The fall ACM India program, located in Pune, is designed to provide students with an overview of these many aspects of Indian culture and society today. The program begins in mid-August, with a three-week orientation, in which students begin an "Introduction to India" core course, study Marathi language intensively, and draw up a plan of research for their independent study projects. The regular term begins in early September, where students continue the core course and Marathi language, choose one of three elective courses (in political science, sociology, or environmental studies), and begin to carry out their independent study projects. In each of the courses, classroom learning is augmented by weekly activities outside of the classroom, and students are also encouraged to volunteer with local organizations. The program organizes several program-sponsored overnight excursions to sites in and around Pune, while a one-week break in October provides opportunities to travel further afield in India.

Antioch India: Buddhist studies is a semester of study and meditation while living in a Buddhist monastery near the site of Buddha Shakyamuni’s Enlightenment. You'll engage in rigorous academic classes with highly qualified instructors, earning 16 undergraduate semester credits, have the opportunity to explore Buddhism in Bodh Gaya – center of the Buddhist world. Also you'll receive meditation instruction from masters in three Buddhist traditions: Vipassana, Zen, and Vajrayana, live with fellow students in a Buddhist community, the Burmese Vihar (monastery), gain valuable research skills, along with a greater understanding of Buddhist culture, Indian society, and yourself.

* Visit and training at Grameen Bank - the brainchild of Noble Laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus * Travel to multiple rural development project sites run by one of the world's largest NGOs, BRAC * Get a first hand look at a myriad of scenes common to many developing countries including slums, garments and handicrafts industry, child labor, informal markets, densely populated cities with massive inequality, and agriculture based poor rural areas * Be introduced to the history, culture, cuisines, and social scene of Bangladesh which include trips to some local heritage sites * Attend lectures by experts in the fields of economic development, gender studies, rural development, and environmental studies

The seven-week summer program in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, Cambodia is designed for students to learn the history of Cambodia-from the ancient times to 1970s-and come to understand it as a case study for geopolitical issues such as nation-building, radicalism, corruption, democracy, and economic development.

Mahidol University International College (MUIC) was established to deliver English-taught degree programs that embody the finest standards possible to a diverse population of full-time students from Thailand and around the world. Programs in the social sciences, business, and tourism management stand alongside offerings in health and natural sciences. In addition to these, the College offers general education courses in foreign languages and humanities. The MUIC is located at Mahidol University’s Salaya campus on 500 acres of managed land, including parklands and sports facilities. Salaya is a thriving campus town and residential suburb of Bangkok. The center of Bangkok is only 20km from campus. Although most MUIC students are Thai, there are also students from over 40 different countries attending Mahidol University. This mix of students provides an opportunity to make friends and contacts in Asia and throughout the world that will last a lifetime.

ISLE (Intercollegiate Sri Lanka Education) offers undergraduate students a unique opportunity to study in Sri Lanka. Since 1982, the ISLE Program has introduced over 400 American undergraduate students to Sri Lanka's history, archaeology, environment, society, religion, literature, language, politics, economics and art. Many ISLE students have subsequently returned to Sri Lanka for further studies on Fulbright grants or within the context of graduate study programs in the humanities and social sciences.

Explore the living legacy of an ancient civilization through its traditional and contemporary arts community. This program studies the visual and performing arts of India—its architecture, painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, film, dance, music, and drama—in historic and contemporary contexts. Students are challenged to consider the relationship between religion, art, and identity. Taking advantage of Delhi’s rich artistic heritage and lively contemporary arts scene, the program includes time at: historical and cultural sites, museums and art galleries, concerts and recitals, film festivals, and dance and drama performances.

Examine socioeconomic development trends in northern India in the context of North Indian culture and identity. The program focuses on the state of Rajasthan, historically a princely and aristocratic state, and a center of Hindu, Jain, and Muslim traditions. Through thematic coursework, field study, and complementary educational excursions, students consider the diverse factors - internal and global - shaping India's development strategies and patterns and evaluate the sustainability of recent development efforts in North India. A central focus of the program is on capacity building, resource use, and social and economic change.

Witness the challenges facing Nepal as it works to balance tradition and progress and negotiate economic, political, and social change. Renowned for its scenery, from the peaks of the Himalayas to the remnants of tropical jungles in the tarai, Nepal is a land of complex ethnic and cultural diversity. Many Nepalese communities—shaped by their physical environments and pressured by scarce resources—have found innovative solutions that have helped them move forward in a challenging environment. Today, international development, internal political conflict, an emerging civil society, and the global market are all working to redefine Nepal in the twenty-first century. Based in the Kathmandu Valley, students also take field excursions to the tarai, the Indian hills station of Darjeeling, and a village in the Himalayas, as they examine topics ranging from preservation of historic cities to tourist impact on local culture and national parks.

Examine the diversity of Himalayan societies across the South Asian sub-continent, with special emphasis on the Tibetan experience and identity. Through thematic lectures and field work, students explore issues of cultural preservation, religious revival, and sub-regional geopolitics and are challenged to consider the contemporary and historic linkages connecting different Himalayan communities. Questions of self-identification and recognition, as well as issues of diaspora, exile, and migration, are important topics for analysis in this program. From the program base in Nepal, students gain access to a rich array of academic resources throughout the Kathmandu Valley and beyond, learning from prominent Tibetan and Newar Buddhist scholars, as well as regional, ethnic (Sherpa and Tamang), and community experts.

The program is designed for students from a wide variety of majors and academic interests, with a curriculum that spans development studies, economics, public health, environmental studies, international affairs, political science, film and media studies, anthropology, history, and women's studies. By providing a core academic base and allowing progressive specialization though electives, culminating in an internship or directed research project of the student's own choosing, the Alliance's Contemporary India program takes an interdisciplinary yet focused approach to these timely and provocative issues, both as they apply to India and in their global context.

Located in the heart of the coastal belt of Karnataka, just north of Kerala, this exciting new program focuses primarily on health sciences, with direct-enroll course options addressing rural public health, global health, national health policy, and Ayurveda. These courses include field-based practicum components alongside other Manipal students, with regular visits to the university’s rural health clinics and main hospital. In addition to courses on public health, students also take courses on Indian Studies, including a specially-designed Contemporary Indian Society course exclusively for Alliance students, and other electives within the university’s Study Abroad Programme (SAP). Students primarily interested in Indian Studies can also opt out of the public health courses and participate fully in Manipal’s general SAP.

Located in Mysore, a lovely mid-sized city in the southern state of Karnataka, the University of Iowa's Semester in South India program allows students to explore India's rich classical heritage and the contemporary forces that are rapidly reshaping this powerful nation. Through classes, field trips and independent study, students learn firsthand the depth of India's past, the issues faced by its society today, and the questions it faces for the future.