Off-Campus Study & Exchanges

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 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 4 Travel Seminar Proposal Form – September 2023 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.