H100 Beginning Hindi I (5 cr.)  Introduction to the Hindi language, the writing system and basic grammar. Graded exercises and readings leading to mastery of grammatical structures and essential vocabulary. Development of reading and writing competence and simple conversations based on personal information, courtesy expressions, greetings in contemporary Hindi. Classroom use of stories, tapes, films and songs.

H150 Beginning Hindi II (5 cr.)  P: H100 or equivalent proficiency. Continuation of the first semester. Graded exercises and reading for mastery of grammatical structures and essential vocabulary.   Composing short dialogues on everyday survival topics. Improve reading skill to understand main ideas from the simplest connected texts. Writing competence is increased to be able to write letters and journals, etc.

H200 Second-Year Hindi I (3 cr.)  P: H150 or equivalent proficiency. Reading mythology, folklore, modern short stories, essays and poetry, including several examples from Hindi literature. Students compose and perform dialogues based on the material read and the usage of role playing cards.

H250 Second-Year Hindi II (3 cr.)  P: H200 or equivalent proficiency.  Promotes rapid reading skills and vocabulary building. Study of grammar is based on Hindi reading material and includes regular grammar drills. Students sharpen composition skills by retelling stories and making brief synopsis from the reading material orally and in writing. Increase speaking skill to narrate and describe with short connected discourse.

I211  Intro to South Asian History (3 cr.) 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 Neolithic era to the present day.

I212  The Civilization of Tibet (3 cr.) This course is designed to introduce the student to the diverse aspects of Tibetan Civilization. Making extensive use of slides and other audio-visual materials, it is intended to cover in a general and introductory manner areas that are dealt with individually and in depth in more specialized courses in the Tibetan Studies program of the Department of Central Eurasian Studies. Topics that will be treated in this course include Tibet's literature, art, religion, society, history, and language. The course is strongly recommended for undergraduates intending to take higher level courses in the department's Tibetan Studies program.

I303 Issues in Indian Culture and Society (3 cr.)  Examination of the culture and society of India through the study and analysis of a specific issue or theme. Topic varies. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

I305 Exploring Indian Languages and Literature through Film (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Explores the languages of India from genealogical, linguistic, typological, historical, and sociological perspectives. Provides an overview of literatures of several main South Asian languages with a focus on Hindi and Urdu literatures. No previous knowledge of Hindi or Urdu is required.

I310 Introduction to India: History, Politics, Administration, Economics, Religion, Media, Art and Literature (3 cr.) A&H, CSA This course, team taught by the faculty of India Studies Program, is geared towards those majoring in India Studies and those who have interest in India. The objectives of this course are to familiarize the students with the art, culture, religion, history, economics, politics, media and contemporary issues of India. After an analysis of the modern history of India, especially the British period and the independence movement, the course will present the current political issues ranging from nationalism, ethnicity, and internal conflicts to international relations. Thereafter, the basic administrative structure, constitution and issues of governance will be covered. The present economic policies, business opportunities and the growth of IT industry in particular will form another important segment of this course. Religions of India and their impact upon society and culture will be another significant part of the course that will discuss related issues of environment and people's movements. The course will also examine the growth of print and electronic media and its role in shaping public opinion in the country. The diverse cultures will be presented from the themes of visual and folk arts, dance-drama and theater, devotional and modern literature. The evaluation will be done on the basis of a series of papers on contemporary issues pertaining to the different topics covered in the course.

I320 Contemporary India: History, Politics and Society (3 cr.) AHTI, CSA  Critical survey of social, economic, and political trends in modern India (1947-present) primarily through the study of relevant novels. Lectures and readings provide students with knowledge of modern Indian history and politics, caste and class relations, the evolution of India's political institutions since independence, and current debates in Indian society.

I339-I340  Elementary Sanskrit I-II (5-5 cr.) Introduction to Sanskrit, a classical language of ancient India.  Basic grammatical structure, vocabulary and conversation with increasingly difficult reading passages.  I340 includes reading selections of epic Sanskrit.

