An immersive experience that takes the students on a journey through the intricate connection between the geography, history and cultures of India spanning from the Himalayas to the oceans as students examine and learn about the different patterns of communication of the people of India.

Dates: Summer 2025. July 7 – August 14, 2025

India is a country of many contrasts, where centuries-old traditions and modern technology are at the heart of a very dynamic and hospitable culture that has dealt with globalization by sustaining the old while adopting the new. The Wake Forest University Culture & Communication program is based in Calcutta with visits to different places in India including Delhi, Jaipur, Agra and the Himalayas.

Summer 2025
 
An immersive experience that takes the students on a journey through the intricate connection between the geography, history and cultures of India spanning from the Himalayas to the oceans as students examine and learn about the different patterns of communication of the people of India.

COM 370 (3hrs) Communication and Cultures of India: Immersed in India
Dr. Ananda Mitra
The program will focus on the ways in which Indian cultural practices have developed into a hybridized format with elements that sustain some of the traditional components of Indian culture that have been synthesized with global cultural trends. Sustainability in cultural practices is an important emerging issue in understanding global trends. Most courses that deal with sustainability focus only on scientific and technological issues emphasizing the ways in which new practices are being adopted to ensure that ecosystems are protected and sustained. This course examines the issues of sustainability of the cultural ecology of a specific ancient cultural system. As such, it would examine the ways in which fundamental aspects of culture, for instance language, is being sustained in India where new language forms are emerging as the local languages are being transformed by the influence of English. The course would examine different cultural indicators made up of everyday material practices including media practices and technological adaptations that demonstrate how the people of India are creating a unique set of practices that sustain the traditional/local while adopting the modern/global trends.

Secondly, the course will examine the ways in which the hybridized sustainable practices are influencing the modes of intercultural communication as people of Indian origin take on central roles in the global arena. This component of the course would focus on specific practices such as the emergence of a global movie industry (Bollywood) that sustains the traditional Indian cultural elements like those of classical Indian music while combining that with emergent global musical forms; the intercultural component would also focus on issues surrounding interpersonal contact between people from India, like call center workers, and a global clientele.

Service portion of the trip
The mountain desert of Ladakh lies close to Tibet and is the home of Tibetan Buddhism. This area has a significant number of Tibetan refugees who have settled in the area of Leh, the capital of Ladakh. Over the several years Wake Forest students have visited this region, and in the summer of 2011 three students from Wake Forest (Kendall Hack, Carrie Stokes and Rachel Handel) spent several weeks in Leh working with the children of the Tibetan refugees. Their work has culminated in a service opportunity where the students taking the summer class would have the option of spending seven days in Leh working intensely with the children in one or more schools. During this week the students will also have the opportunity to work with Buddhist scholars in Leh to learn more about the religion and the culture associated with Buddhism. There will also be opportunities for excursions around Leh to visit monasteries that have been in continuous operation for nearly 1,000 years.

Dr. Ananda Mitra
Faculty Director and Communication Professor
Phone: (336) 758-5134
E-mail: ananda@wfu.edu

Students will live in houses where they will have private bedrooms that are outfitted with wall air conditioners and have attached bathrooms. The houses also have living and dining spaces and each house will have a housekeeper responsible for all household chores during the stay.

NOTE: All students participating in the WFU India: Culture, Communication and History program are required to live in program-provided housing. Housing accommodations you may have on campus do not automatically transfer to abroad and certain housing accommodations (single rooms and private bathrooms, for example) may not be available.

There will be three major excursions that will happen during the period the students are in India. The first would be an excursion to Ooty in the southern part of India. Here students will learn about the ways in which the traditional cultural components of southern India which represents a different cultural and linguistic tradition. The students will also have the opportunity to visit places that have seen multiple religious influences –Hindu, Muslim and Christian – on the language and culture of the southern part of India. The second excursion will be to the “Golden Triangle” of India that is made up of Agra the site of the Taj Mahal and a traditional bastion of Mughal India which has had a significant impact on traditional and contemporary Indian culture. The second apex of the triangle is in Jaipur the site of some of the ancient Rajasthani culture, and in Jaipur students will learn about the ways in which the traditional cultural elements have been sustained even as Jaipur has become one of the key metropolitan areas of India. The third apex of the triangle is in Delhi which is the location of the program.  There will also be a short trip from Delhi to a town in the foothills of the Himalayas. Those students who take the option of doing the service trip to Ladakh will experience the Himalayas in its full glory living in areas of elevations of nearly 13,000 feet and travelling on the highest motorable road in the World which goes up to 18,000 feet.

The Faculty Director is responsible for selecting each group based on the following criteria: 

• Good academic standing
• Maturity
• Interest in the subject matter

*Students from all disciplines are encouraged to apply.
*There are no course prerequisites for enrollment in this course.

The total cost of summer study abroad can be broken down into four categories:

Program Fee – Usually covers room, in-country travel, excursions, some meals and other costs associated with the program.
Tuition – Students on WFU summer programs pay WFU summer school tuition per credit hour. The 2025 summer rate is $950/per credit hour. 
Airfare – Varies per location. Students are responsible for their own airfare unless otherwise noted.
Personal Expenses – These will vary depending on the students’ spending habits, cost of living in the destination country, and the number of meals included in the program fee. This cost is always an estimate.

Program Fee (estimated) – TBD
Tuition (estimated) (3hrs) – $2,850
Airfare (estimated) – TBD
Personal Expenses (estimated) – TBD
Estimated total cost – TBD

Scholarships are available through the Center for Global Programs and Studies.

Scholarship deadline through Global Programs and Studies is February 1st. 

Passport Information
Students need to check their passport’s expiration date and ensure that it will be valid for at least 6 months after the program’s end date.

Students going on a summer program need to make sure their passport is valid through at least mid-February of the following year.

US passport holders who need to renew their passport should visit the U.S. Department of State’s passport website for information on this process.

Non-US passport holders who need to renew their passport should refer to their home country’s passport office.

Visa Information
If you are a US citizen, you most likely will not require a visa for your summer abroad program. If you do, details will be shared with you by GPS. Non-US passport holders should check with their host country’s embassy or consulate to find out if a visa is required for their program or not.

Dr. Ananda Mitra
Faculty Director and Communication Professor
Phone: (336) 745-6267
E-mail: ananda@wfu.edu

Amanda Batten
Study Abroad Advisor
Center for Global Programs and Studies
(336) 758 3194
battena@wfu.edu