Upcoming Courses!
Some of our courses are more oriented towards research methods, some towards critical perspectives on conditions of being and things in the world, and some that are simply what comes from going down interesting rabbit holes! As their details are finalised they will be advertised and opened for applications. This page is to give you a flavour of things to come. Do get in touch if one or more of these excites you!
The Politics of Research Methodology (in a time of AI)
A deep dive into the philosophical, theoretical and political issues in research methodology, with a focus on the emergence of Artificial Intelligence in research processes, and on the advent of Arts-Based Methods in research.
Format: Online
Duration: 8 weeks
Mode of instruction: Combination of lectures, discussion sessions and practical execises
Dates: 11th June 2026 to 30th July 2026
Language of instruction: English
Application deadline: 5 pm IST, 25th May 2026
The Power of Playfulness
The figure of the fool is a crucial element of theatrical forms around the world. The clown, the joker, the bahurupia, all announce a realm of playfulness, of humour and wit, which allow for the expression of those things that cannot otherwise be said. This is invaluable to a research process and in fact lies at the heart of RAPT's approach to theatre as a method.
This short, fun course looks at the histories and dynamics of the playful archetype in various theatrical forms, the theories of humour, playfulness, the grotesque, the carnivalesque, and then examines the role of playfulness in research methods.
Who it is for: Theatre practitioners, curious minds, researchers, activists, students and academics and the playful.
Duration: 4 weeks
Format: Online with a strong practical component
Dates: September 2026 (To be confirmed)
Mode of instruction: Combination of lectures, workshops and exercises
Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)
Language, aesthetics, the psyche, and the body lie in complex relationships of power and it is the objective of CDA to uncover these. The course combines theoretical inputs, varied histories of CDA, psychoanalytical approaches, aesthetic strategies in film making, notion of erotic nationalism and material conditons of the digital.
Format: Online with a strong practical component
Duration: 8 weeks
Dates: November-December 2026 (To be confirmed)
Mode of instruction: Combination of lectures and practical exercises
Arts-Based Methods for the curious
Arts-Based Methods (ABM) of research are on the ascendent in the Social Sciences, Humanities and in Development. They grasp the affective, the emotional, the relational in ways that traditional methods simply cannot. They centre that which cannot be said, that which resists words, that which sturctures experience.
The course, taught by practitioners of ABM, serves as an introduction the the approach, with hands-on, exercise based engagement.
Who it is for: Researchers, artists, activists, students and academics who are dabbling with arts based methods, or are curious about them.
Duration: 8 weeks
Dates: July- August 2026 (8 weeks) (TBC)
Format: Online with a strong practical component
Mode of instruction: A combination of workshops and lectures
Erotic Nationalism
How does the nation come to evoke the emotional power that it does? How does this attachment to the nation relate to other forms of continuity, other relationships that constitute us? This course examines the role of erotic charge in various forms of nationalism historically and in the current moment. We look at a range of political formations around the world including South Asia, the Americas, East Africa and Europe with a focus on questions of political subjectivity and organisation.
Each participant will have the option to examine one particular context over the course of the, working towards an output of their choice.
Who it is for: Academics, students and activists, and artists and filmmakers interested in politics, gender, sexuality, race, caste and psychoanalysis. Familiarity with Queer theory, while not required would be an advantage.
Format: Online, with independent research components
Duration: 8 weeks
Dates: September-November 2026 (8 weeks) (TBC)
Mode of Instruction: A combination of lectures, discussion groups and mentoring session