Classmates

One of the best parts of this program is getting to know the other students and learning about their research interests. Let me tell you a little about them. The ones with stars (*) are in the Advanced class with me.

Alexa, Jennifer, me, Ryan, Amalie, Kyle (Kabir), Courtney, Nick, and Lucy

*Alexa: MA in Gender Studies, hopes to work with a human rights organization in India.

Jennifer: PhD in Anthropology, studying women’s clothing.

*Ryan: PhD in Religion, studying medieval Indian poetry. His wife is Gujarati (Indian) and is also doing her PhD in Religion at the same institution (Yale). She’s doing field work in Gujarat for the summer.

Amalie: PhD in Film Studies, studying Indian cinema. She’s originally from Denmark.

*Kyle (aka Kabir): MA in Religion, studying beliefs about magic and possession. He is a follower of the Hindu god Shiva.

Courtney: BA in South Asian Studies.

*Nick: PhD in Religion, studying the religious underpinnings of modern notions of health-consciousness in India.

Lucy: BA in Economics and Math, wants to do real estate investment. She’s studying Hindi primarily because her boyfriend is Indian.

Isaac, Lianet, Renae, Seton, Jesse, Nisha, Priyanka, Kyle, Chelsea, Lauren, Tavi

Isaac: MA in History, studying South Asian history.

Lianet: BA in Human Rights. She’s open about her faith and likes to attend churches with me.

Renae: PhD in History, second-career student with 4 teenage children, studying women’s history in India. She’s also fluent in Japanese.

Seton: BA in South Asian Studies.

Jesse: BA in Economics. He’s a wild card, doing things that the rest of us consider unwise (like staying out until 4am).

Nisha: MPP (?) in Nutrition, working with organizations that address starvation and malnutrition in India. Her family is originally from India and is Muslim.

Priyanka: PhD in Religion, studying women Hindu priests. Her family is originally from Trinidad and is Hindu.

Kyle: PhD in Musicology, studying classical Indian music. He plays the sitar (an Indian instrument) and sings opera.

Chelsea: MA in Religion, studying Hinduism and religious philanthropy.

Lauren: PhD in Anthropology, studying mental health among domestic workers in urban India.

Tavi: PhD in Anthropology, studying primatology. He’s studying Hindi primarily because his girlfriend is Indian.

All the students and teachers

My class' teachers are Dr. Singh (aka Swami-ji), his wife Neelam, Pramila, Sunita, Raunak, Ganshyam, Ajay, Anita, Neetu, Babulal, and Mamta. They each teach different classes, e.g., literature, listening, oral presentations, film discussions, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, etc. They're fantastic. I highly recommend this program: www.indiastudies.org/language-programs