Himalayan Travelers

Course Description

Though the Himalayas are often described as a remote and isolated region, travel has been an essential aspect of Himalayan cultures for centuries. In this interdisciplinary seminar, students will consider the histories and contemporary practices of pilgrimage, migration, and tourism in Nepal. Beginning during the Spring semester with a weekend excursion to Jackson Heights (Queens) in New York City, the center of the Himalayan community in the US, this course will trace the migration routes backward from New York to the high Himalaya. After a brief orientation in Kathmandu, students will begin developing the skills and knowledge necessary for the completion of team-based research projects through lectures and readings on the history of travel in Nepal and visits and research excursions to important sites in the Kathmandu Valley. Students will learn conversational Nepali and meet with young people from the Mustang region of Western Nepal who have migrated to Kathmandu for educational and economic opportunities.

The second part of the travel seminar will consist of a research-focused trip to Mustang, with students working in teams focused on different aspects of travel in the region: religious pilgrimage, trade, migration, and tourism. Each team will work with a Nepali co-researcher from the region to facilitate deeper connections with the community. Language classes and lectures will continue during this portion of the seminar but more instructional time will be devoted to field-based research. The trip will conclude with research presentations in Kathmandu and reflection on the experience of the travel seminar as preparation for the return journey.

Learning Objectives

• To develop a basic literacy in the cultural geography of the Himalayas.
• To develop an appreciation of the conceptual challenges involved in the study of the Himalayas and to cultivate interdisciplinary approaches to fruitfully engaging these challenges.
• To develop skills in research, writing, collaboration and presentation through a series of group and individual research projects on topics in Himalayan Studies.
• To develop a thorough understanding of patterns of human movements in the Himalayan region
  of Nepal in the context of nomadic pastoralism, trade, religious pilgrimage, migration, and tourism.
• To develop an appreciation of the conceptual challenges involved in the study of Himalayan
  travel and to cultivate interdisciplinary approaches to fruitfully engaging these challenges.
• To develop skills in research, writing, collaboration and presentation through a series of group
  and individual research projects on topics in Himalayan travel.

Tentative Itinerary/Themes*

April 2025  - Excursion to Jackson Heights, Queens, NYC

May 19 -20 - Travel day

May 21 - Arrive in Kathmandu

May 22 - 27 - Kathmandu: language classes, guest lectures, site-based learning (tours, excursions, research activities)

May 28 - Fly from Kathmandu to Jomson 

May 29 - June 5 - Mustang: research groups w/local researchers

May 6 - Fly from Jomson to Kathmandu

June 7-8 - Kathmandu: student presentations

June 9 - Travel day 

*final itinerary is subject to change based on availability and travel schedule

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Dates: May 19 - June 9, 2025 (inclusive of travel)

Co-requisite: Students are required to take AS-221: The Himalayas for spring 2025. If approved for the travel seminar, OCSE will enroll you in both the on-campus course and the travel seminar. 

Credits: 6 credits (3 credits for AS 221 and 3 credits for TX-200C).

Program Fee: The anticipated fee is between $6,500 - $6,900 (depending on enrollment). The program fee includes Skidmore tuition, round-trip airfare between New York City/Newark and Kathmandu, Nepal; ground and air transportation for program excursions; on-site accommodations in shared rooms; some group meals and a meal stipend; international medical insurance; entrance and activity fees; local resource faculty and Skidmore faculty. Financial aid is available for eligible students. 

Meals and Accommodation: The program fee includes program housing in shared accommodations. Some group meals will be provided and students will receive a meal stipend. More specific information about meals and housing will be communicated to students upon acceptance. 

Flights: Roundtrip airfare from New York City or Newark to Kathmandu, Nepal is included in the program fee. Exact flights will be booked once enrollment is confirmed. Students are responsible for getting themselves to/from the airport at the start and end of the program. 

Application Process: The deadline for applications is October 15, 2024. Students are required to apply for Travel Seminars through the MyOCSE portal.  Applications will be reviewed and students will be notified of acceptances before spring 2025 course registration. 

QUESTIONS?

Stop by the OCSE office (Starbuck 202) or contact Professor Benjamin Bogin (Asian Studies) or Professor Smriti Tiwari (Economics), directly.