JISHNU SHANKAR 8524 Burnet Road, Apt. 823, Austin, TX 78757 M-(512) 810-2333, W-(512)-471-1219 e-mail: [email protected]

EDUCATION 2014 ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) Trainer Certificate, American Council For The Teaching of Foreign Languages, NY. 2011 ACTFL Full Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) Tester Certificate, American Council For The Teaching of Foreign Languages, NY. 2011 PhD. in Anthropology, Syracuse University, “Aghoreshwar Bhagawan Ram Ji and the Aghor Tradition.” 1989 Master of Arts in Anthropology, Syracuse University. 1986 Master of Arts in Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, India. 1984 Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism, Indian Institute of Mass Communication, India. 1983 Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, Delhi University, India.

NATIONALITY U.S. Citizen.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Fall 2007-Present Senior Lecturer – University of Texas at Austin  Teach intermediate and advanced level Hindi language classes.  Develop innovative pedagogical material for effective Hindi teaching.  Develop assessment tools for the Hindi-Urdu Flagship.

Fall 2014 Visiting Professor – University of Ca’ Foscari, Venice, Italy  Teach intermediate level Hindi language classes.  Teach advanced level Hindi literature classes.  Develop innovative pedagogical material for effective Hindi teaching.

1995-2007 Hindi Lecturer—Syracuse University  Taught beginning, intermediate, and graduate level Hindi language classes.  Developed internet based language lab for teaching Hindi language with interactive graphics, animation and sound - http://faculty.maxwell.syr.edu/jishnu

1988-89 Hindi Instructor—Syracuse University  Hindi 101, 201— First and Second Year Hindi Course.

1986-1988 Instructor—Syracuse University  Anthropology 101—Introduction to Cultural Anthropology.  Anthropology 121—Peoples and Cultures of the World.

WORK EXPERIENCE

2007-2016 Senior Lecturer, Department of Asian Studies/Hindi-Urdu Flagship—University of Texas at Austin.

 Teach Intermediate and Advanced level Hindi classes.

1  Design program evaluation instruments.  Develop online teaching resources.  Monitor Credit by Exam instruments.  Perform Oral Proficiency Interviews.  Develop assessment instruments for Hindi pedagogy.

1997-2007 Associate Director, South Asia Center—Syracuse University

 Coordinate institutional alliances with Cornell South Asia Program and Syracuse University faculty, as well as with the Department of Education.  Design program evaluation instruments.  Create policy for outreach instruction, activities, and community service.  Visit area high schools and colleges to lecture on the culture in India -- Organize, publicize and participate in outreach activities including public addresses and workshops.  Oversee budget, payroll, honorarium, purchasing and scholarship disbursement for the Center; supervise creation of forms and databases for reporting Center activities to the Department of Education.  Supervise organization of lectures, exhibitions and tours by prominent South Asian academics, artists and professionals.

1985-86 Reporter/Copy Editor—Patriot Newspaper, New Delhi, India

PUBLICATIONS ACADEMIC  Shankar, Jishnu. 2013. From Liminal to Social in the Modern World. In Lines in Water: Religious Boundaries in South Asia. Kassam, Tazim and Eliza Kent eds. Syracuse: Syracuse University.  Hindi-Urdu Flagship: A Meaningful Step Towards Possibilities (Hindī-Urdū flagśip: sambhāvanāo kī or ek sārthak prayās). Viśva Hindī Patrikā, World Hindi Secretariat, Mauritius. 2011.  Online Hindi Lesson pages at – http://www.hindiurduhealth.org. Spring 2012, pedagogical material for classroom use and for training professionals.  Online Hindi Lesson pages at – http://www.hindiurduflagship.org/resources/shankar/index.html. Fall 2009, pedagogical material for classroom use.  Online Hindi Lesson pages at – http://faculty.maxwell.syr.edu/jishnu. May 2005, addition of Extended Vocabulary list sorted by Hindi alphabet and parts of speech, funded by the South Asia Language Resource Center.

