FLAME UNIVERSITY SUMMER IMMERSION PROGRAM | COURSE BRIEFS
1. The Fast and Fun Way to Learn German
Prof. Chitra Dandawate & Amrini Mudholkar
This module aims at introducing the German language and seeks to impart basic knowledge of the German language. The module will focus on introducing German culture and provide a framework for acquiring survival communication skills in the language.
2. Dance Mystique
Radhika Mulay
Dance has been defined by many in various ways. It is a visual music for someone at the same time a hidden language of the soul for the other. The module will let one experience the greatest joy of movement, feel the space, enjoy the energy and find 'the new you' while moving through the music. The module will introduce Dance and Movement in the context of Indian and Contemporary Dance.
3. The exciting world of Data Visualization
Prof. Rupa Korde
The session will tell you what data visualization exactly is. It will teach you how to find the right data for your academic research and essays, how to create exciting charts and graphs and where to find data and tools to make them. We will be working with data and there will be class based assignments to create charts, understand good-bad graphs, and know more about data journalism, timeline tools and basically learn to create interactive data visualizations.
4. Digital Footprints
Prof. Jasmine Hsu
In this digital era, we spent countless hours online every day. Are you aware of risks and exposures when you decide to fill out a poll or play a game for fun? In this session we will learn about digital footprints and online safety and share tips on how to safeguard yourself online.
5. Hit the Road - A Financial Adventure
Prof. Jaslene Bawa
Three friends choose to go on a road trip. On this trip, one gets to choose which profession each friend wishes to take up, in the game you are supposed to finish the debt taken and keep 500 at the end, this helps them take the trip successfully and opt for skiing. This game helps you not only manage your funds successfully but also make sure you prepare for eventualities on the trip. The game helps the students understand the importance of planning, how to earn funds, what jobs can the student undertake in the game based on the qualification chosen, the students can record transactions when they are undertaking the trip and also record their learning in the process as to what they did right and what could have been avoided. We will learn the three principles of debit and credit under Real account, Personal account and Nominal account. The game will be assessed on the following:
a) the students have sufficient funds at the end of the trip to take the ski trip,
b) have repaid debt,
c) didn't face problems with food and money to spend on a daily basis and
d) could handle and plan for the eventualities on the trip.
6. Climate Change and Pandemics - Converging threats
Prof. Chaitanya Ravi
Even as COVID-19 claims more lives every day and shows no sign of waning, an equally grave threat is appearing on the horizon. The massive ice melt caused by global warming is causing the collapse of permafrost (permanently frozen ground) in regions such as Alaska, Northern Russia, and Greenland. This is exposing ancient organic matter (plant and animal bodies) to the surface after millions of years. A 30,000-year old dormant virus found in this collapsing permafrost managed to revive in a lab to feed on amoeba. This has led to fears that humans could be exposed to pathogenic (disease causing) bacteria and viruses that our immune systems have no exposure to and are hence vulnerable to.
This module will challenge students to understand the converging threat posed by a changing climate and its potential to expose humans to pathogens from the near and distant past, a challenge that could prove more serious than even COVID-19. The module will include a lecture, class-discussion of key concepts and online discussion board.
7. Philosophy in Everyday Life
Prof. Avani Sabade
Philosophy is NOT only thinking deeply about significant abstract issues, we can also engage with daily activities in a philosophical manner. Some questions we deal with regularly bring out interesting philosophical discussions: Is it okay to lie for my best friend? When everyone is telling me what to do, how do I truly know what's best for me? When I turn 18, have I changed enough to make important decisions in my life? These questions can be answered common-sensically and philosophically. In this session, we will explore philosophical engagement with such everyday questions.
8. Media Literacy
Prof. Sasikiran R M
The session will cover basics of Media Literacy, and will provide an understanding of consequences of disinformation in democracies. The session will also briefly delve into frameworks used to deconstruct media messages and will include case studies of fact checkers working on curbing fake news.
9. In The News
Prof. Lalitha Suhasini
According to Pricewaterhouse Coopers, India is poised to become the biggest market globally for print readership by 2025. The Indian Information and Broadcasting Ministry has also predicted that the Indian media industry is the fastest growing in the world. News media with rigorous training in print media is at the centre of our journalism courses. Students are trained in traditional and new media by experienced journalists and educators. They are given a 360 understanding of how news media functions in India and across the world with interactions with leading industry professionals, internships at top news media outlets as well as field experience, which will include visits to some of India’s best known media houses.
10. Are we what we eat? Food and Society.
Prof. Alexios Tsigkas
What can we learn from food? "There is no accounting for taste," goes the popular proverb, yet a deep dive into our food habits shall reveal much more than mere subjective preferences: despite their mundane nature, foodways are charged with social meaning. In this lecture we will explore the connections between what we eat and who we are, the relationship, in other words, of food with individual and collective identities, local and global histories, current and past political fissures.
11. Introduction to Literary and Cultural Studies
Prof. Lily Kelting
LCS is an interdisciplinary field that examines how cultural practices and meaning are formed in a society over a period of time. Have you ever deeply thought of culture? What does culture mean? In this interactive session, we will look at advertisements, songs, photos-images and stories all around us to understand why culture matters.
12. Beyond Pink and Blue
Prof. Juhi Sidharth
The course will introduce students to basic concepts of gender, gender roles and stereotypes in our society. It will focus on how biology and culture have shaped these ideas and how these ideas have undergone a change over the past few decades.
13. Film Appreciation and Film Making
Prof. Malini Dasari, Prof. Aileen Blaney, Prof. Ramna Walia
Basic introduction to understanding films and film making. Students will understand the process of reading and analyzing films. Sum of the processes that constitute filmmaking will be elaborated upon. The sessions will involve viewing some film clips to illustrate the same.
14. Entrepreneurship for Youngsters
Prof. Bharat Damani, Prof. Love Sarin, Prof. Amarpreet Ghura
The session will introduce young minds to entrepreneurship as a concept, it will focus on how entrepreneurs think, how youngsters can create and develop ideas and how they can convert ideas to action
15. Understanding Elections in India
Prof. Yugank Goyal
When many people have to make a choice jointly, we usually conduct elections. Elections are all around us, in politics, in corporate boardrooms, in classrooms, even in families when you all vote for which movie to go to. But how do we add up all the preferences? In Indian politics, we elect our constituency representative (MPs/MLAs) and these MPs then form the majority party. The party chooses the PM. In the US, people vote for the President directly. In France, people cast votes in two rounds, the first round is elimination round, and the second one, final selection. Then there are also issues related to division of seats and votes. Let's say there are three constituencies in India A, B and C, with two candidates Sita and Gita. Sita wins in A and B but loses in C. Sita's seat share is 2/3, so she gets to form the government. What about votes? Let's say Sita won by 51-49 in A and B, but lost by 0-100 in C. Total votes of Sita = 102. Total votes of Gita = 198. Gita received almost twice the votes as Sita's and yet, lost overall. This is funny, isn't it? But this happens. The session will unpack some of these aspects, and go deeper into the idea of elections and their limits.
16. Marketing
Prof. Supriya Chouthoy
Marketing is the function that examines consumer needs and seeks to influence and satisfy their demands through the company's products. Marketers develop strategies and marketing tactics to transform their products from a concept to a product in the hands of the customer, who not only uses them but also recommends them to other customers in the marketplace. Discover this interesting management function that exists for the customer!
17. Backyard Biodiversity
Prof. Shreekant Deodhar
Using a hands-on approach we will learn how to observe plants and animals in our own backyards, as well as understand why one should do so. We will use various citizen science tools to observe and document birds, insects and much more. We will learn to observe and scientifically document their responses to the changing climate, and how to contribute these data to citizen science projects.
18. Demystifying Science of Happiness
Prof.Garima Rajan
Happiness is something we all experience at various occasions in our daily life. Ever wondered where this feeling emerges from? Wouldn't it be interesting to know why and how we feel happiness? This session will help students understand the scientific basis of happiness from multiple lenses within psychology. The session will involve simple ways to help students learn several techniques and positive practices to improve one's happiness and well-being.
19. Calligraphy
Prof. Suniti Vadalkar
Being one of the popular forms of art, the module on Calligraphy will teach students how to write Roman letter forms, create compositions with circular, angular and extended strokes of alphabets. Students will be able to write poems with these calligraphic expressions.
20. Acting Basics
Prof. Ashwini Giri
The session will teach what acting is exactly and focus on basic tools of acting such as body language, voice and speech. Students will learn how to use these tools effectively to create an illusion of time and space.
21. Rural Immersion
Prof. Shalaka Shah & Prof. Shivakumar Jolad
The field trip to a nearby village exposes students to village life. Students get to see the Gram Panchayat in that village, visit a local government school, a public health center or a hospital, any other government body present in that village, and visit a farm. The rural visit opens discussion about current issues in the village, primary source of income, understanding of government structures operating in the village and seasonal crops grown in the village.
