Public Health and Indian Studies

The Public Health and Indian Studies program at Manipal University offers two tracks that introduce U.S. undergraduates to the most pressing public health issues facing India today and a multi-disciplinary array of courses focused on Indian geopolitics and humanities. Located in the heart of the coastal belt of Karnataka, just north of Kerala, and based at one of India’s premier private universities, this dynamic program offers U.S. students an integrated Indian campus experience and the unique opportunity to live and take courses alongside Indian students.

Through coursework, public health students visit local health clinics and academic centers dedicated to Ayurveda and the study of traditional Indian medicine, while students focused on Indian Studies explore India’s traditional culture and rise on the world stage. All Alliance students are given a comprehensive overview of Indian society and politics through the Contemporary Indian Society core course. Field activities integrated with the core course offer students exposure to the regional complexity of Karnataka, its thriving local religions and economies, and burgeoning IT and business sectors in Bangalore and Mysore.

In addition, students may choose to explore Indian culture through a variety of extracurricular Expressive Culture classes, such as Hindi, cooking, yoga, and yakshagana dance-theater.

Meet our on-site staff who keeps the Manipal program running smoothly.

Pre-Requisites and Academics

To be eligible for this program, students must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and be enrolled in an undergraduate degree program at an accredited U.S. institution. No previous academic or language coursework is required.

The Alliance Public Health and Indian Studies program is based at Manipal University, a premier private university known throughout India and around the world for its strong medical college and health science programs. With over 18,000 graduate and undergraduate students, including 3,500 students from countries in the Middle East, Europe, Australia and other parts of Asia, Manipal’s world-class faculty bring a dynamic approach to the classroom.

The Manipal campus is modern, with state-of-the-art facilities including numerous colleges and institutes, classrooms, libraries, student hostels, food courts, athletic fields and swimming pools, and a brand new indoor sports complex.  Students come from all over India and the world to study at Manipal, and Alliance students are immersed in its thriving campus life, with every opportunity to participate in student activities, clubs, festivals, and sports competitions.

For more information on Manipal University, visit their website: www.manipal.edu.

On Location in Manipal

Manipal is a small university town located in southwest Karnataka, five miles from the Arabian Sea. Surrounded by lush backwaters and away from the hustle and bustle of India’s megacities, Manipal provides an ideal rural, tropical location for studying India’s public health challenges and rich cultural heritage, as well as Karnataka’s thriving local economies, including the tea, coffee, cashew, fishing and silk industries.

The university provides regular bus service to Mangalore, the nearest large city, where students will find ample shopping and entertainment venues, as well as an international airport with access to most of India’s major cities. Four hours south of Goa, and only a few miles from neighboring Udupi, Manipal offers stunning views of the sea and nearby Western Ghats.

The Public Health track at Manipal capitalizes on the long-standing reputation of the university’s medical and health science programs, offering students direct-enroll course options addressing rural public health, global public health, national health policy, and Ayurveda.

The Public Health curriculum offers a total of 15 credit hours per semester:

• Mani Soci 350 Contemporary Indian Society (required – 3 credits)
• Three Public Health and/or Ayurveda courses (3 credits each – 9 credits total)
• One elective from among the general Indian Studies SAP offerings (3 credits)

Contemporary Indian Society

This required core course, exclusively for Alliance students, provides a political, historical, religious, and social overview of contemporary Indian society and creates a shared intellectual context that promotes the integration of coursework with students' personal observations. A number of field visits are included.   

Public Health and Ayurveda

Students choose three courses from the Department of Public Health and/or Department of Ayurveda, for a total of 9 credits. Regular course offerings may include:

• MANI MPH101 Basic Epidemiology
• MANI MPH104 Environment & Occupational Health
• MANI MPH203 Surveillance of Infectious Diseases
• MANI MPH205 Public Health System and National Health Policies, Systems and Programmes
• MANI MPH103 Maternal & Child Health
• MANI AYUR 300 Ayurveda and Indian Traditions of Healing (offered exclusively for Alliance students)
• MANI MGH202 Epidemiology in Developing Countries
• MANI MGH203 Global Health Problems

These courses include a field-based practicum alongside other Manipal students, with regular visits to the university’s hospital and rural health clinics. Past students have shadowed doctors in various departments at Manipal University Hospital, visited a leprosy hospital and rehabilitation center, learned how to screen and diagnose tuberculosis patients, and participated in local rural implementation of WHO organized India-wide polio eradication project.

