The final year of the HUF program begins with a uniquely designed seminar course that surveys Hindi-Urdu media coverage of selected current events. The course is intended to help students develop the skills of analysis and presentation needed for the Senior Project that follows in the spring.
In consultation with the instructor, each HUF scholar chooses a series of current events to track for two weeks through an agreed range of online newspapers and other news media. The work involves:
- reading or watching the coverage of the chosen news item as found in these media;
- comparing the different approaches and interpretations, possibly using an English source for further comparison;
- developing a critical and comparative analysis of the content;
- presenting the resulting overview in class;
- submitting a written synopsis of this presentation, of between 500 and 750 words in Hindi and/or Urdu, within one week of the presentation (incorporating any insights that come up in class discussion).
Each student completes six such surveys during the semester, making his or her presentations by rotation at a weekly class; the written component is graded and returned to the student with detailed comments. Presentations include extracts of text or video to share with the class, with selections being agreed in advance with the instructor.
The range of different topics covered provide a thorough training in the registers appropriate for the Senior Project that will follow in the spring. In parallel with the above, students will also outline plans, in Hindi or Urdu medium, for the Senior Project, developing the topic in consultation with the instructor through the fall semester and submitting an agreed abstract of 500–700 words in Hindi or Urdu by the last class day.