Non-ACADEMIC  The Book of Aghor Wisdom, Indica Books, India 2007.  Bhagwanramleelamrit, (The Divine Play of Bhagwan Ram.) Aghor Gurupeeth Trust, Banora, Raigarh, M.P., India. 2000. (A narrative biography of Aghoreshwar Mahaprabhu Bhagwan Ram Ji, in Hindi.)  Swati Ki Boond, (Raindrop in the Asterism of Swati.) Aghor Gurupeeth Trust, Banora, Raigarh, M.P., India. 2000. (A collection of spiritual sayings by Aghoreshwar Mahaprabhu Bhagwan Ram Ji, in Hindi.)

2  Aghor Vachan Shastra, (The Book of Aghor Wisdom). Sri Sarveshwari Samooh, Varanasi, U.P., India. 1992. (A collection of spiritual sayings on the Aghor Tradition of India, in Hindi.)

WORKS IN PROGRESS – BOOKS (ENGLISH)  The Nectar of Aghoreshwar’s Remembered Words (translation of Aghoreshwar Smriti Vachanamrit.)  Stories of the Aghoreshwar (A biography based on oral narratives of experiences with Aghoreshwar Mahaprabhu Bhagwan Ram Ji.)

TRANSLATIONS – BOOKS (HINDI-ENGLISH)  Todarmal’s Dhola-Maru (A medieval Indian epic of love and war.)  Aghor Guru Guh, (Mysteries Revealed by the Aghor Guru.) Publisher: Sri Sarveshwari Samooh, Varanasi, India, 1982.  Aghor Vachan Shastra, (The Book of Aghor Wisdom.) Publisher: Sri Sarveshwari Samooh, Varanasi, India, 2000.  Viveksar by Baba Kinaram, (The Essence of Wisdom.) Publisher: Sri Sarveshwari Samooh, Varanasi, India.  Mrityu Evam Antyeshti Kriya, (Death and the Last Rites.) Publisher: Sri Sarveshwari Samooh, Varanasi, India.

PRESENTATIONS

Invited Papers

Hindi Pedagogy

June 2016 Presentations on the Language Structure Familiarization; Technology in Language Pedagogy; and Oral Proficiency Interview at the STARTALK Workshop, New York University, New York, June 17-26, 2016.

June 2014 Authentic Materials, Technology and the Language Structure. STARTALK Program, New York University, New York, June 2-20.

April 2014 Hindi and Technology. The Hindi Language in the 21st Century Global World Conference, New York University, New York, April 25-27.

December 2012 Technology and the Use of Authentic Materials. Hindi Diwas Workshop, University of Wuerzburg, Germany, December 14-15.

Teaching Hindi at the University of Texas at Austin. UIO-UT Exchange Program, University of Oslo, Norway, December 12.

August 2011 Authentic Materials: Delivery through Powerpoint. Hindi-Urdu Flagship Program, Teacher Training Workshop, University of Texas at Austin. Austin, TX. August 22.

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June 2011 Teaching Hindi-Urdu Effectively. STARTALK Program, New York University. New York, NY. June 14-25.

April 2010 The Language of a Saint: Tricky Lines, Trials of Translation. Hindi-Urdu Flagship Program, University of Texas at Austin. Austin, TX. April 10, 2010.

February 2010 Motivation as Strategy: Uses of Hindi, Topic Specific Language, and Registers. National Heritage Language Resource Center, University of California at Los Angeles. Los Angeles, CA. February 20, 2010.

January 2009 Hindi Teaching in the US, Flagship, Authentic Materials Kendriya Hindi Sansthan (Central Hindi Institute). Agra, India. January 7, 2009.

Hindi-Urdu Flagship Initiative and Language Pedagogy in the US Aksharam Hindi Conference. Delhi, India. January 3-5, 2009.

December 2008 Register in Hindi AIIS Teacher Conference. Jaipur, India. December 30-January 2, 2008.

Teaching with Authentic Materials Hindi-Urdu Conference. Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Tokyo, Japan. December 12-14, 2008.

Syllabus, Technology, Technique and Lessons Language Education and Resource Network (LEARN) Conference. Defense Language Institute, Monterey, California. December 4-5, 2008.