Please note that course offerings may vary by semester and according to enrollment. Courses offerings are usually finalized within one month prior to the application deadline for each semester, but the Alliance's ability to do so depends upon internal Manipal University requirements.

Indian Studies

Students choose one elective from Manipal's Study Abroad Programme (SAP) curriculum. For a list of regular courses offerings, visit the Indian Studies section.

The Indian Studies track at Manipal provides a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary look at India’s past, present, and future. The university has drawn its most talented teaching faculty from geopolitics, philosophy, European studies, and communications to teach direct-enroll and specially-designed courses focusing on India and South Asia.

The Indian Studies curriculum offers a total of 15 credit hours per semester:

• MANI SOCI 350 Contemporary Indian Society (required – 3 credits)
• Four electives from the general Indian Studies curriculum (3 credits each – 12 credits total)

All courses are subject to availability and may require a minimum enrollment. Some courses are designed especially for international students, while others may be integrated with Manipal University students.

MANI SAP001 Indian Intellectual Traditions
Dr. Sundar Sarukkai and Dr. Meera Baindur

India has cultivated a rich tradition of intellectual thought spanning the arts, science, and philosophy across the centuries.  In this course, students will become familiar with these varieties of knowledge and explore contemporary problems viewed through alternative perspectives in Indian thought.

MANI SAP002 Indian Media
Dr. Neeta Inamdaar

Indian media plays a pivotal role in portraying India culture to the world and raises awareness on a number of sensitive issues including terrorism, racism, international conflicts, and environmental issues. This course will help students understand the growth, development and evolution of media in India, with a special focus on the legal and ethical concerns versus business demands.

MANI SAP003 Regional Security in South Asia
Dr. Arvind Kumar

In today’s world, the strategic implications and inter-related security issues involved with current problems of communications and information must be dealt with in a holistic sense. Students will understand the salient features and relevance of the complex issues relating to threat perceptions affecting regional security in South Asia.

MANI SAP004 Strategy and Practice of Indian Foreign Policy
Dr. Arvind Kumar

The history and changing nature of India’s foreign policy continues to inform the strategy and choices that India weighs while formulating its policies in dealing with foreign nations. This course is geared toward students who have a limited background in the strategy and practice of foreign policy in the Indian context.

MANI SAP005 Cinema in India
Prof. Varadesh Hiregange

Best known through the powerhouses of Bollywood, Indian films are produced in over 17 languages with a wide and diverse range of subjects and genres. Students become familiar with the basic elements of cinema and film appreciation, the origins of Indian cinema, influential Indian film directors, and the corporatization of the film industry.

MANI SAP006 Environment and Development Communication
Prof. Maitreyee Mishra

When the world is faced with the dangers of global warming due to overproduction and consumption, paradoxically, all parts of the world do not enjoy an equitable share of development. The course will introduce students to the basics of environmentalism, ecosystem, threats to biodiversity and resources, international legal framework, movements and issues such as global warming and ozone layer depletion.

MANI SAP007 Contemporary Indian Politics
Dr. Venkat Lokanathan

The ongoing debate on politics and government in India can best be understood when considering the history and changing nature of its political systems. In this course, students will develop an introductory competence of Indian Government functions and its various existing systems and institutions.

