ANTH 202 /FILM 326
South Asian Anthropology through Documentaries
Ashish Chadha
TTh 4.00-5.15
The society, culture, and politics of contemporary South Asia as presented in contemporary documentary films. Some of the region’s founding myths explored through debates on democracy, development, environmentalism, secularism, secessionism, and nationalism. Issues of caste, class, religion, and gender.
ANTH 500
Development of the Discipline
Kalyanakrishnan Sivaramakrishnan
M 9.25-11.15
The major theoretical orientations in social and cultural anthropology (especially in the United States and Europe), their historical development and importance, their relation to one another and to other disciplines. The seminar is reserved for first-year doctoral students in anthropology, and students are presumed to have taken ANTH 500 in the fall term.
HNDI 159
Hindi Literature and Public Culture
Seema Khurana
TTh 4.00-5.15 1 HTBA
An advanced language course that develops language skills through selected readings of Hindi literature and the study of popular culture. Focus on the adaptations of literary works of Prem Chand, Mannoo Bhandhari, Sharat Chandra, and Amrita Pritam in popular culture, cinema, theater, and television dramas.
HNDI 198
Advanced Tutorial
Seema Khurana
1 HTBA
For students with advanced Hindi language skills who wish to engage in concentrated reading and research on material not otherwise offered by the department. The work must be supervised by an adviser and must terminate in a term paper or its equivalent. Permission to enroll requires submission of a detailed project proposal and its approval by the language studies coordinator.
HNDI 140
Intermediate Hindi II
Seema Khurana
TTh 2.30-3.45 W 4.00-5.15
Continuation of HNDI 130a, focusing on further development of proficiency in the four language skill areas.
INTS 434
Postcolonial South Asia, 1947 to the Present
Mridu Rai
W, 3.30-5.20
Examination of the modern nation-states of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh in the aftermath of British decolonization. Topics include the imprint of colonialism; democracy and authoritarianism; constructing or contesting nations; regional, linguistic, and caste conflict; gender and politics; political economy of development; war and peace.
HIST 896
Caste & Religion in India
Mridu Rai
T 3.30-5.20
This seminar examines the intersections and divergences between caste and religion in Indian history. Using both primary and secondary sources, the course focuses on the continuities and transformations in caste and religion as categories of political, economic, and cultural functioning, to explain both instances of accommodations and violence that characterized Indian society in its interactions with British colonialism and nationalism in India.
INDC 771
Middle Indic: Pali & Pankrit
Stanley Insler
Th 1.30-3.20
Introduction to the old Indic vernaculars. Readings from the Buddhist Canon, inscriptions of Asoka and Prakrit literary texts.
LING 115/515
Elementary Sanskrit
David Mellins
MWF 9.25-10.15
Careful study of Sanskrit grammar both in its historical development and as the synchronic system attested in classical Sanskrit. Comparisons with other Indo-European languages. Close reading of later Sanskrit texts.
LITR 160
Classical Indian Drama and Dramaturgy
David Mellins
MW 2.30-3.45
This course is a survey of Sanskrit dramas, to be read in translation, accompanied by an exploration of Indian dramaturgical theory. The course examines the aesthetic, social and historical dimensions of Sanskrit drama and studies the evolution of literary methods as these are applied in dramatic context. We will examine the control of time, the use of figurative language as well as the evocation and juxtaposition of dramatic sentiments. Lectures and discussions will investigate how the technical prescriptions for Sanskrit drama reinforce the normative ritual and political cultures of classical India, even as these aspire toward aesthetically transcendent ideals. (descp. Rev. 9/15)
MUSI 353
Topics in World Music
Michael Veal
TTh 11.35-12.50
A critical introduction to selected cultures of world music. Specific cultures vary from year to year but generally include those of Native America, South Asia, Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. (Preferences to Music majors according to class.)
RLST 181
Buddhist Masters of the Himalaya
Jacob Dalton
TTh 11.35-12.50
Introduction to the life stories of Buddhist saints. The ways in which these stories have shaped Himalayan cultures from northern India and Nepal to Tibet. Saints’ biographies as mixtures of legend and historical fact. Written accounts, Buddhist statuary, paintings, and local story-telling.