August 2008 The Role of Register in Language Teaching Teaching Assistant Training Workshop. University of Texas at Austin, Texas. August 21, 2008.

July 2008 Materials and Technology for Hindi Teaching STARTALK Teacher-Training Workshop. New York University, New York. July 13, 2008.

A Very Brief Introduction to Hindi Fulbright-South Asia Institute Teachers Workshop. University of Texas at Austin, Texas. July 1, 2008.

December 2006 Hindi Heritage Learners: Mind, Media and Matters of Culture South Asia Language Analysis (SALA) conference. University of Karnataka and Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysore, India. December 19, 2006.

4 October 2006 Internet Enhanced Teaching and Learning: The Uses of a Virtual Language Lab in a Project-Based Classroom South Asia Studies conference. University of Wisconsin at Madison, Madison, Wisconsin. October 22, 2006.

April 2006 Student Centered Language Classroom: Some Concrete Activity Examples NCOLCTL panel on Student Centered Classroom. University of Wisconsin at Madison, Madison, Wisconsin. April 27-30. January 2006 Performance Based Teaching of Hindi Grammar Hindi PBIS Workshop. University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. January 20-22.

May 2005 Discussion of Different Types of Reading and Reading Phases: Developing Related Activities “Reading Pedagogy Workshop.” Columbia University, New York. May 21-22.

Overview of Hindi Digital Resources and Discussion of Their Use. “Reading Pedagogy Workshop.” Columbia University, New York. May 21-22.

Fall 1997 Vocabulary and Oral Communication: Using Ramayana as a Teaching Tool. Teacher’s Workshop. New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS). Binghamton, NY. Presentation made to South Asia teachers, university academics and artists.

Other

July 2016 The Self in Performance – Life Histories as Insights into Worldview: Talking About the Aghor Tradition. ECSAS 2016 Conference, Warsaw, Poland, 29th July 2016.

March 2006 Tantrik Buddhism: And How Ancient India-China Relations Figure In It India-China Institute, New School University, New York. March 13.

December 2005 The Social Interpretation of Aghor in Baba Bhagwan Ram Ji’s Teachings Second International Conference on Religions and Cultures in the Indic Civilisation, New Delhi, India. December 17-20.

November 2005 Context, Preptext and Text: Modern Aghor Literature Society for the Scientific Study of Religion Conference, Rochester, New York. November 3-6.

January 2005 Cremation Ground, the Body, and the Bodily in Sadhana: A Comparison of Esoteric Rites of Buddha and Aghor Ascetics. Conference on “Aghor Parampara Vyakhyanamala.” The Vikram University, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, India. January 24.

5 Tracing the History of Some Common Elements in Buddha’s Sadhana and Aghor Practices. South and Southeast Asian Association for the Study of Religion. Annual Conference. New Delhi, India. January 27-30.

Spring 2004 From Liminal to Social in the Modern Age: Transcendent Sacrality and Social Service in the Aghor Tradition Drawing a Line in Water: Religious Boundaries in South Asia symposium. South Asia Center, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY. April 1-3.

Spring 2002 Ramayana as a Teaching Tool. Teacher’s Workshop. Open Hand Theater, Syracuse, NY. Presentation made to High School teachers and students.

Fall 2001 Teaching about India with Film. Teacher’s Workshop. New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS). Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. Presentation made to South Asia teachers and university academics.

Fall 1999 Ramayana as a Teaching Tool in Culture Instruction. Teacher’s Workshop. New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS). Geneva, NY. Presentation made to South Asia teachers, university academics and artists.

Fall 1998 Tales from Ramayana as a Teaching Tool and the Use of Multi-media in the Classroom. Teacher’s Workshop. New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS), New Paltz, NY. Presentation made to South Asia teachers, university academics and artists.

September 1988 Tribal Knowledge of Forest Resource Use in Nagpur District, India. Gordon Bowles essay contest, Maxwell School, Syracuse University. In a society which is still 70% illiterate, knowledge of the nature and how to use is passed on through the oral tradition. Talk presented a case for the validity of such knowledge in forest resource use with modern forest management principles.

