Teaching Hinduism through a Rural Homestay in South India

For the first time, in 2008, I offered a world religions study abroad course in South India. The special emphasis was meeting and befriending locals, and the centerpiece of the course was a six-night stay in rural homes. I considered this immersion in a Hindu context to be the best setting for learning Hindu thought. However, the environment was not conducive to that, since there were many other issues that seized the students' attention. All the same, they learned a great deal about Hinduism, mainly in terms of the values that govern the homes and villages. Redesigning the course to better utilize the rich learning opportunities of the countryside involved addressing issues such as hospitality, gender roles, religious pluralism, material poverty, and environmental pollution, all of which seized the students' attention.