Art History

This course explores the history, forms and meanings of South Asian temple architecture as they evolved over time.  We begin by interrogating the nature of divinity in the South Asian context and its relationship to the temple’s fundamental symbolism as altar, shelter, cosmos, and palace.  Morphological and stylistic analysis of the buildings themselves forms the basis for subsequent investigations of such themes as architecture and cosmology, ritual and space, royal patronage, and the changing social, economic and political functions of temples within various contexts.  We will conclude by examining the transformations that the temple has undergone in recent years.  Class sessions will be in lecture-discussion format, meaning that I will lecture for much of the period, but that students are also encouraged to actively contribute their own insights, respond to readings, ask questions, and explore new approaches to the material presented.  While some prior knowledge of South Asian art, history, or religion may be helpful, none is required for the successful completion of this course.

This course is an introductory survey of the history of South Asian art from c. 1200 A.D. to the present day.  It begins by exploring the ways in which the introduction of Islamic artist traditions impacted the already multicultural range of artistic practices within the subcontinent.  The art and architecture produced during the Sultanate and Mughal periods is among the most spectacular and exquisitely refined in the world because it drew creatively on multiple Persian, Indic, and even European traditions.  The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries brought increasing European interest in South Asia, and we will discuss the artistic transformations that were brought through colonial interactions.  The final weeks of the course will take us into the complex range of artistic responses to South Asia’s multiple cultural and political histories.  By looking at art in a range of media – including but not limited to painting, sculpture, architecture, and photography – we will consider the ways in which art works actively served as expressions of dynastic and imperial authority as well as of cultural identity.

America is not always the answer.  This class offers a introduction to the many and varied fictions that have been produced by diasporic South Asians across the globe over the last 150 years: in Australia, Africa, Europe, Caribbean.  Our exploration of the poetics of immigration will involve looking at writers of canonical renown (VS Naipaul, Anita Desai), as well as younger voices such as Anjalika Sagar, Hanif Kureishi, Hari Kunzru and Rana Dasgupta.  Liberal use will be made of independent and avant-garde cine-essays, and there will be a broad range of critical and creative texts, including
neglected genres such as science fiction and comics.  Particular attention will be paid to the diverse geographies of Asian migration – be they plantations, dance floors, restaurants, call centres.  Themes to be addressed include abjection, globalisation, the impact of 9/11 and techno-servitude.

East Asian Studies/ History

South Asia has been characterized by a predominantly agrarian social organization throughout the modern era, and has (until recently) been widely understood in terms of “underdevelopment” and “backwardness.” On the other hand, South Asia has been interconnected in systems of global trade for a very long time, was integrated at a very deep level into global capitalism, and today exhibits dynamic growth. How then should we understand the relationship of South Asia to capitalism? Is capitalism a set of global arrangements superimposed upon a set of local cultures? Is capitalism a long-term tendency in, or propensity of, South Asian societies? Or is capitalism something that has entered into the very structure of South Asian social organization? We will explore these questions through a series of topics including the pre-colonial Indian Ocean trading world; arguments about the proto-industrial and commercial tendencies of Mughal India; the role of the East India Company; debates about deindustrialization, peasantization and traditionalization in the nineteenth century; the continuities and transformations in peasant society in the colonial era; developmentalist theories and pro-industrialization policies; nationalism, decolonization and political economy; and neo-liberalism.

Introduces students to the basics of Urdu alphabet, grammar, and sentence structure. All four skills are emphasized—writing and reading, as well as speaking and listening. The course is tailored to address students’ interests not only in the language but also in the culture it is rooted in.

MEIS

The overall goal of this course, as a part of a two-year-curriculum, is to prepare the student to a high level of proficiency in Hindi. Through a variety of class, small-group and paired activities, as well as language and computer lab sessions, students are expected to develop reading, speaking, listening and writing skills. The Instructor will also take into consideration individual needs.

This course is designed to further develop fluency in oral and written communication. In addition to the class, small-group activities, language and computer lab-sessions, students are given an individual assignment to work with native speakers from the community and report on their findings. The reading assignments are designed to broaden understanding of content used for oral presentations.

An advanced language course in a working seminar format conducted in the target language, designed to acquaint students with Indian geography, history, literary tradition, politics, and art. Students will work with excerpts from newspapers and magazines, selections from ancient and contemporary literature and criticism in the target language. The students will be required to prepare oral presentations, write and essay based on interviews with members of the community, and one final project. No prior knowledge of South Asian literature, history, or culture is expected or required.

What do the USA PATRIOT Act, Japanese manga, and transcultural adoption have in common? What can they tell us about the social and political formation of Asian/Pacific/American communities, including the historical forces that have shaped them and the expressive cultures they produce? Focusing on pivotal events and movements in Asian/Pacific/American history and contemporary life--the Los Angeles riots, the casting of the Broadway musical "Miss Saigon," 9/11 and its aftermath--we discuss ethnic and class conflict, the politics of representation, and question of racial profiling, among other topics. The approach is interdisciplinary, combining a socio-cultural perspective with legal and performative lenses to illuminate Asian/Pacific/American cultures. Through films, novels, guest speakers, and museum exhibitions, in addition historical readings and social science literature, students examine not only contemporary practices of Asian/Pacific/America, but their historical contexts and wider social implications. By considering current and emerging A/P/A issues, we also gain a better understanding of how new forms of culture emerge from global flows of people, ideas, and media.

Religious Studies

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GSAS