Public Health

Dr. Ramachandra Kamath Head, Department of Public Health
Dr. Sanjay M. Pattanshetty
Dr. Derek Lobo
Dr. R. Manjunatha
Dr. Leonard Machado

Ayurveda

Dr. M. S. Kamath Head, Department of Ayurveda
Dr. Basavaraj Hadapad|
Dr. Kamath Madhusudhan
Dr. Anupama Nayak
Dr. Shrirpathi Adiga
Dr. K. J. Malagi

Indian Studies

Dr. Arvind Kumar Director, Study Abroad Programme (SAP) and Head, Department of Geopolitics & International Relations
SAP003: Regional Security in South Asia
SAP004: Strategy and Practice of India Foreign Policy

Dr. Virginia Van Dyke Resident Director, The Alliance for Global Education
SOCI 360: Contemporary Indian Society

Dr. Sundar Sarukkai Director, Manipal Centre for Philosophy & Humanities
Dr. Meera Baindur Fellow, Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities
SAP001: Indian Intellectual Traditions

Dr. Neeta Inamdaar Head, Manipal Centre for European Studies
SAP002: Indian Media

Varadesh Hiregange Director, Manipal Institute of Communication
SAP005: Cinema in India

Maitreyee Mishra Assistant Professor, Manipal Institute of Communication
SAP006: Environment and Development Communication

Dr. Venkat Lokanathan Senior Lecturer, Department of Geopolitics & International Relations
SAP007: Contemporary Indian Politics

A study abroad experience is first and foremost an academic experience, and the Alliance for Global Education takes the process of credit and grade conversion seriously.

Credits

The Alliance provides information on credit transfer and conversion at the time that a student chooses courses. Credit appears on transcripts issued by Arcadia University at the completion of a student's term of study abroad. Credit is issued in U.S. semester hours, ensuring that students continue to make progress toward their degrees and verifying the full-time academic load a student carries while abroad.

The Arcadia University Undergraduate Academic Program Committee and Registrar work with the Alliance's overseas staff and National Advisory Board to review our conversions to make sure they accurately reflect a full-time load at the institution where a student is studying overseas. Equivalencies are based on what constitutes a full academic load for a degree-seeking host country student. Arcadia University is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. Any grades that appear on an Arcadia transcript must meet Middle States' standards.

Grades

Students will receive a letter grade on a scale from A to F for every course they take while enrolled on an Alliance program. Although policies at students' individual home institutions may differ, the Alliance does not permit students to take courses on a credit/no credit basis. To determine grade equivalencies, the Alliance and Arcadia University look at data about grade distribution in the host institution and at information about what constitutes a minimum passing grade at the host institution in addition to the host institution's suggested "translation" scales. Arcadia University also conducts independent evaluations in accordance with the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools' standards. During overseas orientation, students receive a table explaining how their grades will appear on an Arcadia University transcript.

Transcripts

At the conclusion of a program, the College of Global Studies at Arcadia University will send an official Arcadia University transcript to a participant's home school and an unofficial copy to the participant. This transcript will list the course numbers and titles exactly as they appear on the original transcript from the university or program which the participant attended.

Because universities abroad have different administrative structures, transcripts may take longer to issue than they do at U.S. institutions. While the timeline varies by program, a general timeline for issuing transcripts is:

• Fall programs - transcript issued in late February
• Spring, Summer, and Academic Year programs - transcript issued in late September

If you have a question about the process, please feel free to contact your program manager responsible.

Please note: Your transcripts will not be released if you have an outstanding balance due to program fees. Students enrolling in consecutive terms with the Alliance will not receive their first term transcript until their second term fees have been paid in full.

Participants can request additional copies of transcripts online or in writing at any time from the Arcadia University Registrar's Office.

Program dates roughly follow the U.S. academic calendar:

• Spring semester begins in mid-January and concludes in mid-May
• Fall semester begins in mid-August and concludes in mid-December

Program dates for Fall 2011 are posted below. All flights should be booked according to these dates. Please consult the Traveling to Manipal section for instructions on how to book your flights. Remember that flights from the U.S. arrive in India the day after they depart from the U.S. Be sure to confirm that you are departing the U.S. on the first date listed below.

Semester Structure
The 16-17 week semester begins with an orientation. Students are acclimated to their new environment through introductory lectures on Indian culture, training on health and safety, and given an introduction to campus life. Once students have settled into their dorms, they begin their coursework. Field excursions and site visits are woven into the semester schedule. The semester concludes with a final seminar where experiences are discussed and students are prepared for their return home.

