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India: Culture, Traditions, & Globalization

Pune, India

Independent study projects

Throughout the semester, students devote substantial thought and effort to completing an independent study project. Students have the opportunity to conduct research in their chosen field, both academically and experientially.

Local Indian advisors – faculty members from academic institutions in Pune as well as local professionals and artists – guide students in their research. Students present their projects at the end of the program.  Research may be conducted in most fields in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.  Below is a list of independent study projects from recent years, arranged by academic area:

Anthropology & Sociology

  • Assessing the Success of Maharashtra as a Linguistic Community  (2010)
  • A Sociological Study of Rivers in Maharashtra  (2010)
  • Psychology of Food in Maharashtra  (2010)
  • An Ethnographic Study of Public Transportation Systems in India (2010)
  • Anand Yatra: The Sustainability of the Family Dynamic in 21st Century India (2009)
  • Is It Fair?: A Study of the Bias of Fair Skin in India (2009)
  • Orphans and Bastards and Crossing the River (2009)
  • The Mumbai Underworld as Depicted in Bollywood (2008)
  • Generational Gaps in Maharashtrian Middle Class (2008)
  • Understanding the Image of the Indian Family (2007)
  • Suicide of an Industry: Cotton & Farmer Suicide in Maharashtra (2007)
  • The Social Uses of Astrology in Pune, India (2007)
  • Converging Identities: Queer Sexuality in South Asian Literature and Society (2006)
  • Looking Below the Surface:  The Lives of Families in the Slums (2006)
  • Understanding Sexuality Trends of Students in Pune, India in 2005:  Transitions, Complexities and Gaps (2005)
  • “You Must Understand One Thing”:  Reality, Morality and Language in Indian Television Media (2005)
  • Dance of the Peacock:  A Photographic Study in Indian Ornamentation (2005)
  • The Ganapati Festival in Pune: A History, Contemporary Facets and Observations (2004)
  • The Reformed Hindu Marriage Ceremony: An analysis of Jnana Prabodhini’s Text (2004)
  • Introduction to the Indian Market (2003)
  • Abbreviated Space: Social Behavior and Setting (2003)
  • Modern Perspectives of Caste in India, Case Study: Pune, Maharastra (2003)

Art, Music, Literature, & Dance

  • Performance Studies in North Indian Classical Violin  (2010)
  • Environmental Ethics as Represented in Folk Music and Dance (2010)
  • Three Short Stories  (2010)
  • The Rainy Season (2008)
  • Religion and Dance (2008)
  • The Poem We Wear: An analysis of the Body And the Poetic Process of Mardhekar and Rege (2007)
  • Music For All: The Case of Music Education in India (2006)
  • Define Music:  Discovering Hindustani Classical Music as a Western Musician (2006)
  • From the Back of the Bookshelf:  Thoughts on History, Literature and Modern Women Writing in Marathi (2006)
  • Middle Berth:  A Theatrical Examination of Women in India (2006)
  • In Search of Ahmed Jan Thirakwa (2006)
  • Making Art in the Contact Zone: An Exploration of Society and Identity Through Images (2006)
  • This is the Moon: A Collection of Poetry (2006)
  • 23 Bols, Awertan and Dusty Discussions of Inspiration:  Mother India’s Effects on a Composer (2005)
  • Indian Musicians (2004)
  • Painting Pune’s Picture: Observations of the Artistic Community (2004)
  • Indian Metal Craft: A Study of ‘Use’ and ‘Art’ Objects (2004)
  • The Strangest Clouds: A Story and Fragments (2004)
  • When Breath Mixes with Fire: A Sound Diary (2003)

Education

  • Primary Education in India  (2010)
  • Language Instruction in Pune Schools  (2010)
  • India High: Schooling and Education in Standard X (2006)
  • Small Kids, Medium Schools, Big Subject (2003)

Environmental Studies

  • Irrigation Projects in Maharashtra: A Case Study  (2010)
  • Water Distribution and Treatment from the Consumer’s Perspective  (2010)
  • Sustainable Agriculture in Maharashtra  (2010)
  • The Tradition and Modernity in 21st Century India: The Problem of Waste Management (2009)
  • Monsoon Fruit Documentary:  Academic Supplement (2005)
  • Coconut and Mango Trees (2004)
  • A Study of Minerals from the Coast of Maharashtra, India (2003)

Globalization & Development

  • Effects of Globalization on the Entertainment Music Industry in Pune  (2010)
  • Indian Population: Past, Present. Future (2007)
  • Improving English Teaching With the Video Medium: A Study of Digital Study Hall in Pune (2007)
  • Conventional Wisdom Structures Guiding India’s Jatropha Choice:  How to correctly decentralize developing nation’s technological advancement (2005)
  • India’s Population, Family Welfare, and the Controversies Throughout OR “Holy Moley!  That’s a Whole Heap Load of People!”  (2004)