Invited Presentations

June 2016 The Oral Proficiency Interview Familiarization Workshop, University of Wisconsin, Madison, June 9-10, 2016.

Fall 2015 The Cremation Ground in Buddhism University of Texas at Austin, Prof. Janice Leoshko’s class on Art History, November 23.

Fall 2015-Italy The Transience of Death: An Aghor Perspective Convegno Internazionale: Vita Oltre La Morte, Sezione: India ed estremo Oriente, Venetian Academy of Indian Studies (VAIS), Verona, Italy, October 31. 6

Fall 2015-Germany Baba Bhagawan Ram Ji and the Navaratri Tradition at Parao, Varanasi Universitat Erfurt, XXI Quinquennial World Congress of the International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR), Panel on: The Navaratri/Durgapuja festival in India: Reinterpretations and Appropriations, Erfurt, Germany, August 25, 2015.

Fall 2015-France The Internal Navaratri: The Goddess Within “Navarātri, Navarātra and Durgāpūjā in South Asia and beyond” Workshop, Fransk-Norsk Senter For Humanoria og Sammfunnsvitenskap, Paris, August 20- 22, 2015.

Fall 2014-Italy Baba Kinaram and the Aghor Tradition Universita’ Ca’ Foscari, Venice, Italy, October 28.

Baba Kinaram’s Contribution to the Aghor Tradition Venetian Academy of Indian Studies Meeting, Verona, Italy, November 21.

The Aghor Tradition Venetian Academy of Indian Studies Meeting, Monfumo-Treviso, Italy, December 14.

February 2014 Hindi-Urdu Flagship and Language Pedagogy STARTALK Workshop, New York University, New York, February 21-22.

For The World I Became Crazy Madness and Wisdom in South Asian Religions Workshop, University of Chicago, Chicago, February 14.

December 2012 The Aghor Tradition of Ascetics in India The Denial of Ritual Project, University of Heidelberg, Germany, December 17.

Two Views of the Aghor Tradition UIO-UT Exchange Program, University of Oslo, Norway.

June 2011 Language for Health – Pedagogical Implications of Language Learning in the Practice of South Asian Medicine Presentation for the Hindi-Urdu Flagship Program, University of Texas at Austin.

March 2008 TANTRA: An Esoteric Practice Based on the Commonplace Videoconference Presentation for Magic and Religion class, Syracuse University.

March 2006 What’s Unique About Hinduism Hinduism 101, Syracuse University.

March 2006 Baba Bhagwan Ram and Aghor Tradition World Religions 185, Syracuse University.

7 May 2005 Hindu Influence on the Buddha Buddhism 101, Syracuse University.

April 2005 Some Thoughts on Hinduism Today Hindu Student Council Conference, Syracuse University, April 23, 2005..

Fall 2004 NGOs, Civil Society Organizations, and the Aghor Tradition Governance and Global Civil Society: Department of Public Administration, Syracuse University.

Spring 2002 Tantra: A Tradition over Time Comparative Anthropology: Department of Anthropology, Syracuse University.

Fall 2000 A Historical and Cultural Analysis of Tantra and its Practitioners. Comparative Anthropology: Department of Anthropology, Syracuse University.

Summer 1990 Principles and Themes in Hinduism. Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY.

Outreach Presentations

Spring 2007 Hinduism Outreach talk at the Liverpool Library, Liverpool, NY.

Fall 2006 Indus Valley, Hinduism and Indian Culture Outreach talk at Chittenango High School, gades 10 and 11 in Chittenango, NY.

South Asia Studies and High School Social Studies Curriculum Talk and meeting with Central New York Council for Social Studies meeting, Syracuse, NY

Spring 2004 Hindi Language and Indian Culture Semester long, weekly Hindi language classes at New School, a magnet school in Syracuse, NY.