RLST 185
The Mahabharata
Hugh Flick
W 1.30-3.20
Examination of the religious and cultural significance of the world’s longest epic poem within the Hindu bhakti religious tradition. Emphasis on the core narrative, the embedded narratives, and the internal philosophical discourses, including the Bhagavad Gita.
RLST 191
Ritual and Salvation in India
Phyllis Granoff
T 1.30-3.20
The role of ritual in Buddhism and Hinduism in India, Nepal, and Tibet. The origins of ritual in the vedic sacrifice; domestic ritual and early image worship, agamic and tantric yoga; notions of sound and the practice of mantric recitation; the symbolism of cosmic diagrams; rituals and literature of pilgrimage.
RLST 555
Topics in the Study of Tibetan Buddhism
Jacob Dalton
Th 230-4.30
This course will examine the Buddhist traditions of Tibet.
RLST 576
Jain Narrative Literature
Phyllis Granoff
W 1:30-3:20
This is an advanced course in Sanskrit/Prakit. Students read selections from Jain canonical texts and medieval commentaries.
SAST 220/HIST 311
Women in Modern India
Dr. Charu Gupta
TTh 1.00-2.15
This course maps a history of women and the public sphere in modern India, from nineteenth century to the present. Topics include social reforms, education, participation in national movements, partition and its impact on women�s bodies, caste, class, law, popular cultures, sexuality and development of women�s organizations and movements.
SAST 240b
Democracy in Modern India
Shreeyash Palshikar
T Th 11.35-13.50
This course introduces students to Indian political history. It begins by considering how India came to be a modern democratic nation-state by analyzing at the development of democracy in the colonial period. This includes consideration of the roles of both the government�s role and the nationalist movement in creating a democratic state. With the end of the colonial period, we examine the changes in the functioning of democracy in the new nation-state. In the post-colonial period, the question of how successful Indian democracy is will frame our historical analysis of the functioning of democracy. From the one-party Congress dominance to the era of coalition politics, we will analyze the changing texture of democracy in India. While learning about the history of democracy, we will keep informed about current Indian political events during this election year by reading contemporary press coverage of the election and listening to presentations given by visiting guest lecturers.
TAML 120
Introductory Tamil II
Elayaperumal Annamalai
5 HTBA Continuation of TAML 110a (formerly TAML 116b).
TAML 140
Intermediate Tamil II
Elayaperumal Annamalai
5 HTBA
Continuation of TAML 130a, focusing on further development of proficiency in the four language skill areas. Prepares students to conduct fieldwork in Tamil. (formerly TAML 131b)
TAML 150
Advanced Tamil
Elayaperumal Annamalai
HTBA
An advanced language course designed to help students understand speech from the public platform, conduct interviews in Tamil, and analyze texts through critical reading, discussion, writing, and translation. Texts may include creative literature of the modern period, contemporary cultural and political writings, and other genres as determined by student interests. Prerequisite: TAML 140b or equivalent.
TAML 190/LITR 261
Literatures of South Indian Languages
Elayaperumal Annamalai
MW 2.30-3.45
Introduction to literature in translation from four South Indian languages, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Telugu. Works from the modern colonial and postcolonial periods are illustrative of South Indian society and, more broadly, South Asian society. Readings and discussion in English.
TAML 198
Advanced Tutorial
Elayaperumal Annamalai
F 2.30-4.20 (day/revised)
For students with advanced Tamil language skills who wish to engage in concentrated reading and research on material not otherwise included in the curriculum. The work is supervised by the instructor and culminates in a term paper or its equivalent. Permission to enroll requires submission of a detailed proposal and its approval by the instructor and the director of undergraduate studies.
WGSS 295
Globalizing Gender
Geetanjali Chanda
TTh 11.35-12.50
The use of gender as an analytical tool to understand a wide range of contemporary issues. Themes include nature versus culture, daily life, economic globalization, war, and fundamentalism; emphasis on connections between women’s experiences across national borders. Authors include Woolf, Enloe, Kincaid, Freedman, Mernissi, and Heilbrun.
WGSS 449
Fictions of Indian Women
Geetanjali Chanda
W 1.30-3.20
An exploration of Indian womanhood through novels and short stories by Indian women. Focus on post independence women’s writings in English in India, and on concepts of nation, home, and identity.