I349-I350  Intermediate Sanskrit I-II (4-4 cr.) P: INST I339/I340 or permission of instructor. These courses build directly on the grammatical, lexicographical, and semantic foundation given in the elementary courses. Students read a range of epic Sanskrit materials including the Bhagavad Gita.  I350 includes an introduction to Vedic Sanskrit.

I370 Ancient and Classical Literature of India (in translation) (3 cr.)"AHLA, CSA  This course explores how ancient Indian intellectuals conceived the notion of "duty," in a variety of contexts, beginning with the role of the natural world and moving on to the role of social expectations in one's effort to determine the right course of action in any situation.  Students will read and discuss in detail a selection of early Indian literature from across the subcontinent.

I371 Medieval Devotional Literatures of India (in translation) (3 cr.) AHLA CSA This course covers some of the earliest devotional Hindu literature, from South India; the northern poems of the Krishna-devotional traditions; and some Indian Sufi materials.  We explore the literary innovations of this material; the role of social class in the devotional traditions; and consider why seemingly transgressive material has become so widely accepted and loved.

I380 Women in South Asian Religious Traditions (3 cr.) A historical view of the officially sanctioned roles for women in several religious traditions in South Asia, and women's efforts to become agents and participants in the religious expressions of their own lives.

I496 Individual Reading in Indic Studies (1-6 cr.)  R: reading knowledge of Sanskrit and Hindi/Urdu. Selected substantive topics investigated  from ancient, medieval and modern texts about the civilization of India.  May be repeated with different topics for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

L100 Elementary Indian Languages I (5 cr.) Various languages will be offered when available. Bengali is offered for Fall 2009. May be retaken for credit, but only in a different language from that of the first enrollment. Introduction to and brief history of language. Basic sound patterns and writing system with ideas about basic grammar. Ideas about simple sentence structure and basic grammar leading to reading and construction of short sentences. Learning essential vocabulary for everyday conversation. Practicing different expressions: apology, greeting etc. Classroom use of films, tapes, short conversation, stories, etc.

L150 Elementary Indian Languages II (5 cr.) P: L100 or equivalent proficiency in the same language. Various languages will be offered when available. Bengali is offered for Fall 2009.May be retaken for credit, but only in a different language from that of the first enrollment. This course will be an advanced level of the first semester. There will be more exercises on basic grammar and sentence structures. Emphasis will be on learning new words, composing short dialogues and using them in everyday conversation by developing basic reading skills and understanding main ideas from the texts. Increased writing skills will be expected with continuous drills in grammatical structures. Students will also be expected to write short personal letters, different expressions, descriptions etc. Classroom use of story telling on personal experience, music etc. will be encouraged.

L200 Intermediate Indian Languages I (3 cr.) P: L 150 or equivalent proficiency in the same language. Various languages will be offered when available. Bengali is offered for Fall 2009. May be retaken for credit, but only in a different language from that of the first enrollment. This is a continuation of the first year Bengali course. The main focus of this course will be given on listening, speaking, reading and writing. Special emphasis will be given to Communicative approach to language learning.

L250 Intermediate Indian Languages I (3 cr.) P: L 200 or equivalent proficiency in the same language. Various languages will be offered when available. Bengali is offered for Spring 2010. May be retaken for credit, but only in a different language from that of the first enrollment. This is a continuation of the first semester Bengali course. The main focus of this course will be given on listening, speaking, reading and writing. Special emphasis will be given to Communicative approach to language learning.

U100 Beginning Urdu I (5 cr.)  Introduction to the Urdu language and basic grammar. Graded exercises and readings leading to mastery of grammatical structures and essential vocabulary. Simple conversations based on personal information, courtesy expressions, and greetings in contemporary Urdu. Classroom use of stories, tapes, films and songs.

