Sai University, Chennai, India.
Please find the course description, students, and posters of the various courses that I have developed and taught at Sai University. As of March 2025, there will be 142 sessions featuring 153 lecturers. Many of them are my former students who have gone on to accomplish great things in their lives and careers, just as I can already foresee for some of my wonderful SaiU students.
My friend and colleague, Jamshed Bharucha, Founding Vice Chancellor & University Professor of Sai University, expertly highlights issues of higher education in India in his latest article from the journal Daedalus called “India’s Realignment of Higher Education.”
Not only does he elucidate these issues from an educator’s lens, but he also speaks to how new universities are emerging with one such case example, namely SaiU, being one important solution. Sai University is the first institution in India to integrate typically siloed programs in arts and sciences, technology, and law into an ecosystem whose approach is much like that of systems-level thinking at the undergraduate level.
I entered the teaching ranks of SaiU as Professor of the Practice of International Relations and Global Affairs, but also as an Ambassador for SaiU's vision of interdisciplinarity , and an adviser for campus intellectual life, a role I held at Tufts University from 1985 onwards. The Institute I directed was understood during SaiU's Vice-Chancellor, Jamshed Bharucha's decade as Tufts University Provost, as the University's "Cross-School Interdisciplinary Signature Program”, known for its innovations.
Zeitgeist is one example of such an outcome at SaiU, reifying the vision that SaiU be a leader in interdisciplinarity and multidisciplinarity. Many of the essays chosen for Zeitgeist, written on international relations themes, were written by my students who are computer and data science majors.
Sai University Graduation Ceremony
A Letter from My Sai University Students:
February 5th, 2025
Just wanted to take a moment to share some snapshots from the graduation ceremony with you. It was a truly special day, and we wanted to express my gratitude for all the guidance and support you provided throughout our academic journey.
On a side note, I was honored to receive the gold medal for securing the highest GPA in my cohort. Your mentorship and the knowledge I gained from your classes played a significant role in this achievement, and I sincerely appreciate all your encouragement.
Thank you once again for your invaluable support. We hope to stay in touch!
Regards,
Abhi, Dakshajaa and Veda
Student Reflections:
I have received many letters from my SaiU students. Two unusual ones…
I’m Sreepreya Srinivasan, a final-year cognitive neuroscience major with a minor in international relations at SaiU, currently at Dartmouth for an Exchange Internship. I joined SaiU knowing I wanted to study the brain but left with a fascination for borders, conflicts, and the forces shaping our world. Neuroscience made me curious about how we think, while international relations made me question why we act the way we do. The more I studied, the more I saw how the brain and the world mirror each other—both shaped by history, conflict, shifting environments and dynamics.
My work with Professor Jamshed Bharucha on cognitive neuroscience and my time at various labs exposed me to the depth of research, while my discussions with Sherman pulled me into the messy, complicated world of global politics. Somewhere in between, I became an international relations minor because understanding people, whether through neurons or nations, felt equally essential.
When I came to Dartmouth for an internship, it only reinforced this. Classes, conversations, and debates have made me realize just how interconnected everything is. A lecture on neuromarketing suddenly linked back to narratives of power; a casual chat on security studies turned into a reflection on how fear shapes decision-making. I feel prepared, not because I have answers, but because I know how to ask the right questions.
Beyond academics, dance and music have been constants. Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music are where my analytical mind quiets down, where storytelling moves beyond words. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned—whether from neuroscience, politics, or art—it’s that stories shape everything. As a young woman in this era, in India and beyond, I see both promise and peril. The world feels more connected yet deeply fractured. But if anything, my journey so far has convinced me of one thing: curiosity, questioning, and a bit of rhythm can take you far. I’m excited to see what’s in store for me next and to take on the world with all my quirky ideas and questions along the way.
Hello Sherman,
I hope I've gotten the correct email address and I hope you’ve been doing well! I’ve been meaning to reach out for a while but kept feeling like it wasn’t the right moment. I wanted to let you know that I dropped out of my course at Sai University.
Since then, I’ve taken about nine months to work on myself, reflect, and restart my undergraduate education in the UK. During this time, as I unpacked the experiences I’ve had over the past two years, I realized how much gratitude I owe you a great deal for the impact you’ve had on me, both directly and indirectly.
I applied to Sai during a very turbulent period. I was juggling offers from universities in the U.S. and India, torn between pursuing my childhood dream of studying physics and diving into the social sciences and humanities, which had recently captured my imagination. On top of that, the pandemic was still a significant factor, and I ultimately decided to stay closer to my family, at least for the short term.
Sai offered an incredible opportunity to be part of a revolution in Indian education, which I was proud to join. My first real taste of studying politics and IR beyond my personal explorations came in your Global Challenges module. It ended up being one of the key magnets that drew me to the field. I still credit you for so many of the positive changes I experienced while I was in your classes. Even though I never mustered the confidence to schedule a one-on-one meeting, the energy you brought into the room stayed with me and continues to motivate me today.
Jyotsna, Cody, and Justine were also integral to that journey. They were pillars of strength as I began exploring my academic and personal interests in new ways. Some of my best memories from Sai include our discussion classes with Jyotsna, which I looked forward to every week, late-night movement sessions with Cody after class and hallway discussions about history and philosophy, and an unforgettable hour-and-a-half conversation with Justine that completely cracked my brain open. Hosting Pugwash also became an incredible avenue to nerd out about tech developments with my classmates and place them in political contexts.
All these experiences have shaped me into someone who is far more comfortable with myself as I step into my 20s. Since restarting my studies, I’ve stayed connected with British Pugwash, attended discussions with MPs and ambassadors, grabbed a beer with UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, joined the Rethink Economics movement, and worked with a six-student team organizing a philosophy conference at the University of London. These are merely the headlines which don't come close to describing the change in my energy and mindset. It feels unreal to wake up with a renewed sense of excitement to take on the day and all its endless possibilities.
Looking back, I struggled a lot with my mental and physical health during my time at Sai, but your classes and the discussions afterward were always a bright spot. They gave me something to look forward to, and the foundation and can-do attitude you helped build has stayed with me. I feel incredibly privileged that my introduction to politics and IR began with such force and inspiration.
Today, I’m in a much better place—confident enough to write this email, reach out to people, speak up in rooms I never imagined I’d find myself in, and embrace the surreal opportunity of being a student in London.
This email barely scratches the surface of the impact you’ve had on me, and I can’t thank you enough. I’d love to stay in touch, and if you’re open to it, I’d love to visit sometime since I’ve been visiting family in Boston fairly often!
Gratitude and love from London,
D.