2011 Fall Semester Calendar

9 August 2011             Flight departure from U.S.
10 August 2011           Arrival in Mumbai
11 August 2011           Group flight to Mangalore - Orientation begins
8 December 2011        Program concludes
9 December 2011        Return flight to U.S.

2012 Spring Semester Calendar

21 January 2012         Flight departure from U.S.
22 January 2012         Arrival in Mumbai
23 January 2012         Group flight to Mangalore - Orientation begins
11 May 2012               Program concludes
12 May 2012               Return flight to U.S.

What’s Included

The program price includes tuition and fees, housing, all meals, pre-departure materials, student visa authorizations, orientation, organized activities, field study trips, course materials, the services of a full-time resident director, and medical/evacuation insurance.

The program price does not include airfare to India, passport and consular visa fees, independent travel, and other items not mentioned as included.

Our breakdown of fall 2011 program fees and breakdown of spring 2012 program fees includes an itemized list of additional expenses that students will encounter while abroad.

Multiple Term or Academic Year Discount

The Alliance encourages students to enroll for more than one term and to consider studying with more than one Alliance program. Students who continue into a second or third term with the Alliance receive a $500 discount on the program fee for this subsequent term. Some students choose to spend fall term in one location and spring term in another; others continue in our summer term after completing spring.

Alliance programs emphasize cultural immersion, experiential learning opportunities, and extensive interaction with students and faculty in the host context. Your housing arrangements at Manipal are thus an important component of your experience abroad, and we want you to be able to make the most of this opportunity.

Alliance students at Manipal are housed in air-conditioned rooms in student hostels on campus. Students may choose to live in single rooms or in double rooms with an Indian roommate. All rooms include attached, private bathrooms. Please note that the hostels at Manipal University impose a curfew on student residents, a common practice at colleges and universities across India. Curfews may vary depending on the hostel, but often range from 10 pm to midnight. Students should be aware that curfews may also change at any time without prior notice.

All meals are included and provided in the campus canteens. Additional multi-cuisine restaurants in the two university food courts and off-campus are readily available at the student’s expense. There are several coffee shops on and nearby to the campus as well.

Orientation

Students are acclimated to their new environment through introductory sessions on Indian culture, university life, program policies, health and safety, and through social events with Manipal University faculty and students. Excursions into the local area include visiting the Krishna Temple for an elephant blessing and local restaurants to experience regional food. Orientation culminates with a Yakshagana performance, a regional form of traditional dance-theatre, followed by dinner with faculty, students, and performers.

In and Around Manipal

Local activities and excursions are built into the curriculum throughout the semester. The core required course, Contemporary Indian Society, integrates the course material with weekend activities and trips. Numerous other optional activities are made available to the students and may include:

• Screening of Bollywood movies on campus
• Tour the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station and Cobra Sanctuary
• Visits to Cashew Factories as well as Tea and Coffee Plantations
• Cooking demonstration and class at Manipal's Institute of Hotel Management
• Backwater boat tour in remote Kerala
• Visit to Hindu pilgramage sites at Gokarna and Murudeshwar
• Participation in various Manipal University campus festivals
• Tour of Udupi Harbor and its fishing industry, as well as St. Mary’s Island
• Visit to Sringeri Math, Karkala and Moodibidri
• Excursion to Goa for the annual International Film Festival of India

Note: The Public Health courses require regular visits to rural health clinics and treatment centers with Manipal students. Past students have shadowed doctors in various departments at Manipal University Hospital, visited a leprosy hospital and rehabilitation center, learned how to screen and diagnose tuberculosis patients, and participated in local rural implementation of WHO organized India-wide polio eradication project.

Expressive Culture Classes

In addition to vibrant campus life, Alliance students in Manipal are given the option of taking classes in expressive culture. Choices may vary depending on the availability of instructors, but yoga, bharatnatyam (dance), and Hindi are commonly offered.

