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Himalayan Health Exchange's Anthropology field expedition to ‘Ladakh’ offers a practical approach to the study of ancient and modern Western Himalayan cultures via independent-study/fieldwork. Participants will have the opportunity to not only acquire a contemporary and practical understanding in the fields of cultural, medical and visual anthropology, but will also learn about local beliefs and practices in terms of their cultural specificity and through cross-cultural comparison.
During this Trans Himalayan journey through ancient settlements, students will study and investigate Trans Himalayan human variations, modern human adaptations, the relationship between religious beliefs and culture, the development of cultures from their earliest origins to the present, regional effects of globalization and the impact of political/social/economic forces in shaping local health care.
 Subjects
Areas:
Anthropology (Cultural, Medical, Economic
and Visual), Asian Studies, Pre-Medical, Public Health,
Psychology, Art/Fine Arts, Geography, Philosophy, Social Work
and Sociology,
Yoga and Meditation |
Field
study topics include
Cultural and Social:
· Indian/Tibetan history, geography, culture, and politics
· Colonization and post-colonial reality
· The cultural construction of race and ethnicity
· Socio-cultural change
· Globalization and modernization
· Introduction to the Western Himalayan religions
· Bon Pon: the indigenous religion of Tibet
· Hinduism: Beliefs, Gods, and Practices
· Buddhism: 4 Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, 5 Elements of Life
· Cultural preservation of Tibetans in exile
· Meditation and yoga in daily life
Medical:
· Introduction to the health care needs of the local population
· Current state of Himalayan healthcare
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Medical
Cont'd:
· Role
of the national, state local government in shaping health
( AIDS, TB and Polio)· Indigenous
medical practices and customs of the Himalayan peoples
· Traditional Tibetan medicine (Amchi and Ayurvedic)
· Impact of modernization on various diseases
· Role of Himalayan Health Exchange and its healthcare delivery system
Visual:
· Individual use of visual media to represent anthropological
ideas in the context of the Himalayas
· Study of representation in areas such as regional museums,
ceremonies, rituals, artifacts and performances
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Employment of audiovisual technologies to capture “culture” in
ancient villages and Tibetan settlements, stone carvings
(Tabo Monastery), Buddhist monasteries, architectural wonders
(Taj
Mahal)
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