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South Asian Studies Courses
Autumn Quarter 2009 course list (Click to see full course list)
Anthropology
Art History
Asian Languages & Literature
Comparative Religion
Geography
History
Music
Political Science
South Asian Studies
ANTH 316 South Asia (3)
Major cultural features of the Indian and Pakistan subcontinent.
ANTH 341 Political Violence and the Post-Colonial State in South Asia (5)
Examines theoretical approaches to the analysis of collective, state, and anti-state violence in post-colonial South Asia through the study of specific cases of political violence in modern India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.
ANTH 352 Buddhism and Society: The Theravada Buddhist Tradition in South and Southeast Asia (5)
Religious tradition of Theravada Buddhism (as practiced in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia). Variations in ethical orientations developed through Theravada Buddhist ideas. Recommended: RELIG 202 or one eastern religions course.
ANTH 412 South Asian Social Structure (5)
Caste class, and community in modern India. Transitions from colonial typology to analysis of social change, diversity, stability, and caste hierarchy in rural society. Current debates on class and community in Indian society, rural and urban, explored through themes of identity, structure, and mobility.
ANTH 539 Social Movements in Contemporary India (5)
Covers issues of social change, economic development, and identity politics in contemporary India studied through environmental and women's movements. Includes critiques of development and conflicts over forests, dams, women's rights, religious community, ethnicity, and citizenship.
ART H 204 Survey of Asian Art (5)
Origins and interplay of major movements of South and East Asian art
ART H 306 Indian Art of South Asia (5)
Development of Indian art from its origins to the medieval period. Spread of Indian religions and related art forms in Tibet and Southeast Asia are briefly introduced.
Asian Literature
ASIAN 203 Literature and Culture of Ancient and Classical India (5)
Introduction to ancient and classical Indian literature in its cultural context. Texts in English translation.
ASIAN 206 Literature and Culture of South Asia from Tradition to Modernity (5)
Introduction to medieval and modern South Asian literature in its cultural context. Texts in English translation.
ASIAN 494 Ramayana in Comparative Perspective (5)
Examines and compares different versions (mainly South Asian) of the Ramayana, including the widely popular television version. Focuses on some famous and controversial passages, with special attention to gender issues. Incorporates background readings from the most recent research.
ASIAN 580 Seminar in Hinduism Studies (5)
Introduction to the academic study of Hinduism for graduate students. Examines major problems currently addressed in the academic study of Hinduism and the methods used. Provides a historical perspective on past scholarship.
Bengali
BENG 311, 312, 313 Elementary Bengali (5) Offers a balance of all four skills: speaking, reading, listening, and writing. Consists of lectures on grammar, drill sections, oral and written exercises, aural comprehension exercises, and readings in elementary level texts.
BENG 321, 322, 323 Intermediate Bengali (5) Develops proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking standard colloquial Bengali at an intermediate level. Readings in fiction and nonfiction literature, vocabulary and grammar exercises, writing of essays and creative pieces, aural comprehension exercises, and topic-based conversation and role play.
BENG 401, 402, 403 Advanced Bengali (5) Further development of proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking standard colloquial Bengali at an advanced level with the aim of preparing students to do research. Readings in fiction and nonfiction literature, vocabulary and grammar exercises, writing of essays and creative pieces, aural comprehension exercises, and topic-based conversation.
Hindi
HINDI 311, 312, 313 Elementary Hindi (5 cr each)
Modern literary Hindi. Reading, writing, and conversation. Introduction to Devanagari script.
HINDI 321, 322, 323 Intermediate Hindi (5 cr each)
Systematic expansion of vocabulary and grammar. Intermediate-level prose and poetry readings. Oral drills.
HINDI 401, 402, 403 Advanced Hindi (5 cr each)
Rapid reading of contemporary Hindi prose, poetry, and drama. Advanced conversation and composition.
HINDI 404 Derivational Morphology of Hindi/Urdu (3)
A systematic introduction to the derivational morphology of Hindi/Urdu. Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, and English elements in Hindi/Urdu. Treatment of derivational prefixes and suffixes, stem alternations, and methods of compound formation.
