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Innovative Pedagogy

The Young India Fellowship attracts renowned academicians, practitioners and experts in the field to the classroom, and gives them the autonomy to innovate, create and craft curricula. This is a rare freedom within academia and ensures an unparalleled teaching and learning experience, not just for YIF, but across all programmes at Ashoka University.

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Ashoka has institutionalised the Socratic way of teaching: focusing on teaching students how to think rather than just what to think. Each course offering is from a distinct academic or professional domain, while several are interdisciplinary in nature. Course offerings include public policy, art appreciation, statistics, data, psychology, philosophy, gender studies, group dynamics, design thinking, communication, international relations and more. Broad course domains are as follows:

 

Fellows study a total of 19-20 courses during the year-long programme. Several of these courses are taken by all Fellows, while several are taught as choice-based Electives and Seminars in smaller sections.

The diversity in courses is also reflected in the varied styles of teaching and assessment, which includes discussions, seminars, field visits, presentations and group work. While catering to multiple learning styles, this allows Fellows to learn from a range of perspectives, and prepare themselves to be critical thinkers who can connect the dots.

Faculty at the YIF

Renowned faculty from Ashoka University and partner institutions (such as the University of Pennsylvania), and practitioners from leading institutions globally teach at the YIF. The following is a non-exhaustive list of current and recent faculty at the YIF.

Courses at the YIF

Below is a list of core and elective courses from the previous academic year. Please note that several courses change year on year, and the following is appended for the reader to get a sense of the kinds of courses that are offered to the Fellows:

 YIF 2023-24 – Core and Elective Courses
Reason and the Making of Modern India
Rudrangshu Mukherjee Chancellor and Professor of History, Ashoka University; DPhil, University of Oxford
Exploring the Universe
Somak Raychaudhury Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Physics, Ashoka University; PhD, University of Cambridge
Dipankar Bhattacharya Sunanda and Santimay Basu Professor of Astrophysics, Ashoka University; PhD, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
Democracy and Certainty
Sunil Khilnani Visiting Professor, Ashoka University; PhD, Cambridge University
Deconstructing Select Indian Foreign Policy Challenges and Responses: A Practitioner’s Perspective
Arun Kumar Singh Former Indian Ambassador to the United States, France and Israel; MA, University of Delhi
Climate Change and the Future of Health, Food, and Agriculture
K VijayRaghavan Former Principal Scientific Advisor, Government of India; PhD, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Building Habits, Careers and Institutions
Pramath Raj Sinha Chairperson, Board of Trustees, Ashoka University;
PhD, University of Pennsylvania
Problem Solving and Statistical Thinking in Modern Life
Santosh S Venkatesh Professor, University of Pennsylvania; PhD, California Institute of Technology
The Welfare State
Mekhala Krishnamurthy Associate Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, Ashoka University; PhD, University College, London
Economic Reasoning and Public Policy
AK Shiva Kumar Development Economist; PhD, Harvard University
Women, Society and Changing India
Urvashi Butalia
Padma Shri; Writer and Founder, Zubaan Books; MA, University of London
Heart of Leadership / Advanced Group Dynamics
Kenwyn K Smith Former Professor, University of Pennsylvania; PhD, Yale University
Foundations of Leadership
Dwight L Jaggard
Professor Emeritus, University of Pennsylvania; PhD, California Institute of Technology
AI and Beyond: Being Human in the Age of AI
Jaspreet Bindra Author and Founder, The Tech Whisperer; Co-Founder and CEO, AI and Beyond; MSt, AI and Ethics, University of Cambridge
An Overview of Public Policy and Regulation in India with Indian Finance as a Case Study
KP Krishnan Former Secretary, Government of India; PhD, IIM Bangalore
Art Appreciation
Anunaya Chaubey Provost, Anant National University; PhD, Patna University
Shakespeare and the World
Jonathan Gil Harris Professor of English, Ashoka University; PhD, University of Sussex
Madhavi Menon Professor of English, Ashoka University; PhD, Tufts University
Design Thinking and Innovation
Ranjan Banerjee Founding Vice-Chancellor and Professor, Nayanta University; PhD, University of Minnesota
Ruppal Walia Sharma Professor of Marketing, SPJIMR; PhD, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani
Trade, Trust and Peace in South Asia
Sanjay Kathuria Former Lead Economist, The World Bank; DPhil, Oxford University
From Theory to Practice: Using Behavioural Economics to Address Global Policy Challenges
Saugato Datta Managing Director, Ideas42; PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Khayal, North Indian Classical Music and the Modern Song: A Story of the Trajectory of Modernity
Amit Chaudhuri
Professor of Creative Writing, Ashoka University; DPhil, University of Oxford
Indian Society: Imaginations, Structures and Identities
Surinder S Jodhka Professor of Sociology, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Visual Storytelling and Cinematic Techniques
Meenu Gaur Filmmaker; PhD, SOAS, University of London
Language, Politics and Society in India
Kathryn Collins Hardy Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, Ashoka University; PhD, University of Pennsylvania
Science of Emotions and Empathy: A Toolkit of Concepts and Techniques
Bhismadev Chakrabarti Professor of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Reading; PhD, Cambridge University
Global Mental Health: A Primer to Decrease Human Suffering and Increase Thriving in the World
Srishti Meera Sardana (YIF ’12) Adjunct Assistant Professor, Columbia University; PhD, Columbia University
‘The Word for World is Forest’: Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development in an Age of Climate Change
Meghna Agarwala Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, Ashoka University; PhD, Columbia University
The New Geography of the Information Age
Debayan Gupta Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Ashoka University; PhD, Yale University

 

Cross-Registered Courses

Fellows can now pursue credit-bearing courses offered by different departments at Ashoka University, supplementing what they learn through the YIF curriculum. These cross-registered courses encompass a wide range of subjects, and presently Fellows undergo a brief selection process to partake in this opportunity. At present, this opportunity is available both for the Monsoon and Spring Semesters of the Academic Year, in parallel to the YIF Academic Calendar. Appended below is a list of cross-registered courses taken by Fellows:

YIF 2024-25 – Monsoon 2024
Political Ecology of FoodAmita Baviskar
Metaphysics: Time, Change and CausationArindam Chakrabarti
Magic, Science and ReligionRavindran Sriramachandran
Reading ArchaeologySanjukta Datta
Body in Performance: Embodied Self, Performed IdentityNavtej Johar
Storytelling in the Digital AgeNatasha Badhwar
Indian State in a Comparative PerspectiveAnustubh Agnihotri
State, Stateless Societies and Problems of Power Swargajyoti Gohain
Technology Law and PolicyNikhil Sud
Artificial Intelligence and Data AnalyticsTushar Jaruhar
Branding and Consumer BehaviourVani Dandia
Business Analysis and StrategyAkhil Dhawan and Sanjay Kukreja
 
YIF 2023-24 – Monsoon 2023 and Spring 2024
Living with Purpose: Tools for Life from Psychology, Neuroscience and Cognitive Well-Being – Arvinder J Singh
Deconstructing Social Sector Systems in India – Seema Bansal
Entrepreneurial Strategies for Climate Action – DVS Seshadri
Decoding Generative AI – Jaspreet Bindra
In Pursuit of Service Excellence – Aditya Ghosh
Life Design Lab – Navyug Mohnot
Integrated Digital Marketing Strategy – Shradha Agarwal
Business Analysis and StrategyAkhil Dhawan and Sanjay Kukreja
Startup Incubation LabSrikant Sastri

 

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