Social Justice, Peace and Development

SJPD Celebrates its eleventh year in India.The social Justice Peace and Development is a semester long study abroad programme for under graduate university students from the US.  Two liberal arts colleges in Mennesota, USA: Gustavus Adolphus College and Concordia College, in partnership with Visthar, annually offer an alternate learning experience in India.   Students with a major in a wide range of subjects from English literature, Nursing, music, Drama, Biology etc. enrol for this course.  Organised and facilitated by Visthar, the  course takes students to six or seven states in India.  The learning takes place with an formal and informal settings, with an emphasis on a hands on experience.  Students are challenged to think out of their box: religious, economic, national and transcend ‘Parochialisms’ and to be formed as young scholars committed to transformation.

Using an action-reflection model, the course offers four modules:

• Globalization and the Ethics of Development
• Identity, Resistance and Liberation
• Religions and Cultures of India
• Ecology, Environment and Livelihood

The pedagogical design includes travel to six states in India, field visits, hands on exposure, learning from NGOs and academics and submission of essays and projects.

As of date over 1330 students, mainly Caucasian have participated and passed through this programme.  A substantial number have made a choice for work in the Non Profit sector on a graduation.  This is remarkable given the volume of their educational loans.

SJPD programme concluded its 12th batch of students.  A total of 20 students, headed by Prof. Jonnathan Stainwand completed their course in December 18th 2008.