U150 Beginning Urdu II (5 cr.)  P: U100 or equivalent proficiency. Continuation of the first semester. The writing system of Urdu and development of reading and writing. Graded exercises and reading for mastery of grammatical structures and essential vocabulary.  Composing short dialogues on everyday survival topics.

U200 Second-Year Urdu I (3 cr.) P: U150 or equivalent proficiency. Urdu short stories, essays, poetry (gazals), dramas, newspapers and magazine articles, etc. will be utilized for reading. Initiate basic communicative tasks related to daily activities and various situations.

U250 Second-Year Urdu II (3 cr.)  P: U200 or equivalent proficiency. Promotes rapid reading skills and vocabulary building. Study of grammar is based on Urdu reading material and includes regular grammar drills. Students sharpen composition skills by retelling stories from the reading material orally and in writing. Increase speaking skill to initiate, sustain and close a general conversation on a range of topics.

Cross-Listed Courses

History

H238 Introduction to South Asian History and Civilization (3 cr.) S & H, CSA Survey course which examines some of the important problems and debates current in South Asian history. Topics covered range from the neolithic period to the present day, and include the nature of ancient South Asian society, medieval Islamic empires, and British imperialism in the region.

G350 Modern South Asia: Eighteenth to Twentieth Century (3 cr.) S & H, CSA In-depth examination of the "making of modern South Asia" through this region's experience as an imperial territory of Great Britain. The focus of the course is upon social and cultural change, colonial governance, and forms of Indian nationalism.

J300 The British Empire (Advanced undergraduate seminar) (3 cr.) This course will provide an opportunity for an in-depth discussion of some of the important features of the 'second' British empire in Asia and Africa from the late eighteenth to the twentieth century. Given the wide geographical and chronological range of the course, the principal aim will be to approach the study of the British empire through a re-evaluation of standard explanatory categories such as 'formal' and 'informal' empire, or the 'new imperialism' of the late nineteenth century.

Communication and Culture

C398 National Cinemas (3 cr.) A & H Historical survey of major national cinemas. Subject varies. Topics include Brazilian cinema, British cinema, Chinese cinema, French National cinema, German film culture, Indian cinema, and Italian cinema. May be repeated with a different topic for a maximum of 6 credits (with appropriate focus approved by director).

C413 Global Villages (3 cr.) This course will introduce the key issues relating to media globalization, in particular, media texts, audiences, institutions and cultural contexts in South Asia and the South Asian diaspora around the world. Some of the themes that will be discussed include the role of South Asian television and film in a global context, the immensely successful and increasingly popular Bollywood film, the emergent diasporic film industry represented through films like Monsoon Wedding, American Desi and Bend it Like Beckham and the role of the Web and popular music in creating transnational South Asian cultures.

C414 Topics in Performance and Culture (Topic: India, Lost and Found in Translation) (3 cr.) This course looks at the work of Indian diasporic filmmakers and authors, from the 1980s to the present, through whose lens India is harshly critiqued, fiercely loved, and invariably treated as a site in need of reform- and transform-ation. Drawing on their own and others’ experiences of displacement, the artists whose work we study create works of powerful political provocation as well as historical testimony, inviting culture critique and debate over the success of India as a modern and modernizing nation. Our approach to this material will be ethnographic, as we study the social and cultural context of the places, events, and personages that figure centrally in these films and stories. The focus of the films themselves spans colonial and postcolonial periods, and our readings will focus accordingly on the continuities between the cultural critiques made both from afar and from within India during these respective eras. As gender inequalities in both Hindu and Muslim culture in India continue to figure prominently in reformist critiques of Indian modernity, this course treats as its centerpiece the films of two prolific feminist filmmakers producing highly acclaimed and controversial films over the last two decades, Mira Nair and Deepa Mehta. Theirs will not, however, be the only films we view, as we aim to build our cultural literacy regarding the interventions these filmmakers are aiming at Indian cultural life more broadly.