HINDI 421, 422, 423 Survey of Modern Hindi Literature (3 cr each)
Survey of Hindi literature from the late nineteenth century to the present. Readings from representative short stories, poems, and novels.
HINDI 431 Advanced Conversational Hindi (2, max 8)
Conversational practice in contemporary Hindi.
HINDI 501 Studies in Medieval Braj Literature (3, max. 9)
Introduction to the Braj dialect of Hindi and its literature. Prose readings and selected poetry by Surdas, Raskhan, Bihari, and others. Prerequisite: HINDI 403 or equivalent. Offered: A.
HINDI 502 Studies in Medieval Avadhi Literature (3, max. 9)
Introduction to the Avadhi dialect of Hindi and its literature. Readings from Ramcaritmanas of Tulsidas and Padmavat of Muhammad Malik Jayasi. Prerequisite: HINDI 403 or equivalent. Offered: W. Instructor Course Description: Heidi R. Pauwels
HINDI 503 Studies in Medieval Sant Literature (3, max. 9)
Introduction to the language and literature of Sant poets. Readings include Guru Nanak's Japuji and excerpts from Kabir's Granthavali. Prerequisite: HINDI 403 or equivalent.
HINDI 504 Studies in Medieval Rajasthani Literature (3) Introduction to the literary language of Rajasthan. Reading of extracts from representative selections from Rajasthani literature. Prerequisite: HINDI 403 or equivalent.
HINDI 510 Structure of Hindi (3) Grammatical analysis of Hindi, phonology, syntax, and semantics. Readings from both Western and native grammarians. Prerequisite: HINDI 403 or permission of instructor; recommended: course in linguistics.
Indian
INDN 400 Practicum in South Asian Languages
Introduction to any one of various South Asian languages (e.g., Kannada, Nepali, Punjabi, Sinhala, Marathi, Telugu) not taught on a regular basis. Students may receive credit for more than one such language.
INDN 401, 402 Pali
Introduction to Pali language and literature.
INDN 403 Introduction to Written Urdu
Modern written Urdu for students with at least elementary knowledge of Hindi.
INDN 404 Readings in Urdu Literature
Readings in Urdu prose and poetry. Urdu prose composition.
INDN 410 Prakrit
Introduction to the various Prakrit or Middle Indo-Aryan dialects (Gandhari, Magadhi, Maharashtri, Sauraseni) from literary, canonical, and inscriptional sources.
INDN 499 Undergraduate Research
Primarily for South Asian language and literature majors.
INDN 530 Readings in Pali Literature Reading and interpretation of intermediate and advanced texts in Pali.
INDN 590 Special Topics in Indology Studies in selected research topics in South Asian languages and literatures.
Sanskrit
SNKRT 301, 302, 303 Introduction to Sanskrit
Basic grammar and vocabulary of the classical language. Reading of elementary texts from the epic or Puranic literature.
SNKRT 401, 402, 403 Intermediate Sanskrit
Further study of classical grammar; introduction to classical literature and Vedic language and texts.
SNKRT 411, 412, 413 Advanced Sanskrit
Reading and analysis of classical texts, chosen according to students' interests.
SNKRT 491, 492, 493 Vedic Studies
Readings of selected Vedic texts, with linguistic, religious, and historical analyses. Includes background material on Vedic religion, literature, and culture.
SNKRT 494 Readings in Religious Classics of India
Reading and analysis of the older religious brahmanical texts.
SNKRT 495 Studies in Indian Thought
Religious and philosophical traditions in South Asia. The original documents studied vary from year to year.
SNKRT 499 Undergraduate Research
Primarily for Sanskrit language and literature majors.
SNKRT 550 Seminar on Sanskrit Literature
Detailed study of selected authors, periods, or traditions, within the context of Indian literary history.
SNKRT 555 Seminar on Sanskrit Grammar
Reading and critical study of traditional literature on grammar and language, including texts of Paninian and other schools.
SNKRT 560 Readings in Philosophical Sanskrit
Intensive reading and analysis of Hindu or Buddhist philosophical texts
SNKRT 570 Seminar in Indian Epigraphy and Paleography
Introduction to the study of inscriptions and other original documents in Sanskrit and Prakrit languages and in Kharosthi, Brahmi, and derived scripts. History of writing in India and development of Indic scripts. Methods of critical evaluation of inscriptions as sources of political and cultural history.