Government & Politics

  • Caste, Class, and the Indian Legal System  (2010)
  • India’s International Relations  (2010)
  • Youth in Indian Politics (2008)
  • Lead India (2007)
  • The Small Steps Taken to Alleviate Poverty: A Look at the Perspective of the Government, Non-government Organizations and the Poor (2006)
  • The Approaches of Non-Governmental Organizations in Pune (2005)
  • Reservation Policy: Moving towards the Private Sector (2004)
  • Current Perspectives on Hindu-Muslim Relations in Pune (2004)
  • Towards Dissolution: Fiscal Transfers and Interstate Disparity in India (2003)

Health Care & Public Health

  • Body and Mind in Yoga Practice and Philosophy  (2010)
  • A Study of Ayurveda Clinics in Pune  (2010)
  • Attitudes toward Maternal Health and Childbirth in India  (2010)
  • Tuberculosis in India and the Revised National TB Control Programme  (2010)
  • Infection Rates of Mosquito-borne Illness in Pune in Relation to Victim’s Socioeconomic Status  (2010)
  • The Effect of Empowering Women on HIV Rates  (2010)
  • Diagnostic Methods of Ayurveda (2008)
  • The Ayurvedic Diet (2007)
  • A Holistic Approach to Happiness:  Ayurveda and Depression (2006)
  • "A World of Their Own”:  A Look at Autism in India (2005)

Philosophy & Religion

  • The Muslim Community in Pune  (2010)
  • The Roots of Devotion: A Critical Essay on the Sources of Devotion in the Hindu Faith (2009)
  • The Philosophy of Yoga and its Theraputic Practicality (2009)
  • Masks of the Gods: Expression of Deities's Personalities via Bharat Natyam Dance (2009)
  • Manuscript preservation at BORI (2008)
  • Yoga and Philosophy: Learning Yoga in India (2008)
  • Virtual Spirituality: Digital Devotion in ‘Modern’ India (2007)
  • Ganpati, Remover of Religious Obstacles: Indian Religious Pluralism in a Festival Context (2007)
  • Expression and Practice of Faith:  Study of Ganapati Festival in a Family (2006)
  • The Daudi Bohra in Pune:  Deconstructing the Muslim Stereotype (2006)
  • To See or Not to See: Slices of Contemporary Hinduism in Pune, India (2006)
  • Proving Hindu Culture:  A Case Study of Catholic Identity and Devotion in Pune (2006)
  • Constructing a Secular Identity:  Freedom and Fraternity in Post-Partition National Discourse (2005)
  • Indian Hinduism: A Link to Religious Harmony (2005)
  • Yoga in Pune: Is Modern Practice Valid in the Traditional Sense? (2004)
  • Metaphysics and Theism in Jainism (2004)
  • Guru-Shishya Parampara: Past, Present, and Future (2003)
  • Christian Identity in the Predominately Hindu Culture of India (2003)
  • The Buddhists of Maharashtra: Conversion, Identity and Social Mobility (2003)

Women & Gender Studies

  • Generational Evolution of Working Mothers in Contemporary India  (2010)
  • Microcredit Programs in Pune and their Impact on Poverty and Women’s Empowerment  (2010)
  • Mother-Daughter Relationships in India (2010)
  • Influence of Evolving Conceptions of Social Role and Sexuality on the Depiction of Women in Bollywood Films (2010)
  • Struggle for Equality: The Women's Movement in India (2009)
  • Dalit Women's Education in Contemporary Indian Society (2009)
  • Women Writers in Maharashtra (2008)
  • Birth Rate and Women Literacy (2008)
  • Educational Backwardness:  The Education of Muslim Women (2006)
  • Gender and Leisure Space in Pune (2004)
  • Women, Political Participation, and Empowerment in Rural Maharashtra (2004)
  • More than Half of the Foundation: The Future History of Six Maharashtrian Women in Agriculture (2003)
  • Gambling On the Lives of Girls (2003)
  • All That a Wife Can Do: A Study of Working Women in India and the Double Burden (2003)

India: Culture, Traditions, & Globalization

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Nate Grady My journey with the ACM India Program was a truly self-defining experience, as it so greatly enhanced my understanding of of the world, of myself, and of what is important to pursue in life in general. India as a country is so complex and dynamic, with such a remarkable mix of ancient customs and lifestyles and a modern, globalized economy that a visitor cannot help but learn a great deal so long as they know where and how to look, and the ACM program was a critical guiding hand in this respect. From the professors and the classes they taught, to the staff and the trips they organized (both in Pune and in the country at large), everything was well calibrated to give us a good picture of "the Indian way," from which we in turn could learn so much. I left the country with a profound respect for (and connection with) the people I met there, which I am confident I will maintain for the rest of my life, and that would not have been possible without the ACM program.

—Nate Grady, India, Fall 2009

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