Fall 2003 Hindi Language and Indian Culture Semester long, bi-weekly presentations at New School, a magnet school in Syracuse; Hinduism - Presentation and class discussion at West Side Learning Center, an adult education school, Syracuse; Presentation and discussion of Hinduism at OSHA, Hendricks Chapel, Syracuse University.

Spring 1998 Hinduism: Enunciation of the Religion’s Basic Tenets and Characteristics. Bishop Grimes High-school, Syracuse, NY.

Spring 1988-99 The Ramayana Story on Slide and Film. Presentation to high-school students, Syracuse University, NY.

8 The epic Ramayana is a living epic that guides the life and philosophy of Indians even today. Talk covered the basic story and themes running through this epic.

Summer 1991 Hinduism, Social-stratification and Indian Culture. Presentation at Auburn High-school, NY. Religion in India is not apart from the daily life of its adherents. Talk pointed to the hierarchical nature of Indian society and the religious themes that guide it.

October 1988 Presentation on Film in India. Teacher’s Workshop, Syracuse University. Bombay film industry is one of the largest in the world, producing more than 900 films a year in various languages. It entertains, teaches, motivates and inspires the Indian populace. Talk presented the salient characteristics of Indian films and their impact on society.

FUNDING

2015-August University of Texas at Austin Faculty Travel Grant for presentation of conference paper The Internal Navaratri: The Goddess Within “Navarātri, Navarātra and Durgāpūjā in South Asia and beyond” Workshop, Fransk-Norsk Senter For Humanoria og Sammfunnsvitenskap, Paris, August 20- 22, 2015.

2015-August University of Texas at Austin Travel Grant from the Oslo Consortium for presentation of conference paper Baba Bhagawan Ram Ji and the Navaratri Tradition at Parao, Varanasi, Universitat Erfurt, XXI Quinquennial World Congress of the International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR), Panel on: The Navaratri/Durgapuja festival in India: Reinterpretations and Appropriations, Erfurt, Germany, August 25, 2015. 2009-2010 University of Texas at Austin FAST Tex Grant for developing the Language for Health in Hindi and Urdu website. 2005-2007 Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs Research Grant for presenting papers in the US and India, as well as for participating in the NGO Initiative spearheaded by the Moynihan Institute. 2004-2007 Syracuse University Co-curricular Fees grant for maintaing Hindi language web pages.

2004-2005 South Asia Language Resource Center (SALRC) Grant for development of the web based Extended Vocabulary List.

PARTICIPATION IN PROFESSIONAL WORKSHOPS

2015 Participated as instructor at the STARTALK workshop. New York University, New York, NY, June 2015.

2013 Participated as instructor at the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) workshop. New York University, New York, NY, November 2013.

9 2012 Participated as instructor at thr STARTALK Program. New York University, New York, NY, June 11-22.

Participated as instructor at thr STARTALK Program. University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, June 6-8.

Participated as presenter and discussant at the Hindi-Urdu Flagship Teacher Training workshop. University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, April 27-28.

Participated as discussant at the “BMS Software Evaluation” symposium. Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, March 7-9.

2011 Participated as instructor at thr STARTALK Program. New York University, New York, NY, June 14-23.

Participated as discussant at the “BMS Software Evaluation” symposium. Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, June 25.

Participated as active member at “Curriculum Development for the First Year Hindi-Urdu Course for a New Institution.” University of Washington, Seattle, WA, June 2-5.

2010 Participated as Discussant at “Assessment Meeting at ACTFL.” Boston, MA, November 11-21.

Taught “Hindi Structure and Culture” at NYU STARTALK Workshop. New York University. New York, NY, June 13-23.

Acted as consultant and observer at Vishwa Yuvak Kendra Hindi Shivir, co- funded by STARTALK. Atlanta, Georgia, June 23-29.

Participated in “SALRC-SASLI Standards and Performance Based Assessment Planning Session and Pedagogy Workshop.” University of Madison at Wisconsin. Madison, WI, June 8-9.

American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) Tester Certification Workshop. New York University. New York, NY, February 4-7.

2009 Taught Second Level at NYU STARTALK Workshop. New York University. New York, NY, June 6-17.

The Language Flagship Annual Meeting. Barton Creek Spa and Resort. Austin, TX, May 30-June 2.