SNKRT 581, 582 Readings in Buddhist Texts
Interpretation of original sources. Texts vary from year to year. Prerequisite: ability to study sources in the original languages, an introduction to Buddhist thought, and permission of instructor.
Urdu
URDU 311, 312, 313 Elementary Urdu
Modern literary Urdu. Reading, writing, conversation, and listening comprehension. Introduction to Perso-Arabic script.
URDU 321, 322, 323 Intermediate Urdu
Systematic expansion of vocabulary and grammar. Intermediate level prose and poetry readings. Expansion of skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening comprehension.
URDU 401, 402, 403 Advanced Urdu
Rapid reading of contemporary Urdu prose and poetry. Advanced conversation and composition.
GEOG 436 Social and Political Geographies of South Asia (5)
Introduces the social and political geographies of South Asia through reference to agrarian change in India. Outlines key concepts related to the reproduction of inequality in the region, particularly theories of caste, class, gender, and religious communalism, and examines the mechanisms through which these inequalities are reproduced in South Asia.
RELIG 202 Introduction to World Religions: Eastern Traditions (5)
History of religions, concentrating on religions that have developed in South Asia and East Asia. Primary attention to Hinduism and Buddhism; other important Asian religions are discussed in relation to them, with emphasis on basic conceptual and symbolic structures.
RELIG 350 Buddhism and Society: The Theravada Buddhist Tradition in South and Southeast Asia (5)
Religious tradition of Theravada Buddhism (as practiced in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia). Variations in ethical orientations developed through Theravada Buddhist ideas. Recommended: RELIG 202 or one eastern religions course. Offered: jointly with ANTH 352.
RELIG 354 Buddhism (3)
Buddhism as a religious way and as a way of thinking; forms of Buddhism known in South Asia and those introduced from there to Tibet and other parts of Asia.
RELIG 454 Perceptions of the Feminine Divine in Hinduism (5)
Explores implications of the perception of a feminine divine for gender issues in South Asia. Includes historical overview of goddess worship in South Asia, mythologies, philosophical systems, cults, and rituals associated with the major goddesses, the phenomena of suttee, goddess possession, and women's goddess rituals at the village level.
RELIG 580 Seminar in Hinduism Studies (5)
Introduction to the academic study of Hinduism for graduate students. Examines major problems currently addressed in the academic study of Hinduism and the methods used. Provides a historical perspective on past scholarship. Offered: jointly with ASIAN 580.
HSTAS 200 South Asian History, Pre-History to the Present (5)
Explores history of the modern nations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, and the Maldives from pre-history to the present. Addresses development of religious systems, arrival of Islam, relations between religious and ethnic communities, and creation of states and empires in South Asia.
HSTAS 201 Ancient Indian Civilization (5)
Religions, literature, philosophy, politics, arts, and history of India from earliest times to the Mughal empire.
HSTAS 202 Modern Indian Civilization (5)
Change and continuity in South Asia from the Mughal empire to contemporary times, colonialism, modernization, nationalism, problems of modern development.
HSTAS 401 History of Ancient India (5)
India in ancient times; emphasis on forms of political organizations and economic life, social organizations, and cultural developments.
HSTAS 402 History of Medieval and Mughal India (5)
Medieval India; emphasis on forms of political organizations and economic life, social organizations, and cultural developments.
HSTAS 403 History of Modern India to 1900 (5)
South Asia from early eighteenth century to the era of the First World War. Emphasis on structures and impacts of colonial rule, cultural and religious change, emergence of nationalism and socio-economic transformations.
HSTAS 404 History of Twentieth-Century India (5)
Analysis of problems in social life, international and domestic politics, education, economics, and other areas.
MUSIC 428 Music of North India (3)
Classical music of North India, the Hindustani tradition with emphasis on the Dhrupad and Khyal styles. Recommended: some background in either ethnomusicology or South Asian Studies.
