Who benefits from economic development, growth, and technology? Who bears the burdens?
This summer, 12 students from the College of the Holy Cross spent a month exploring these social justice concerns in Bangalore, India’s third largest and most developed city, through Maymester, the College’s summer study abroad program.
From Hindu temples, Muslim mosques, Sikh gurdwaras, and Catholic churches to the headquarters of Microsoft Research, Google, Oracle, and Hewlett-Packard, Bangalore was the ideal city for students to encounter, first-hand, the impact of urbanization on a city of more than 8 million people, 70 percent of whom live on less than two dollars a day.
“Bangalore is a major tech-hub, often referred to as India’s ‘Silicon Valley,’ and one of fastest growing cities in the country,” says Constance Royden, professor of computer science and co-leader of the Maymester. “In part, this Maymester explored the influence technology is having on spurring this growth in a city that does not have the resources to support it.”
Students spent the first half of the Maymester, titled “Social Justice in Context,” learning about Indian society and culture — everything from gender issues and the caste system to the digital divide and civic action — through daily seminars led by invited speakers from Bangalore as well as visits to cultural landmarks and NGOs.
The ability to directly experience what you’re studying makes all the difference, according to Matthew Eggemeier, associate professor of religious studies who led the Maymester along with Royden.