Study Abroad
Old Delhi
DRAFT
DANCE OF POLITICS, POLITICS OF DANCE
The Evergreen State College
Winter 2007
COVENANT FOR STUDY ABROAD
Dance of Politics, Politics of Dance students planning to study abroad continue to be governed by the Evergreen Social Contract, the Student Conduct Code, and the program covenant. The essential values contained in all these documents are the same: open, honest communication; sensitivity toward all differences among people; and responsible, considerate social relations.
When students are studying outside the U.S., careful observance of these values becomes even more important. Above all, students must recognize that they are being welcomed as guests, in some cases even as honorary family members, by people of another culture. In such a situation, students need to interact respectfully at all times with citizens of the host country. If students perceive some element of the host culture as confusing or outrageous, they should reserve judgment, observing carefully and attempting to understand such cultural elements in their context. In a foreign-study situation, Evergreen students’ propensity to question, critique, and try to fix things is generally inappropriate. In a traditional culture, such as India, it is important to understand that learning is hierarchical, that one cannot gain anything if one’s cup is full of egotism and prior knowledge, that it is necessary to assert community rather than individuality. It is also important to learn and respect the tradition of “guru-shishya” (teacher/master of subject area-student) in India as well as the tradition of respect for one’s elders.
This covenant is a set of mutual expectations, designed to create an environment where people can collaborate to enhance each other’s learning, challenge each other intellectually, and trust each other enough to travel and study together in a foreign country.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. Students are expected to create a set of questions, have in place a methodology, while remaining flexible, to study the culture of political dance theatre and music in various parts of India, and thereby become conversant with ethnographic work.
2. Students are expected to go through the rigors of political theatre, movement, dance, and music study, learn the ways traditional arts, culture, philosophy (knowledge in general) are taught, and be prepared to create respectful scenarios, being careful not to jeopardize the lives of peers or be an embarrassment to the host culture. Everyone is expected to take careful notes of his/her observations, attend all sessions prescribed in the program syllabus and study syllabus, and write a journal of detailed observation. The learning goal for all students is a respectful understanding of learning in all forms, including kinesthetic learning, as integral to the study of the culture.
3. Students are expected to gain an understanding of the interdisciplinarity of learning in India; the significance of religion and philosophy to the culture of India; the totality of the artistic experience (dance/music/health); and the interrelatedness of the arts, mythology, history, and politics.
4. Students are also expected to understand the interdependence of art, architecture, history, politics, and science in the Jaina, Buddhist, and Hindu sites in the country and correlate this experience with their experience of their own culture.
5. Students will be expected to become familiar with India’s contemporary culture and political economy in general and, in particular, develop a deep working understanding of the regions we will visit.
6. Finally, students are expected to learn that in cultures such as we will experience, flexibility is of supreme importance. It is possible that the curriculum may have to be altered, expectations have to be changed, and schedules re-scheduled. Impatience is not a virtue.
PRIOR TO DEPARTURE:
1. Students must sign the Voluntary Waiver, Release, and Indemnity Agreement, and the faculty sponsor will submit it to the deans prior to departure.
2. Students must have a valid passport and the required visa and immunization so that they are admitted into the foreign country without difficulties. It I imperative to apply for passports now, rather than later.
3. Students have consulted the travel advisory. http://www.cdc.gov/travel/indianrg.htm.
IN COUNTRY:
1. Students agree to regularly attend all program activities, to prepare adequately for these activities, and to demonstrate respect for their teachers and for one another by engaging in these activities with good will. Students agree to
a) attend all scheduled classes regularly and on time;
b) be well-prepared to begin the work of the class;
c) use high academic standards in preparing all papers, projects, and classroom presentations;
d) be willing to admit ignorance, since that is the beginning of learning;
e) inform the group, including other students, host family members, and program personnel of intended absences or changes of plans
f) watch out for the safety and well-being of other members of the Evergreen group, including making sure that individuals are not left alone on outings. It is imperative that students go out in twos or more.
2. Students understand they are traveling to another culture, and they will conduct themselves in a responsible, civil way recognizing that they represent themselves, their families, The Evergreen State College, and the US. They further understand that if they break local laws, they cannot expect legal assistance from their faculty sponsor or The Evergreen State College.
3. Students recognize they must abide by the Student Conduct Code, available on the Evergreen State College web page (www.evergreen.edu), and in Student Advising on campus, or they must return to the US. The code prohibits use, purchase, or transporting of any drugs.
4. Students agree to respect the college’s rules as well as the expectations of the host country and local program regarding the consumption of alcohol. It is important to note that some areas to which we will travel are “dry.” The Evergreen Student Conduct Code states that “public appearance on campus or at any college-sponsored event while intoxicated. . . will be considered a violation.”
5. Students agree to refrain from discriminating against, sexually harassing, and threatening or intimidating another person by word or gesture, or physically molesting or assaulting another person which substantially harms or causes reasonable apprehension of such harm to that person or which is intended to harm him or her.
6. The college has no resources to offer students once they arrive in a foreign country. Therefore, students should have personal health insurance and a plan to return to the US in case of severe illness, civil strife, or natural disasters. Students and their families should read the travel advisory from the US State Department (http:\travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html).
7. Students must have adequate financial resources for the duration of their stay and a plan in case of emergency. The breakdown of expenses:
Roundtrip Travel to India: $1,600;
Visa: $100; Tuition in India + all arrangements $1,000
There should be a total deposit of $4,000 to cover: international travel, domestic travel from Delhi to Ahmedabad, Kolkata, and Bhubaneswar, lodging in all of the cities, and tuition for the program of studies in India. What is not covered in $4,000: passport, shots, local transportation, food, incidentals, and personal purchases.
8. Students should inform the faculty of all travel during the course of the program even if it is on the students’ own time.
9. Students expecting to study or travel longer than the length of the study abroad component must make prior arrangements with their faculty sponsor. No automatic incompletes will be granted.
10. Students must make on a timely basis any payments which are required to be deposited into a designated college account to cover the costs associated with the study abroad activities.
11. The faculty sponsors have the responsibility of arranging logistics within the foreign country both prior to departure and making adjustments once the program is in place. These arrangements include travel, lodging, board, homestays, guest lectures, field trips, emergency provisions.
12. The faculty sponsors will design and attend all program activities and evaluate students.
13. If a student has a grievance, s/he will:
address the grievance with another student, a member of the host family, or an employee of the study abroad program, directly to the person involved, and if still unresolved, use the following procedures:
a) If the grievance is with another student, then take it to the Evergreen faculty member or local program personnel.
b) If the grievance is with the host family, then take it to the Evergreen faculty member.
c) If a grievance is not resolved after following these procedures, then a mediator agreed upon by both parties may be used.
Signed:
Student: Date:
Faculty: Date:
