Five-week certificate course on Thailand starts in Kolkata next month

Those interested in expanding their knowledge about southeast Asia can now enrol in an intensive five-week course on 'Understanding Thailand' which begins here on August 16, a co-ordinator said on Tuesday.

To be conducted by the Indian Association for Asian and Pacific Studies (IAAPS) in collaboration with Royal Thai Consulate and Srinakharinwirot University, it is the first course of its kind in India, said co-ordinator Lipi Ghosh, who heads the Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies at Calcutta University.

"With growing India-southeast Asia relations and in the context of India's Look East policy, the course is appropriately designed to know Thailand, one of the important countries representing southeast Asian culture, economy and politics," Ghosh told IANS.

The curriculum includes language training by experts from Thailand's Srinakharinwirot University.

Modules on history, social science, culture, international relations and economy will be taught by specialists, including teachers from Calcutta University and Jadavpur University, said Ghosh, who is also the founder-secretary of IAAPS.

The course will serve as the foundation of a two-part learning format designed to give students an opportunity to develop their research interests through scholarship and practical experience about Thailand.

It will also be useful to business persons, administrative professionals and tourists interested in Thailand.

A certificate will be awarded by the Thai varsity on completion of the course.

--IANS

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