India

Reproductive Epidemiology – syllabus
(IPBH3000 / 3 credits)

This seminar explores reproductive epidemiology and its application with specific reference to the context of India. Students will first be introduced to basic principles and methods to understand the distribution and determinants of disease and other health-related states. These epidemiological tools and assessment measures provide a scientific basis to design preventive, curative, and rehabilitative programs for rational interventions, using available resources to efficiently and effectively check disease and mortality, reduce suffering due to illness and its impacts, and enhance the quality of life of social groups and communities.

Through a combination of classroom teaching, field excursions, and workshops, the seminar will orient students to a critical appreciation of the epidemiological rationale underpinning the life course approach to reproductive and sexual health in the public health service system in India.

Sexual Minorities and the Right to Healthcare – syllabus
(IPBH3500 / 3 credits)

This seminar examines the dynamics of provision and access to reproductive and sexual healthcare services among women and sexual minorities in the Indian healthcare systems through a rights-based approach. Through site visits and panel discussions with representatives from communities of sexual minorities, students will gain an understanding of the spectrum of identities evolving outside the dominant paradigm of heterosexual marriage; their lived experience within families, queer relationships and collectives, and emerging health needs. The seminar will identify the range of physical and mental health needs of straight, gay/lesbian, gender queer, hijra, and trans persons across caste and class. The seminar will also evaluate the trajectories of policy and programmatic responses by the public healthcare services and present an overview of civil society responses.

Beginning Hindi – syllabus
(HIND1003-1503 / 3 credits)

Intermediate Hindi – syllabus
(HIND2003-2503 / 3 credits)

Advanced Hindi – syllabus
(HIND3003-3503 / 3 credits)

Based on an in-country evaluation  that includes oral proficiency testing, students are placed in beginning, intermediate, or advanced classes. The emphasis is on speaking and comprehension skills through classroom and field instruction. Students acquire a solid foundation in standard Hindi to enable interaction with speakers of Hindi in north India and all over the world. Students will be expected to make rapid progress in both speaking and listening comprehension by using Hindi outside of class as much as possible, particularly with family members in their homestays. Although we expect that dedicated students will acquire a strong, functional ability to communicate in Hindi, students wishing to interact substantively with Hindi speakers should expect extensive collaboration with a translator for their Independent Study Project or internship.

Field Methods and Ethics – syllabus
(ANTH3500 / 3 credits)

Concepts and skills introduced in Field Methods and Ethics unite and reinforce all program components. They are put to the test through the execution and successful completion of an Independent Study Project or internship at the end of the semester. Students learn about cross-cultural adaptation; build skills in project selection and refinement; choose appropriate methodologies; and apply ethical principles in field studies in observance of the SIT Human Subjects Review Policy. Students practice developing contacts and finding resources; honing skills of observation and interviewing; gathering, organizing, and communicating data; and maintaining a work journal.

The Field Methods and Ethics course helps students understand the methods, rationale, and considerations underpinning the selection of question-appropriate health indicators. Students learn the sociological and policy importance of gathering data on reproductive and sexual health and rights-based healthcare, and their value in creating a better society.

Independent Study Project – syllabus
(ISPR3000 / 4 credits)

Conducted in north India or in another approved location. Sample topic areas: international, national, and regional responses to epidemics and pandemics, especially for women and sexual minorities; role of gender in health equity and disability; major  challenges for women and sexual minorities to accessing sexual and reproductive transmitted diseases-related services; target healthcare intervention for women and LGBTQIA+ communities; impact of globalization on healthcare delivery to marginalized communities; healthcare services planning and management; privatization of health services and health tourism in low-middle income countries. The Independent Study Project culminates in a research paper and presentation.

Sample ISP topic areas:

• Issues and challenges in delivery of reproductive and sexual health services
• Traditional health approaches to mental healthcare and psychological well-being in India
• Reproductive and child health issues and practices
• International, national, and regional responses to epidemics and pandemics especially for women and sexual minorities
• Disability, mental health, sexual orientation, and gender identity in India
• Major reproductive and sexual health challenges.
• Access and affordable health services for sexual minorities.
• Community-level reproductive health surveys and impact assessments
• Malnutrition and gender dynamics
• Health planning and management
• Privatization of medical services and health tourism

Internship and Seminar – syllabus
(ITRN3000 / 4 credits)

This seminar consists of a four-week internship with a local community or research organization, business, or international NGO in India. The aim of the internship is to enable students to gain valuable work experience and enhance their skills in an international work environment. Specifically, students will conduct an internship in the context of reproductive and sexual health, gender and sexuality issues in India. The focus will be on linking internship learning with the program’s critical global issues. The seminar includes regular reflection and assessment meetings with the academic director or internship coordinator to review the progress of the internship and learning associated with the internship experience. Students complete a substantial academic paper in which they process their learning experience on the job, analyze an issue important to the organization, and/or design a socially responsible solution to a problem identified by the organization. Students also conduct an oral presentation of their internship experience and findings.

Sample Internships:

• Understanding the community-based reproductive epidemiology of CRHP Jamkhed.
• Working with Naz Foundation to capture the process of decriminalization of consensual same-sex relationships in India.
• Supporting the work of Nazariya, a queer advocacy group in Delhi
• Supporting the work of Gaysi Family, a lesbian support group
• Assist with Sangath mental health awareness campaign for sexual minorities.
• Indulged with Aarohi to work in rural Himalayan communities on reproductive and sexual health