Journeys through India

In preparation to my trip, which begins December 24th, 2008, I have been taking two classes at Indiana University related to India: a Beginning Hindi language class (H100), and an Introduction to India class (I310). The Hindi class is a basic language class, with the added difficulty, or fun, of having to learn a new script. My name, Eleanor, is spelled एलानोर in Hindi. I am happy to say that I could actually read that now, even if I hadn't just written it in English. The Introduction to India class is a bit more unusual. To provide an introductory course for so diverse a country, the India Studies Dept. provided not one, but 20 Professors. Every professor teaches one or two classes with material pertaining to there own area of expertise. A History professor will give a lecture or two on some aspect of Indian history, a Political Science professor may teach about Political Institutions in India, and a Religious Studies professor could discuss Devotional Literature. This is a fantastic class that will, I think, help a lot in the preparation for my trip and I definitely recommend it to anyone who happens to read this and be attending Indiana University. I thought I would tell a little bit about each Introduction to India class in the following posts, because it is interesting, useful information, and because these classes are really the beginning of my journey, cheesy as that may sound.