From Cairo to Bengaluru and Back: The AUC–Christ University Exchange Returns in Winter 2027
What happens when students from two different parts of the Global South come together to explore inequality and social justice? The AUC–Christ University exchange offers an opportunity to investigate this question through shared learning, cross-cultural exchange, and discussions that connect academic ideas to lived realities. After previous editions in Cairo and Bengaluru, India, the program will return to Cairo for its next edition, running from January 3 to 24, 2027.
Titled "Inequality and Social Justice: Egypt and India," the three-week faculty-led course brings together students from The American University in Cairo (AUC) and Christ University to examine how political, economic, social, and environmental forces shape inequality and influence the pursuit of more just and sustainable societies. Taught jointly by faculty from both universities, the course creates a space for Egyptian and Indian students to engage with different perspectives, question familiar assumptions, and explore shared challenges across their respective societies and the wider Global South.
Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the course draws on political sociology, anthropology, history, political economy, philosophy, urban studies, and environmental studies. Students will examine the relationships between social justice, human wellbeing, economic development, sustainability, and resilience, while exploring how gender, class, caste, identity, and power shape people’s experiences and opportunities. Discussions will consider the tensions between economic growth and environmental degradation, the role of public policy and state institutions, the influence of social movements, and the unequal ways in which environmental change affects different communities. By connecting perspectives from Egypt and India with broader debates in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), South Asia, and the Global South, the course encourages students to understand inequality in its historical, political, and social contexts.
Learning extends beyond lectures and readings. Through field visits, guest lectures, class discussions, and collaborative projects, students will have opportunities to connect course concepts with real-world issues and consider how different actors respond to questions of development and social justice. Working alongside peers from different academic disciplines, national backgrounds, and cultural contexts also makes the exchange an opportunity to develop research, analytical, and communication skills while learning to approach complex questions from multiple perspectives.
For Rahil, who took part in the exchange in India, the experience offered a valuable connection between academic learning and everyday realities. Reflecting on the program, Rahil explained: "Beyond the academic discussions and learning from faculty at both universities, the field trips allowed us to connect what we studied in class to real issues on the ground." Rahil added that exploring different places, engaging with local communities, and exchanging perspectives with Christ University students made the experience "both meaningful and unforgettable."
The Winter 2027 edition continues a collaboration that has brought students together across three previous editions: the first in Cairo in Summer 2025, followed by editions in Bengaluru in Winter 2026 and Summer 2026. Returning to Cairo, the upcoming course builds on this exchange by bringing Egyptian and Indian perspectives into the same classroom to explore how inequality is produced, how justice is understood, and what more equitable and sustainable futures might look like.
The course will take place from January 3 to 24, 2027, in Cairo. The application deadline is November 23, 2026. Interested students should submit their CV, unofficial academic transcript, and a letter of interest explaining their motivation for taking part in the course.
Watch the Winter 2027 course video to hear more about the exchange and Rahil’s experience, and discover how the AUC–Christ University collaboration brings students together to learn across disciplines, societies, and perspectives.