One week during the semester is set aside for an extended field visit. Travel itineraries are subject to change, and highlights may include:

• Bicycle tour of Hampi, haunting ruins of the 15th-century Vijayanagara Empire
• Explore environmental issues at Agumbe Rainforest Research Station and on a jeep safari at Nagarhole National Park
• Visit to the Assembly building in Bengaluru and a look at state level politics
• Tour of Infosys, India’s premier IT industry, and the Palace in Mysore

For example, spring 2011 students traveled with the Manipal Resident Director on a nine-day study tour exploring major urban and rural sites in Karnataka. Read more about their trip below.

“The trip started out in Bengaluru, the center of India’s IT and outsourcing industries, which also contains the halls of power in terms of state-level politics. We toured the State capital building, known as the Vidhana Soudha, in a specially arranged tour and looked into offices where dusty files are still tied up with string.  The students sat down with a politician and professor from the renowned Indian Institute of Management for an overview of the Indian political system. After this we spent a little time in a prime shopping district, enjoyed being in a big city, and toured the beautiful Lal Bagh gardens.

Next, we were off to Mysore where a branch of Infosys, India’s premier IT company and world famous business success story, has its largest training facility.  We toured the sprawling campus in a golf cart, which looks very much like a five star resort and has its own system for providing electricity. We were able to go into the board room and peek into the classrooms where top students from top universities, who have been provisionally hired, compete to prove themselves in a real pressure cooker. While in Mysore, we also toured the beautiful palace of the Mysore royal family.

Then, we visited a wildlife preserve in Kabini; we weren’t lucky enough to see a tiger, but saw many other animals, including wild elephants. In Ooty, a popular hill station and jumping-off point to visit the tribal (adivasi) areas in the Nilgiri Hills, the students accompanied a Manipal professor to two different adivasi villages where we were able to interact with the locals. Our next stop was Kerala for a backwater boat ride through the system of inland canals lined with small communities. Boats here bring supplies and ferry children to school; people wash and fish in the water. Finally, we visited the synagogue of what was once a thriving Jewish community in Koshi before catching the train home.”

Follow the links below to connect with an Alliance program graduate or to read a current student's blog: 

Program Graduates • Student Blogs • Where Are They Now 

Mia Breidenbach

University of Wisconsin, Madison

mbreidenbach@wisc.edu

Manipal University

Namaste! I'm a junior at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and studied abroad at Manipal University in India during the fall of 2011. As a pre-med student I decided that what really interested me was the public health aspect of medicine. I had already decided that I really wanted to go to India to see...

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Namaste! I'm a junior at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and studied abroad at Manipal University in India during the fall of 2011. As a pre-med student I decided that what really interested me was the public health aspect of medicine. I had already decided that I really wanted to go to India to see first-hand what sort of public health issues the country struggles with and when I saw information for the program in Manipal, it was such a perfect fit. When people ask me "How was India?" I have a hard time summing it all up in just one sentence. I think going to India was one of the most eye-opening and important experiences of my life and I definitely hope to go back at least several more times.

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Rebecca Engel

George Washington University

rengel@gwmail.gwu.edu

Manipal University

Hey there! I’m a junior at The George Washington University majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in Public Health and a minor in Geography. My interest in India was set in motion by my mother, who, at about my age, spent time working in an Indian hospital. As I was growing up I heard all...

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Hey there! I’m a junior at The George Washington University majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in Public Health and a minor in Geography. My interest in India was set in motion by my mother, who, at about my age, spent time working in an Indian hospital. As I was growing up I heard all sorts of stories about her adventures so I decided to make it a bit of a family tradition. Looking back on my time in India, it’s hard to pinpoint my favorite experience(s) but what I do know is that I gained an immeasurable amount of knowledge that will be beneficial no matter what I decide to pursue in the future. The program offered classes in each of my majors and interests and I was able to tackle public health, politics and geography all at once. Not only was it a valuable experience educationally, it was also a powerful experience emotionally, culturally and personally. While the work and field visits were exhausting and much different from anything I have ever experienced, I could not be happier with the personal growth I underwent. Between the classes, the travel and the relationships I formed, my experience in India was nothing short of amazing and I can't wait to go back. I’d love to chat with anyone who wants to talk about the program, my experiences, or anything India related!

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