Course Feedback

30 Maio 2018, 16:00 • Shiv Kumar Singh

Students provided written feedbacks on the course. These have been handed over to Professor Shiv Kumar Singh.

 

This seminar- style module involved intensive readings, preparation of topics and classroom presentations. The next step was informed discussion, concluding with the instructor’s summation. The format was student- led, encouraging independent thinking, articulation, and responsibility. “It forced us to think,” wrote one student in the feedback.

 

One student said that, instead of listening to long lectures, it took time to get accustomed to a teaching style that “was more interesting than the traditional one, with excellent summations.” Students said they found this method novel, structured, interactive, challenging and greatly beneficial. It shifted focus from culture to foreign affairs. “The professor was demanding without making learning stressful,” one student wrote in the feedback.

 

According to a feedback (written and oral), the course had “triggered” (to use a student’s word) interest in India, and has made students look at India strategically. Readings were “excellent”, and students gained knowledge of lesser- known subjects (such as India- Bhutan relations).

 

Starting with limited knowledge of India, students gradually shifted focus to strategic issues, gained confidence, and showed deeper understanding of India. Perfunctory class discussions transformed into lively debates. Students had a better grasp of India’s place in the world.

 

One student felt that, while this was “one of the best courses with a useful format and independent learning,” having two professors with a compressed time line was challenging. The course could be better organized. For better research, readings should be given in advance, In future, due care is needed in scheduling.

 

Two students wanted maps and visual materials (a failure in the electronic system prevented a visual presentation). This is a lesson for the future.

 

One student wanted a second exam for better balance in grading. The module can be further refined, taking into account such inputs.

 

Once they were reasonably informed, students began to challenge themselves and their peers, “getting to know one another”, as a student said in the feedback.

 

The final class- room discussion on India: Global Power or Regional Behemoth, on May 23, was the best, showing the progress made. Students doubted triumphalist commentators on India’s rise. High levels of poverty, with poor indicators in health, infrastructure and education, made them skeptical about India’s rise as a global power. In soft power attributes, India was a great power, they asserted.

 

In the beginning, there was insufficient appreciation of India’s hard power: political cohesion, democratic politics, management of diversity, and scientific achievements. When lack of information creates doubt, it is the instructor’s job to remove it. By the end, according to the feedback, there was a much better understanding of India’s foreign relations and hard power.

 

A question asked was how a poor country like India could be considered a great power. Yet, there was recognition that India had the potential to be one. Illustrating the examples of China and Russia, two students felt that, regardless of poor developmental indicators, military power was the starting point for great power status.

 

One student said that Europeans obsess with India’s poverty because it confirms their own superiority, and because Indians, unlike Europeans, are happy even in poverty. This was “glorification of poverty.” By the end of the class, there was understanding of India’s strengths.

 

Students expressed curiosity about becoming an ambassador. Some felt connections make the difference. The instructor gave an explanation of the fair and transparent selection process for the Indian Foreign Service, adding that, in the real world, we need to face disappointments with a smile.

 

There was no discernible difference in English language skills between the Portuguese students and Erasmus exchange students.

 

Two of fourteen registered students are Portuguese of Indian origin. One felt the course was an invaluable opportunity to strengthen roots in India.