LANCASTER UNIVERSITY STUDENT VISIT
ORGANIZED BY THE CENTRE FOR INTERCULTURAL STUDIES AND DIALOGUE,
DEPARTMENT OF EUROPEAN STUDIES, MANIPAL ACADEMY OF HIGHER EDUCATION (MAHE)
The program for the Lancaster University student visit – Summer School – in September 2016 aims to offer an academically-rich and culturally-unique experience to the visitors via the theme: Expressions of Diversity: India through Manipal. Our approach has been to integrate a learning mechanism that is interactive and fun by making discover the local cultural heritage of the Dakshina Kannada region, in which Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) is situated, as a microcosm of Indian society.
The Objective of our program are :
Make use of the rich cultural capital of the Dakshina Kannada region to offer a quality learning experience to the visitors, and in the process enhance the attractiveness of Manipal as a place to study.
Program
The learning experience we intend to provide is achieved through the clubbing of lectures and activities based on pre-identified themes (feedback from previous years showed that lectures were too many and too varied). The proposed activities are structured along sub-themes of Philosophy, Art Forms, Nature, Economy, and Social Aspects – all strongly embedded in local distinctiveness, but yet an expression of India’s diversity. This will provide an identifiable axis to a cross-section of Indian society. Lectures/Talks with experts, we believe, would be more interesting and easier to relate at the site of action, making it easier for students to interact and easier for us to coordinate w.r.t logistics and organization. We plan to complement these talks and lectures by selecting interesting readings and making them available to the students beforehand so that the focus on learning is both consistent and rigorous.
Expressions of Diversity : India through Manipal
Sub-themes :
Philosophy & Religious Traditions : Dvaita, Advaita, Jainism
Nature : UNESCO World Heritage Site-Western Ghats, Coast
Agriculture : Rice – Coffee – Farming
Art Forms : Bharatanatyam, Theater, Yakshagana/Gombe Aata, Contemporary Dance
Social : Namma Bhoomi – Film
Cuisine : Coastal Cuisine