Center for South Asia - American Institutes for South Asian Studies

Undergraduates interested in cross-disciplinary study of South Asia (generally defined as the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Tibetan region) may earn a Certificate in South Asian Studies. The certificate can be a valuable addition to a major in anthropology, archeology, business, communications, economics, education, geography, history, international studies, journalism, languages and cultures of Asia, political science, women's studies, zoology, and other departments. Completion of the certificate provides a concentration in the area through interdisciplinary training and language study (optional) that provides enhanced career opportunities or increased preparation for graduate study.

See recent graduates of the certificate here

Applicants must fulfill the UW-Madison requirements for an established major in their school or college and achieve a minimum GPA of 2.75 in all courses they wish to count toward the certificate. Courses may not be taken on a pass/fail basis. Language study is not required for the completion of the certificate, but one year of a South Asian Language will partially fulfill the area studies requirement.

Certificate Advisor:

Rachel Weiss, Undergraduate Advisor
Room 203 Ingraham Hall, phone: (608) 262-9224
email: rweiss@southasia.wisc.edu

Contact the certificate advisor to create a plan that includes a well-balanced selection of area studies and disciplinary courses and for approval of appropriate introductory and capstone seminar courses. Certificate progress is tracked on DARS; some exceptions to the certificate course list may be permitted depending on the course instructor and course work (see the certificate advisor).

Requirements:

21 credits in at least 7 courses to be distributed as follows:

3 credits of an introductory course
9 credits in area courses (includes language option for 6 credits)
6 credits in disciplinary courses
3 credits of capstone seminar

Certificate Course List :

Certificate Course List(lasted updated April 2009).

All courses applied to the certificate can also be used to satisfy breadth requirements.

Business Courses:

The Center for South Asia is working with the International Business program in the UW Business School to develop a track in South Asian Studies. Currently the following classes are approved for credit in the South Asia Certificate: International Business 200: International Business and International Business 365: Business in Emerging India. For more information about these courses, please contact, Sachin Tuli.

South Asia Language Study :

South Asian Languages are offered either in academic year through the Department of Languages and Cultures of Asia or in the summer through the South Asia Summer Language Insitutue. Please check the offerings available within each unit as they are subject to change. Languages included in the course list are: Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Pashto, Persian, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sinhala, Tamil, Telugu, Tibetan, and Urdu.

Study Abroad in South Asia :

Academic year, Semester-long, and Summer programs are offered through the UW-Madison Office of International Studies and Programs. Please refer to their website for program information and deadlines. Currently there are summer programs in Kerala and Pune. Academic year programs in Varanasi and Hyderabad, and Semester-long programs in Hyderabad. Students who complete course work for a UW program can use their study abroad credits from their program to fulfill requirements for the certificate.