Central Eurasian Studies

U489 Tibet and the West (3 cr.) This course examines Western perceptions of Tibet during the past 700 years. It presents Tibetan history and culture during this period and compares Tibetan civilization with the popular concepts about Tibet that prevailed in the West during this same period. The modern Western view of Tibet as "Shangrila," reflected in such novels and films as Lost Horizon will be examined, as will Tibetan perceptions of Westerners and Western civilization.

English

L383 Seminar: Studies in British or Commonwealth Culture (3 cr.) A&H  Study of a coherent period of British or Commonwealth culture (such as medieval, Elizabethan, or Victorian England, or modern India), with attention to the relations between literature, the other arts, and the intellectual milieu.(with appropriate focus approved by director)  

Political Science

Y356 South Asian Politics (3 cr.) This course will introduce students to the government and politics of South Asia. To that end it will examine the legacies of British colonialism, the development and breakdown of political institutions, the role of political parties, the state of civil-military relations, the problems and prospects of economic growth and various issues of governance.

Y362 The International Relations of South Asia (3 cr.) The importance of South Asia to American foreign and security policy concerns is no longer at question. Questions of terrorism, nuclear proliferation, inter-state war and ethnic conflict all stalk this part of the world. This course will focus on all these topics. Apart from regular class lectures the students will benefit from the expertise a number of prominent individuals who will be visiting campus under the aegis of the India Studies Program. All students will be expected to take a mid-term and a final examination.

Theatre and Drama

T468 Non-Western Theatre and Drama (3 cr.) A&H, CSA Dramatic literature and theatre in one or more of the following areas: China, Japan, Korea, India, or Southeast Asia.(with appropriate focus approved by director)

Religious Studies

R153  Religions of the East (3 cr.) A&H, CSA Modes of thinking; views of the world and the sacred; the human predicament and paths to freedom; human ideas and value systems in the religions of India, China, and Japan.

R250  Introduction to Buddhism (3 cr.)  A&H,  CSA, TFRIntroduction to the basic beliefs and practices of Buddhism from its beginnings to the present. Special attention to the life and teachings of the founder, significant developments in India, and the diffusion of the tradition to East Asia, Central Asia, and the West.

R255  Introduction to Hinduism  (3 cr.)  A & H,  CSA  Beliefs, rites, and institutions of Hinduism from the Vedic (c. 1200 B.C.) to modern times: religion of the Vedas and the Upanishads; epics and the rise of devotional religion; philosophical systems (Yoga and Vedanta); sectarian theism; monasticism; socioreligious institutions; popular religion (temples and pilgrimages); modern Hindu syncretism.

R348 Hindu Goddesses (3 cr.) A & H, CSA  Introduction to the goddesses in Hindu traditions, including Lakshmi, Saraswati, Sita, Radha, Parvati, Durga, Kali, Ganga, and Sitala. Focus on the mythology, iconography, cultic practices, embodied forms, and theology associated with these goddesses.

R352 Religion and Literature in Asia (3 cr.) A & H, CSA  The treatment of religious issues in Asian literature (Hinduism in the Epics) or the significance of the literary forms of religious texts (The Genre of Recorded Sayings), showing how the interplay of religious realities and literary forms reveals the dynamics of religious development in India, China, or Japan.

R388 Mandir and Masjid at the Movies (3 cr.) A & H, CSA  A consideration of the nature and meaning of religion in South Asia using film as the lens to explore the South Asian continuum running from the sacred to the secular.

R458 Topics in Hindu Religious Traditions (3 cr.) A & H, CSA P: R255  Selected topics such as Upanishadic thought, the Bhagavadgita, Advaita Vedanta, Hindu ethics, monastic traditions, Hindu soteriology. May be repeated once for credit with a different topic.

By special arrangement and with the permission of the director, courses not listed above that substantially address India Studies may be included in the major or minor.