The CALICO Conference. University of Arizona. Phoenix, AZ, May 11- 13.

The NCSSL Flagship Advanced/Superior Workshop. University of Texas at Austin. Austin, TX, January 23-24.

10 2008 American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) Workshop. Hilton at Walt Disney Resort. Orlando, FL, November 17-20.

Approaches to the Effective Teaching of Grammar Workshop. University of Texas at Austin. AT&T Conference Center, Austin, TX, November 14.

Persian, Arabic, Turkish and Hebrew (PATH) Listening Proficiency Test Item Workshop. University of Texas at Austin. Austin, TX, November 7-8.

Learning Second Languages: Building a Network of Experts Workshop. University of Texas at Austin. AT&T Conference Center, Austin, TX, September 11.

South Asia Language Resource Center (SALRC) Action Research Workshop. University of Madison at Wisconsin. Madison, WI, April 26.

2007 American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). San Antonio, TX. November 16-18-3.

Assessment Tools for Measuring Proficiency Levels in Less Commonly Taught Languages. New York University, New York. February 2-3.

U.S. Department of Education International Education Programs Service (IEPS) Language Workshop. Washington D.C.. February 22-23.

2006 SALTA (South Asia Language Teachers Association) Meeting. University of Wisconsin at Madison, Wisconsin. October.

WIOC (Wisconsin International Outreach Consortium) Title VI and Fulbright- Hays National Outreach Conference. University of Wisconsin, Madison. April.

2004 SALRC (South Asia Language Resource Center) Pedagogy Workshop 1: Appropriate Pedagogy: Language, Culture, and Curriculum: The South Asian Language Classroom. University of California, Berkeley. February.

2003 SALTA (South Asia Language Teachers Association) Meeting (sub group of SALA meeting). University of Austin, Texas. October.

Technology and Language Teaching Workshop, New York University. September.

Pedagogical Issues in Hindi Teaching Workshop. The American Institute of Indian Studies. Jaipur, India. July.

Technology, Curriculum Design & Material Development. A workshop for teachers of Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi, Persian & Turkish, Emory University. May.

Outreach Administrators Meeting in New York, AAA annual conference. March.

Hindi Workshop SALRC (South Asia Language Resource Center). Pedagogical Materials Project. University of Pennsylvania. January.

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2002 Integrating Internet Resources into the Language Curriculum, (an ACTFL workshop). Yale University. April.

1999 A Practical Course in Strategies-based Instruction. Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition. University of Minnesota. Summer.

1997 Computerized Oral Testing, National Language Resource Center. San Diego State University. Summer.

SERVICE  Member, FLAS committee, South Asia Institute, University of Texas at Austin. 2009-2015.  Member, South Asia National Outreach Council (SANOC), 2006  Member, FLAS committee, South Asia Center, Syracuse University. 1997- 2007.  Reviewer for assessment questions, STAMP (Standards-Based Measurement of Proficiency). 2005-06.  Editorial Board, Project South Asia, Southern Missouri University. 1999- present.  Reader for the Department of Education's Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program. 2003, 2004.  Bharati Memorial Grant Selection Committee. 2003.  Perryman Scholarship award committee, Global Affairs Institute, Syracuse University. 1998-1999.

GRANTS  University of Texas at Austin FAST Tex grant for developing the “Language for Health in Hindi and Urdu” website.  South Asia Language Resource Center Mini-grant, University of Chicago for building a Comprehensive Database of Hindi Vocabulary Words. Project in collaboration with Prof. Herman Van Olphen, University of Texas at Austin.

MEMBER PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION  South Asia Language Teachers Association (SALTA).  South Asia National Outreach Council (SANOC), 2006  American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).

SKILLS Instructional development on IBM and Macintosh platforms; web-based lessons including multimedia content; proficient in distance learning issues.

LANGUAGES Hindi and English– Native fluency in reading, writing and speaking. Panjabi – Read and write. Urdu – Speak. Italian - Intermediate level speaking and writing skills.

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