POL S 340 Government and Politics of South Asia (5) Comparison of problems of national integration and political development in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
POL S 434 International Relations of South Asia (5)
Interrelationships of domestic, interstate, and extraregional forces and their effects upon the resolution or expansion of interstate conflicts in South Asia. Offered: jointly with SISSA 434.
POL S 540 Problems in South Asian Politics (3)
Research problems in contemporary Indian politics.
International Studies: South Asia
SISSA 200 South Asia Today (5)
interdisciplinary introduction to the field of South Asian Studies. Overview of the topographic, social, and linguistic geography and history of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Examines politics, economy, social structure, religion, cultural production and the arts, popular culture, and transnationalism.
SISSA 316 South Asia (3)
Major cultural features of the Indian and Pakistan subcontinent.
SISSA 339 Social Movements in Contemporary India (5)
Covers issues of social change, economic development, and identity politics in contemporary India studied through environmental and women's movements. Includes critiques of development and conflicts over forests, dams, women's rights, religious community, ethnicity, and citizenship.
SISSA 341 Political Violence and the Post-Colonial State in South Asia (5)
Examines theoretical approaches to the analysis of collective, state, and anti-state violence in post-colonial South Asia through the study of specific cases of political violence in modern India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.
SISSA 412 South Asian Social Structure (5)
Caste class, and community in modern India. Transitions from colonial typology to analysis of social change, diversity, stability, and caste hierarchy in rural society. Current debates on class and community in Indian society, rural and urban, explored through themes of identity, structure, and mobility.
SISSA 417 Political Economy of India (5)
Analysis of relationships among processes of economic change, political institutions, and structures of political power in contemporary India. Includes contrasting approaches to Indian economic development, land reform, radical and agrarian political movements, and role of foreign aid. Offered jointly with POL S 417.
SISSA 490 Special Topics (1-5, max. 15)
Special courses on topics reflecting interest of offering faculty; recent examples include: Women in South Asia; Environmental Crisis in the Himalayas, Studies in the Art of Indian Painting.
SISSA 498 Undergraduate Colloquium on South Asia (5)
Interrelationships of the various social science disciplines in the study of South Asian history and culture. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
SISSA 499 Undergraduate Research (3-5, max. 15)
SISSA 510 Interdisciplinary Study of South Asia (5)
Examines key themes and debates about the development of South Asian cultural and political formations. Examines how different scholarly disciplines, particularly those in the humanities, have approved and analyzed the past in South Asia.
SISSA 511 Interdisciplinary Study of South Asia II (5) Jeffrey, Sivaramakrishnan
Examination of key themes and debates about the development of South Asian cultural and political formations. Examines how different scholarly disciplines, particularly those in the social sciences, analyze political transitions, social change, and cultural transformations in South Asia through the twentieth century.
Offered: W.
SISSA 512 Seminar on South Asia (5)
Interdisciplinary seminar for graduate students in which research and writing on individual research topics are critically developed. Designed to provide each student with an opportunity to synthesize his or her studies on South Asia. Prerequisite: SISSA 510; SISSA 511 or permission of graduate program coordinator.
SISSA 536 Advanced Research Seminar on South Asian Geographies (5)
Examines geographies of social inequality in South Asia through reference to how space, place, and the environment are shaping practices of political struggle in the region. Considers how liberalization, democratization and religious communalization are changing the political geography of South Asia.
SISSA 539 Social Movements in Contemporary India (5)
Covers issues of social change, economic development, and identity politics in contemporary India studied through environmental and women's movements. Includes critiques of development and conflicts over forests, dams, women's rights, religious community, ethnicity, and citizenship.
SISSA 600 Independent Study or Research (var.)
SISSA 700 Master's Thesis (var.)
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| South Asia Center | |
| University of Washington | |
| 303 Thomson Hall | |
| Box 353650 | |
| Seattle, WA 98195 | |
| (206) 543-4800 phone | |
| (206) 685-0668 fax | |
| ► | sascuw@u.washington.edu |
| Priti Ramamurthy, Director |
| Keith Snodgrass, Associate Director |
| Marjorie McKinley, Program Coordinator |
| Anna Cohen, Research Assistant |
| Mary Ann Curtis, FLAS Coordinator |