Pitzer in Nepal

Courses	Course Credits	Semester Units
Nepal Studies	1.0	4
Intensive Nepali Language	2.0	8
Directed Independent Study Project	1.0	4
TOTALS	4.0	16
Suggested Preparation Coursework in South Asian Area Studies, Development Studies, South Asian Religions, and International/Intercultural Studies is recommended. For Claremont Colleges students: Introduction to Socio-cultural Anthropology, Engaging Difference, Undergraduate Research Abroad, and Pitzer in Ontario courses provide relevant preparation. For Claremont Colleges students with a particular interest in anthropology, Intro to Nepal is usually offered once a year at Pitzer.
Program Dates Fall: Early August to mid December Spring: Mid February to mid June
Homestay Students live with families for the entire program exept on study trips.

 

Location

Nestled between India and China, Nepal is the only official Hindu kingdom in the world. Ninety percent of the country’s 25 million people believe in this “eternal faith” or Sanatana Dharma, the Hindu name for one of humanity’s oldest religious traditions. Nepal is one of the few countries in the world where daily life and social order are still guided by the ancient rhythms of subsistence agriculture and religious beliefs.

Host Institution

Pitzer in Nepal is affiliated with Tribhuvan University, Nepal’s premier national institution for higher education, and its Office of International Relations.

The Core Course

Nepal Studies
The course combines lectures, readings, discussions, and extensive writing with the more experiential components of family stays, study trips, and field assignments. Lectures are given by professors from Tribhuvan University as well as scholars and specialists from government and private organizations. Through the course, you will become acquainted with some of the main historical, social, cultural and political issues fundamental to Nepal’s modern identity. Assignments focus on socio-cultural studies, kinship and family relations, development, environmental issues, health, and religion, requiring you to use your Nepali language skills and integrate your personal experience in the culture with classroom learning.

Intensive Nepali Language

The key to realizing your educational goals in Nepal will be your ability to communicate in Nepali. Drawing on some of the best language teachers in the country and with a 1:3 teacher-student ratio, Pitzer in Nepal offers a highly effective language program. Classes take place in village homes, bazaars and along mountain pathways as well as in small classrooms at your program house. A vital component of your learning will be the commitment you make, along with staff and fellow students, to creating a Nepali-speaking environment both in and out of class.

Directed Independent Study Project

You will explore in-depth an aspect of Nepal through a directed independent study. Projects are guided by local scholars or specialists and program staff and require a significant analytical component in the form of a written report. The program strongly recommends you select a project that involves field research, oral interviews, ethnography, and other techniques that facilitate cultural immersion and use of your Nepali language over those involving library research. Topic selection may be limited due to available resources and local conditions.

Study Trips

To deepen your understanding of topics covered in the core course, you will travel to various locations in Nepal. Destinations may change from semester to semester, but past excursions have included:

Trek and Village Stay
During the third month of the program, trek along ancient trade routes, through terraced fields and in the shadow of the world’s highest mountains. Live in a middle hill village with a subsistence farming family.

Terai
Visit national parks in southern Nepal which are home to elephants, one-horned rhino and royal Bengal tigers. See firsthand how Nepal is attempting to integrate traditional subsistence farming activities in and around the park with sound resource management and ecological development.

Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP)
Nestled in the foothills of the Annapurna Himal, this internationally acclaimed project attempts to take a balanced approach to traditional subsistence farming activities, tourism management, conservation, village health, development and education through involving local villagers in decision-making and implementation.

Half-day trips in the Kathmandu Valley
Explore important Hindu and Buddhist temples, non-governmental organization sites, palaces, markets, festivals, pilgrimage sites, ancient cities, and the studios of local craftsmen.

Family Stays

The heart of the program is the family stay near Kathmandu and a middle hill village. The chance to become a member of these Nepali families and to develop a personal relationship with the individual family members is a privilege seldom experienced by most trekkers, diplomats or researchers. The families often speak little or no English and live in brick houses with mud floors, little furniture, and no bathrooms or running water. There is little chance of privacy. Lifestyles are heavily informed by subsistence farming practices and by traditional Hindu beliefs. Students often consider the family stays to be the most meaningful dimension of the program.

Independent Research Areas

• Anthropology
• Asian Studies
• Buddhism
• Development Studies
• Ecotourism
• Education
• Environmental Studies
• Ethnic Pluralism and Nationalism
• Himalayan Cultures
• Hinduism
• Iconography

• Immigration Issues
• International Relations
• Public Health
• Socioeconomics
• Sociology
• South Asian Art History
• Sustaintable Agriculture
• Traditional Health (Aryuveda Shamanism)
• Traditional Music and Dance
• Urban Studies
• Women's Studies