Program Cost: $2,800; includes 5 credits of tuition, all meals and domestic travel.
IPE Fee: $200
Additional costs include: RT airfare to India, insurance, immunizations, visa, and personal spending money.

Prerequisites

Students from a variety of disciplines will find the seminar useful for their career development. These include, but are not limited to, Urban Design and Planning, Public Affairs, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Geography, South Asia Studies, and Cultural Anthropology. There are no formal prerequisite or language requirements for the seminar. The instruction will be in English with Hindi- or Kumaoni-speaking local coordinators providing language assistance as needed.

You must be enrolled for Autumn Quarter 2008. Students graduating in Spring 2008 or Summer 2008 are eligible for participation only as non-matriculated students.

Application deadline is March 7, 2008. To apply online, click here. For details on payment deadlines, click here.

Instructors

The director of the program is Manish Chalana, PhD, senior lecturer in the Dept of Urban Design and Planning. His research interests are in International Planning and Development, Cultural Landscapes and Sustainability. He is a native of India who relocated to the United States in 1996. He has traveled extensively in Uttarakhand and is familar with the people and the land.

Other faculty on the program:

Dan Carlson is a senior lecturer and director of the public service clinics at the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington. His research, consulting, and teaching interests are in community and economic development, transportation and land use and strategic planning. Dan lives in a rural setting, operates a small organic flower farm, and has a long history of involvement in planning and community participation in rural areas.

Eric Noll is a PhD candidate and instructor in the Built Environment at the College of Architecture and Planning,.

Transportation

All transportation costs (except for the airfare to Delhi) are included in the program fee. We will be using a variety of transportation modes to get to our study site.

Train from Old Delhi to Kathgodam: The train leaves the Old Delhi railway station at 10.45 pm and reaches Kathgodam at 6.10 the next morning.

Private taxis from Kathgodam to Satoli Village: The taxis will cover the roughly 70 km (40 miles) in an hour and a half on winding roads through the settlements of Bhimtal, Bhowali, Ramgarh and Nathuakhan, to reach Satoli village.

Walk from Satoli to Sonapani along a trail through a mix of cultivated and forested landscape: this is a pleasant, at grade walk of over a mile and takes about 20-minutes.

Private taxis from Satoli to Munsiari, the entrance of the Johar Valley: Munsiari is a small gateway town at an elevation of roughly 7000'. This is the last town on the road and has basic facilities such a phone booth, bank (no ATM), and post office.

Trek into Johar Valley along the Goriganga River toward Milam Glacier: Prepare for a 7 day round trip hike averaging about 15 Km and up to 1000 feet elevation change per day. During this time there will be minimal facilities and services.

Program Start time: Aug 24 @ 10am in the main dining area of the Blue Triangle YWCA.
Program Director's India cellphone: 9313444484. If you are calling from the States you will need to dial 011-91 before the number.
Review orientation packet for course schedule, important arrival, taxi, money and hotel information. Please print a copy to bring along.

This exploration seminar will take students to the Johar Valley of the Nanda Devi buffer zone for an assessment of the area with regard to sustainable community development based on ecotourism and health issues faced by residents and tourists. The results of this work will be presented to the community in an on-site public meeting.

During the spring quarter 2008, students will be required to attend a preparatory seminar where they will review literature pertaining to the site and their focus of study. The seminar will meet every other week for two hours at a time. Students will work in teams with others who share their main focus whether it be community participation, sustainable development, built environment, historic preservation, ecology and landscape and public health.

Participants can earn 5 credits URBDP 498 (Urban Design and Planning Special Topics), LARCH 495 (Landscape Architecture Study Abroad) or CHID 471 Asia Study Abroad (I&S). The course will count toward the Community Environment and Planning (CEP) diversity credit requirements. With additional requirements it may qualify for the Preservation Studio for the Historic Preservation Planning Certificate program. Participants should check with their advisors to determine how these credits can count towards departmental requirements.

India is the largest country in South Asia and the largest democracy in the world. It shares borders with Pakistan, China (Tibet), Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. It is the seventh largest country in the world by area and has over a billion people. It's an extremely diverse country, with vast differences in geography, climate, culture, language and ethnicity across its expanse. India is administratively divided into 28 states and 7 union territories. The states are broadly demarcated on linguistic lines. The union territories are smaller and have much less autonomy.

Uttarakhand borders Tibet to the north, Nepal to the east, and the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh (of which it formed a part before 2000) in the west and south respectively. From 2000-2006 the official name of the state was Uttaranchal. The capital of Uttarakhand is Dehradun, and the High Court of the state is located in Nainital. There are 13 districts in Uttarakhand which are grouped into two divisions: Garhwal and Kumaon. We will be based in the Nainital and Pithoragarh districts in Kumaon.

Study Area: While the context of the seminar is the Nanda Devi BioSphere (NDBS), our site of exploration is the Johar Valley, which is the eastern part of the buffer zone of the NDBS.

General Discussions (these are also available on the main discussion board):

Discuss any questions/concerns/comments/insights you may have on the region of exploration including Kumaon, Johar Valley, language, culture, customs, etc.

For general travel related questions/comments/concerns/ideas use this particular discussion. Conversation on visa, tickets, passport, domestic travel in India, hiking part of the exploration seminar, etc. should be conducted here as well.

Discuss any health and safety questions/comments/concerns in this area.

Discuss gear and stuff to bring for the exploration seminar including those that you might be able to share with other participants to reduce luggage.

Languages

The three commonly used languages are English, Hindi and Kumaoni, which is a dialect of Hindi spoken in the Kumaon region. English is widely understood (and to a lesser extent spoken) in the lowlands, while Hindi and Kumaoni are more commonly used in the uplands.

Travel Etiquette

Always be respectful of social norms in areas where you are traveling. In India this includes modesty in clothing, and avoiding public display of affection and ostentatious displays of wealth. Be courteous to locals, who mostly come from a very different socio-economic and cultural background than your own.

Hall Health Travel Clinic offers pre-travel counseling, immunizations, and health advice. Pre-travel consultations are available by appointment. Travelers will be asked to complete a questionnaire regarding travel plans. It is important to bring all immunization records available. Because several weeks may be required to complete a needed vaccine series, we recommend the initial appointment be held at least 4 weeks before departure. You should telephone for an appointment two weeks before that, if possible.

Your prescription medicines. Make sure you have enough to last during your trip. Keep them in their original prescription bottles and always in your carry-on luggage. Be sure to follow security guidelines, if the medicines are liquids.

Antimalarial drugs IF prescribed by your doctor.

Insect repellent (maximum strength or tropical) that help prevent leech bites.

Over-the-counter medicines for diarrhea, acidity and mild aches and pains.

Iodine tablets OR portable water filters to purify water, as bottled water will not be available beyond Munsiari.

Sunblock and sunglasses for protection from harmful effects of UV sun rays.

Alcohol-based hand sanitizer

Lightweight clothing items: shorts, t-shirts, long-sleeved shirt, long pants, sweater, socks, underwear, towel, etc.

Footwear: Hiking boots, hiking sandals, camp slippers

Trekking Items: daypack, head lamp; sleeping bag and liner; 1-litre water bottle; lip balm and moisturizer; vitamins; energy bars; trail mix, etc.

Toiletries including toilet paper