Professor Rahul Rastogi: Culture and Education

Professor Rastogi explaining cultural differences between India and the U.S. Joshua Shatesky 
© 2016

Most if the students and faculty at SUNY Oneonta haven't experienced the other side of the world. The culture and lifestyle in other parts of the world is definitely SHOCKING (hense the term, "Culture Shock"). One of the professors in the communications department has lived most of his life as well as taught in India.

Professor Rahul Rastogi is teaching in his first semester in Oneonta. Prior to that, he has studied and taught Communications in Lucknow University in India. Then, he moved to Indiana to study at Purdue University. After graduating from there, he worked at Western Illinois University before coming to the State University of Oneonta.

“Between India and here in the United States, there is of course a big cultural difference that happens within a classroom. In India, a classroom is more hierarchical. Way more hierarchical than here," says Prof. Rastogi about one the cultural differences that he has noticed in the classrooms.

Rahul Rastogi is very repected by both his colleagues and students. Rastogi mentions that he loves teaching the students here at SUCO, especially for the fact that they love to learn and enjoy being involved in class activities and discussions.

When I asked Professor Rastogi about the one piece of advice he would give anyone who would want to teach or study in a different country, he said, “Study the culture of that country and be humble.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74A4ChKqqas