Nazareth College: Kochi - Study Abroad in India

This Program is Offered by Nazareth College.
The Nazareth College Department of Religious Studies and Asian Studies Program plan to offer a 12-day international study abroad program in Kerala, India in January. This program is in conjunction with the Rajagiri School of Social Work in Kerala and will provide learning opportunities through direct exposure to a variety of religious sites and international service learning experiences in the richly pluralistic state of Kerala, India.

This faculty-led study abroad program includes: room and board at Rajagiri College, various hotel and ashram stays for the remainder of the trip, visits to cultural, historical, and religious sites in the city of Kochi and its surroundings including the island of Fort Cochin, home of Kerala’s oldest Jewish synagogue.

Selected religious and social outreach sites in regions outside of Kochi include:

- International pilgrimage site of St. Alphonsa, India’s first Catholic saint
- Kurusimala mountain monastery atop the Western Ghats where ancient Christian and Hindu rituals blend
- Hindu temples and Syrian Christian churches with folklore “sibling” ties in the town of Kottayam and vicinity
- Mata Amritanandamai’s ashram, accessed by backwater boat, along with guru-sponsored Amrita University
- Service learning project with the SOS Village near Kochi

This program provides an opportunity for undergraduate students to gain international, firsthand exposure to inter-religious dialogue “on the ground”, as well as interaction with practitioners from a variety of religious backgrounds. These experiences and knowledge serve to expand competence in intercultural and inter-religious affairs.