Over reading week 2019, 15 UBC students led by Dr. Anne Murphy, boarded a plane to India to take part in a weeklong conference, coordinated by Go Global. There, they joined colleagues at the Punjabi University Patiala to explore heritage and memory in the Punjabi landscape. Through the week, students and Faculty worked through lectures, site visits, and frequent debrief sessions to help unpack the complex history and contemporary life of the region. Students were invited to form research clusters with both UBC and PUP students represented in each group. At the end of the forum, students presented original research projects that they had spent the week developing.
Funding for this project was made possible via the newly created Global Innovation Grant (GIG), supported by the office of the Vice-Provost International, which allows faculty members to submit proposals for new and innovative programming. UBC is committed to supporting faculty members in the development and creation of student focused international learning opportunities.
“I feel that being with them [PUP students] it is easier to communicate. It’s something that we never could have done over email or WhatsApp.”
Karolina Lagercrantz – Year 4, Geography
“It’s one thing to read about a culture, but another to explore it first-hand…I learned more from the sites I saw and the ways I interacted with the overall environment than from what a textbook can teach.”
Eric Mann – Year 4, Classical, Near Eastern and Religious Studies
”Seeing how they [PUP Students] approach and understand the discipline of history and research was so interesting…seeing how we all came up with ideas collectively has been an amazing experience. I’m beginning to understand the value of being able to experience history through other sources and it will definitely inform my future academics.”
Harsimran Sachdeva – Year 4, Honours Asian Language and Culture