22. India in Space
Prof. Chaitanya Giri
India in Space gives students a brief introduction to the realms of outer space, the history of India's space program, the achievements, details of some milestone missions like Aryabhata, Chandrayaan-1, INSAT, the Mars Orbiter Mission, and the road ahead, especially after opening up of the space sector for private industries and startups in India. The lecture will also give a brief and exciting glimpse into what it takes to make a student-led space mission (student-satellite), how to identify a niche in setting up a space startup, and multiple career opportunities for the students in the space domains during their under- and postgraduate years for those interested in science and engineering or even for those interested in humanities and commerce. The lecture would end with responsible activities in outer space and humanity's ambitions for interplanetary travel and finding life in the universe.
23. Design-novative
Prof. Amit Kundal
Students will have the opportunity to learn about the fundamentals of design thinking, which is a problem-solving approach that emphasizes creativity, collaboration, and innovation. Our goal is to inspire the students to recognize problems and challenges in their environment, and to teach them how to use design thinking to develop innovative solutions that address these issues. The students will learn about ways to validate their ideas through user testing, feedback, and iteration. They will discover how to refine their ideas based on user feedback, and to make necessary changes to their ideas based on the results of the testing. Finally, students will be equipped to approach problems and challenges with a more empathetic, user-centered perspective, and to use design thinking to develop solutions that are not only feasible but also desirable and effective.
24. Cartoonology
Prof. Amit Kundal
Students will be exposed to a range of key concepts, tools, and techniques that are essential for successful animation creation. The workshop will start with an introduction to the fundamentals of animation, including the basic principles of animation, such as timing, spacing, and squash and stretch, and the different types of animation, such as 2D, 3D, and stop-motion animation. The students will be introduced to software tools that are commonly used in the animation industry to create animations. They will have developed their storytelling and idea-generation skills, and they will be able to create basic animations using industry-standard software.
25. ThinkLab
Prof. Mritunjay Kumar
Students will understand the principles of creative thinking and its significance in various aspects of life. Creative thinking is an essential skill that enables individuals to come up with innovative solutions to complex problems. It plays a crucial role in problem-solving, innovation, and personal growth. During the session, the students will be engaged in various fun and interactive exercises that are intended to help them expand their imaginations. These exercises are designed to help students break out of their traditional ways of thinking and to think outside the box. They will learn how to approach problems from different angles and perspectives, leading to more creative and effective solutions.
26. Interactive-X
Prof. Mritunjay Kumar
The session provides students with an introduction to the field of user experience (UX) design, which is a critical aspect of creating effective and engaging digital products. Through this workshop, students will learn about the different components of UX design, including its purpose, process, principles, and key concepts. The session will cover various topics related to UX design, including the fundamental principles of designing for users and understanding their needs and preferences. Students will learn how to wireframe an idea, which involves creating a visual representation of the product's layout and content to better understand how it will look and function. They will also learn how to create low-fidelity prototypes with Figma, a popular design tool used by UX designers to create digital prototypes quickly and easily.
27. Understanding Conditionals: Unlocking the Power of Decision Making in Computer Science
Prof.Prajish Prasad
The CS track kicks off with an introduction to the concept of conditional statements in computer programming. We start by looking at the concept of a variable, and how different types of data can be stored in these variables. We then introduce conditional statements, and discuss how they are used to make decisions in a program, and how they are used to control the flow of a computer program. The session is designed to engage with students at a conceptual level even if they have no prior coding experience.
28. Iterating to Success: Understanding and Utilizing Loops
Prof.Prajish Prasad
A major motivation for using and writing computer programs is to automate repetitive tasks. This session delves into the concept of loops, and how they are an important method of introducing iteration or repetition into the computer's capabilities. Students will have the opportunity to gain a conceptual understanding of the purpose and usage of iteration in computer programming, without necessarily engaging with synctactic issues in any particular programming language.
29. Where to put your data: Understanding Arrays and Data Structures
Prof. Kaushik Gopalan
This session explores the concept of arrays and data structures in computer programming by engaging with the following questions: What are Data Structures? How are they used to store and organize data? How can they be used to enhance the functionality and readability of code?
30. Sorting and Searching the Data Jungle: Techniques and Algorithms
Prof. Kaushik Gopalan
This session provides a window to the design and analysis of algorithms by illustrating systematic techniques of sorting lists of values into ascending or descending order. The costs and advantages of each technique will be discussed, and used to demonstrate how the suitability of different algorithms is evaluated for a required task.