  3credit hours, including a Justice Attribute

Cost: $3,500

When it will run again: To be determined

Contact info: Dr. Melissa Mosko (@email)