Program
Program
Curriculum, Credit and Cost
ISLE is formally affiliated with the University of Peradeniya (see University photos), one of the leading institutions of higher learning in South Asia. Peradeniya faculty offer a range of required and elective courses tailored to the needs of ISLE students. Extracurricular instruction in music, dance, and other art forms, as well as meditation is also available for interested students.
Classroom study is supplemented by archaeological tours and other field trips on the island. The archaeological tour surveys Sri Lanka’s historical civilizations, with field study of archaeological and religious sites at the ancient capitals of Anuradhapura, Sigiriya, and Polonnaruva. The field tours are part of the course field trips, customized by students in consultation with the director, the ISLE staff, and faculty, to visit various places of personal as well as academic interest.
On site lecture at the ruins of ancient capital city (A. D. 993-1293), Polonnaruwa
Program Structure and Credits
An ISLE semester lasts 15 weeks. The semester consists of three distinct sessions, in which students take both required and elective courses, and undertake a final Independent Study Project. During the first four weeks of the semester (Session I), students are required to take Sinhala I and Material Culture. During the second four weeks (Session II), students continue their language study with Sinhala II and study two elective courses of their choice.
During the final four weeks of the semester (Session III), students embark on a formal independent study project which must be approved in advance by the Faculty Director and which culminates in a final report of approximately 5000 words. Independent study projects completed by previous ISLE students are as varied and fascinating as the academic interests of the students themselves. In the past, student projects have focused on agricultural development programs, the gem trade, archeological excavations, Kandyan dance, orphanages, fishing camps, and public health issues, to name only a few. You can read the titles of independent study projects by previous ISLE students by clicking on the link at the upper right of this page.
The ISLE program uses a semester course credit system, under which each full credit course represents 40 hours of instruction, and each half credit course represents 20 hours of instruction. Sinhala I and II are each worth a full credit under this system, and Material Culture, the electives, and the Independent Study are each worth a half credit. The full semester load on the ISLE program is therefore four semester course credits, equivalent to a full load at the member colleges. ISLE member schools grant academic credit for satisfactory completion of program coursework. Each school individually determines the total number of credits to be awarded, and the manner in which credits and grades are recorded on student transcripts. Allocation of credits to departments, or to major or minor requirements, must be negotiated by the student with the home college.
Independent Study presentations
Standing Buddha - Polonnaruwa
Required Common Courses
Required courses to be offered in the Fall of 2009 include:
Conversational Sinhala. 85-90 hours of intensive language instruction in colloquial Sinhala, emphasizing functional use of the language in contexts that students can be expected to encounter in daily life. Classes are held at the ISLE Study Center.
Class format consists of classroom instruction, language tasks to be performed at host family homes and other sites, one-on-one sessions with instructors, and sessions on topics such as communication and language learning strategies, and cross cultural topics involving language and etiquette. Quizzes, review and feedback sessions round out the format of this class.
ASSESSMENT: Factors of assessment criteria to be scored are Comprehension, Accent, Grammar, Vocabulary, Discourse, Fluency, and Paralinguistic Features.
Material Culture. Study of ancient history and archaeological sites in the northern parts of Sri Lanka.
This course is concerned with a range of topics related to the geographical, institutional, industrial and artistic history of Sri Lanka. The extensive Northern Tour takes students to a number of prestigious historical sites, possessing some of the best representations of classical Sri Lankan art and architecture. The reading materials and lectures give context and texture to the students' field trip experience.
Independent Study. In-depth field study project, or service-learning academic study, in a context chosen by the student in consultation with the faculty director, culminating in a written report and oral seminar presentation.
Electives:
Elective courses change from year to year and are offered during Session II of both the Fall and Spring programs. Students choose two electives per semester. All elective courses are comprised of 20 hours of instruction.
FALL 2009 ELECTIVES
Art, Drama, and Poetry. A survey study of social, cultural, political, and religious themes in 20th century Sri Lankan novels, fine arts, and drama. Themes of focus include the Sir Lankan experience as cultural mosaic; modernity in Sri Lanka; memory and nation; tradition, modernity and iconoclasm in literature; drama and culture; conflict and terror; alternative histories; colonial change and trauma.
The course is comprised of lectures, a number of field trips to museums and theaters, and a wide range of reading materials. Students are encouraged to investigate the music, poetry and art of Sri Lanka prior to the beginning of the course.
Theravada Buddhist Thought. Theravada Buddhism represents one of the most ancient interpretations of the teachings of the Buddha. The importance of the Theravada teachings as a philosophy of life, a psychology, an ethical system, a social, political and economic philosophy will be discussed, as will implications of the Theravada doctrines on some of the current social problems in Sri Lanka. (Recommended for interested students without prior background in the study of Buddhism.)
In addition to the theoretical understanding of Buddhist meditation that will be provided, students will be introduced to the practical aspect of Buddhist meditation by taking them for a day's retreat to the lay meditation center in Nilambe.
Colonial and Modern History of Sri Lanka. Discussion of the political, social, and economic impacts of Portuguese, Dutch, and British hegemony from the 16th century through 1948 and beyond.
The course is comprised of lectures and seminars covering a variety of themes designed to assist students in understanding today's Sri Lanka as a result of five centuries of change. Topics include the beginning of colonial rule, the establishment of British rule, the rise of nationalism, and political change in the early 20th century and the passage to independence.
Images of the Feminine and the Social Experiences of Women. Conceptions of what it means to be a female in Sri Lankan society as understood in Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim sociocultural contexts, and processes through which women are seeking to enhance the status of themselves and their families.
Images of the Feminine and the Social Experiences of Women. A survey of the important factors that inform women's gendered status in Sri Lankan society through an introduction to the forces - cultural, social, economic, and political - which impinge upon, and shape, women's options and life-experiences in Sri Lanka. Conceptions of what it means to be a female in Sri Lankan society as understood in Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim sociological contexts, and processes through which women are seeking to enhance the status of themselves and their families.
Eligibility and Costs
Any student in good standing at an ISLE member school is eligible to apply for the program. Applicants from non-member schools will be considered on a space-available basis. Preference is given to students who can adjust to, empathize with, and reap academic benefits from intensive exposure to a significantly different social, cultural, and material environment.
Fees for Students from ISLE Member Schools: The comprehensive fee for the ISLE Program is one half of the annual cost of tuition, room, and board at the student's home institution. This fee covers tuition, room, and board for 15 weeks in Sri Lanka, airfare from the US to Sri Lanka, program travel in Sri Lanka, textbooks, and most reading materials. Students who receive financial aid in the US can apply this aid to study on ISLE.
Fees for Students from Non-Member Schools: Students accepted from colleges and universities outside of the ISLE consortium are charged one-half of their home institution's normal total annual charge for student tuition, room, full board, and regular fees, or fees equal to those at the least expensive ISLE member institution, whichever is greater.
Please E-mail the Program isle@bowdoin.edu if you have questions regarding the cost of attending the ISLE Program.