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| “The TEXT Program changed my world-view. I’m currently working to get into graduate school, after which I’d like to return to India to teach. At a time when I had no idea what I was going to do after I graduated, I was given a huge gift by the TEXT Program: clarity and purpose.”—Megan Garner (’08, ’09) |
One of the great opportunities available to U of A students is the TEXT: India Program, or “Tibetans in Exile Today,” an oral-history project designed to record the stories of Tibetans currently living in refugee settlements in India. The program focuses on Tibetans who left their country in 1959, but still have vivid memories of traditional Tibetan culture. The TEXT: India Program allows students to spend three weeks in the summer living in the Tibetan settlements in India as they gather these vital stories of the elderly Tibetans.
Two faculty members in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences train students in Tibetan culture and oral history before their residency in the settlements. Under the co-direction of Geshe Thupten Dorjee, a Tibetan Buddhist scholar-monk and instructor of humanities, and Sidney Burris, professor of English, director of the Fulbright College Honors Program, as well as co-director of The TEXT Program, students design and conduct the interviews, process the footage, create the transcripts and upload the resulting materials to an online archive.
The TEXT Program, then, allows our students to participate in a unique act of cultural preservation, and as a result, to make a lasting contribution to one of the world’s vital and imperiled cultures—even before they graduate from the University of Arkansas.
Testimonials
"Prior to leaving for India, I became aware of a couple of people who
had participated in The TEXT Program 2+ times — meaning they forked
over thousands of dollars one summer, then chose to do so again two
summers later. I wondered what was so alluring that a broke, overworked
college student would choose to make the push a second or third time. I
learned why. TEXT is not your typical study abroad program. Every
program will say it’s atypical, but this one is truly magical. You’ll
learn more about humanity than you would while studying a foreign
language on the Mediterranean. You’ll uncover a knowledge-set our
universities do not teach. Personal fulfillment aside, your work will
contribute to the nonviolent efforts of the Tibetan people to achieve
either full independence or autonomy with China. Sign up for The TEXT
Program if you’re up for a journey like none other." — Lauren Robinson
(TEXT ’15)“For a while I thought we would never get to India, but once we got there, I never wanted to leave. It was so much more than a backdrop for the Taj Mahal – the country itself was vibrant and beautiful. Aside from my interview with a Tibetan, driving up the foothills of the Himalayas to Dharamsala was my favorite part of the trip. However the TEXT Program isn’t just about going to another country. Through the interviews, I got to learn about the culture of the Tibetan people – a culture that they have worked so hard to preserve so far from their homeland. The Tibetans we met were so extraordinarily welcoming and compassionate. Every interview we did was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The TEXT Program was incredible.” — Samantha Mason (TEXT ’15)
“The University of Arkansas' TEXT Program gave us unprecedented access to exiled Tibetan communities in India. Geshe Dorjee, a Tibetan monk teaching at the University, and Professor Burris made travel arrangements and organized interviews with their contacts in India. The two men were able to bring us into the heart of the Tibetan struggle and to give us a brief glimpse of a culture in exile. The exposure we had to the Tibetans living in India was unique and something that few Westerners will ever experience. I am truly thankful for The TEXT Program and all that it brings to students at the University of Arkansas.” — Adams Pryor (TEXT ’15)
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Find out more about the U of A Faculty-Led: Tibetans in Exile Today (TEXT) India program at https://studyabroad.uark.edu/textindia
Search for additional study abroad opportunities in over 50 countries at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/
