23377		11:15-12:30	TR			DODSON
Above section open to undergraduates only
A portion of the above section reserved for majors

The region of South Asia today encompasses the countries of India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka.
This course is intended to introduce students to some of the
principal historical themes and cultural features of this diverse
region from the ancient past to the present day.

Lectures will focus upon some of the important problems and debates
current in South Asian history.  Topics will include: the nature of
ancient society and the role of religion in daily life; the rise of
Buddhism and Jainism; the functioning of the ancient imperial state;
cultural and religious syncretism in the ancient world; the
development of sacred temple architecture; the 'invasion' of Turkic
peoples into the subcontinent from the eleventh century; Islam in
South Asia; the rise and decline of the Mughal empire; the
development of Indo-Islamic art and architecture; the advent of
British colonial rule in the eighteenth century; cultural and social
change under British rule; the rise of Indian nationalism; renewed
Hindu and Islamic religious identities and 'communal' violence;
popular Western perceptions of South Asia; and views of ancient India
in modern Hindu fundamentalism.

Students will be evaluated on the basis of both written assignments
and examinations.

Course readings will be taken from a variety of textbooks, and from
supplementary material placed on e-reserve.  Visual and reading
material presented in class, including film extracts, primary source
documents, and examples of South Asian architecture, will provide the
basis for in-class discussion.