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SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
COURSE LIST
WINTER 2010
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: ASIA
SISA 200 Contemporary India and Pakistan 5 cr
MTWTh 11:30-12:20 SAV 131 KALE
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
SISA 339/SISSA 539 Social Movements in Contemporary India 5 cr
ANTH 339/539
WOMEN 339/539
MW 1:30-3:20 THO 325 RAMAMURTHY
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.
SISA 490A/C LIT 315A Special Topics: Hindi Cinema: Genre, Form, Ideology 5 cr
M 3:30-6:20 SAV 264 MAHADEVAN
TW 3:30-4:50 MGH 251
This course will offer an introductory survey of India's Hindi language cinema - popularly known as Bollywood – and its changing forms, from the 1950s to the present. What is Bollywood? What is its history and what kinds of films comprise Bollywood? We will approach Hindi cinema both in comparison to other world cinemas and as the central component of modern Indian popular culture. India's prolific film industries have always engaged in a dialogue with world cinema, offering their versions of Shakespeare adaptations, film noirs, gangster films and Westerns, within a distinctive format dubbed the "masala film". On the other hand, we will also examine the relation between this popular cinema and modern South Asian history and culture. How have these films engaged with discourses of gender, caste, and consumerism in India? In what ways do they give expression and form to ideas of Indian nation-hood?
SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES
SISSA 499 Undergraduate Research 1-5; max 15 cr
Time to be arranged.
SISSA 510/HSTAS 502 Interdisciplinary Study of South Asia I:
The History and Practice of South Asia Studies 5 cr
T 1:30-4:20 THO 217 NOVETZKE
This course is intended to familiarize graduate students in South Asia studies and allied fields (especially history, as well as art history, anthropology, archeology, comparative literature, sociology, and history of religions) with some of the theoretical debates central to the study of South Asia. Our approach will be both critical and historical, a combination meant to portray the past of the discipline, as well as engage its present deliberations. We will explore the fields of philology, comparative philosophy, missionary interaction, Orientalism, social evolution, and structuralism. We will also engage debates within postcolonial studies, subaltern studies, nationalism discourse, historiography, modernity, and representation discourse.
One special aspect of this course will be the opportunity for students writing master’s and doctoral theses to formulate a statement of the theoretical position taken in his or her research and dissertation. Such a statement is vital to one’s dissertation proposal, grant-writing endeavors, and ultimately to the dissertation itself. Graduate students are encouraged to examine their particular research topic through the multiple theoretical perspectives analyzed in this course. For students not yet prepared to write such a statement, at least three other possible final assignments are designed to help students narrow their theoretical interests.
SISSA 539/ SISA 339 Social Movements in Contemporary India 5 cr
ANTH 339/539
WOMEN 339/539
MW 1:30-3:20 THO 325 RAMAMURTHY
See SISA 339 under SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES for course description.
SISSA 600 Independent Study or Research
SISSA 700 Master’s Thesis
ANTHROPOLOGY
ANTH 339/539 Social Movements in Contemporary India 5 cr
SISA 339/SISSA 539
WOMEN 339/539
MW 1:30-3:20 THO 325 RAMAMURTHY
See SISA 339 under SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES for course description.
ANTH 345/ SIS 345/ Women and International Economic Development 5 cr
WOMEN 345
TTh 10:30-12:20 RAMAMURTHY
This course is located at the crossroads of two fields: feminism and development studies. It is organized in five units. The first unit will provide an introduction to the main concepts of the course. Regional trends in gender and economic development and the measurement of development and its effects on women will be the topics of critical discussion. We will also compare "reality" with "representation" of "Third World" women. The second unit of the course is on theories of gender and development. The theoretical and ideological underpinnings of different theories of development will be discussed. In the third unit the connections between patriarchy, the state, and development will be mapped looking at specific policies and programs. The roles of the state, NGOs, feminist and women's groups in designing, shaping and implementing policies and programs will be explored in the context of (i) the food crisis and poverty and (ii) health, population and reproductive rights. The fourth unit is on gender and development in the context of globalization and Structural Adjustment Policies. The focus of this unit is current processes of economic re-structuring in both the "Third World" and here in the U.S. The fifth unit is on cartographies of "development"; it focuses on grassroots conceptions of development and those of policy planners using gender-sensitive policy frameworks. (25% South Asia content.)
ART HISTORY
ART H 306 Indian Art of South Asia from Mohenho Daro 5 cr
to the Mughals
MWF 2:30-3:50 ART 003 KHULLAR
The course will survey the material culture and artistic production of South Asia, which includes the present-day nation states of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, from antiquity until the early modern period. We shall be attentive to traditional art historical concerns such as the role of the artist, treatment of materials, systems of patronage, development of style, theories of aesthetics, and iconographic analysis. We shall also relate South Asian art to its social contexts, emphasizing exchange and interaction between cultures and groups, including but not limited to artists, pilgrims, merchants, warriors, and kings; Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians; Indians, Persians, Europeans, Central Asians, and Southeast Asians. We shall consider questions of iconophilia and iconoclasm, narrative and temporality, archeology and historiography, ritual and religion, sovereignty and kingship, gender and sexuality, urbanism and empire, colonialism and nationalism as they pertain to the images, objects, and sites of our study. Students with a background in architecture, history, religion, literature, anthropology, or South Asia Studies are welcome. There is no prerequisite.
ASIAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE
ASIAN 206 Literature and Culture of South Asia from Tradition to Modernity 5 cr
TTh 12:30-2:20 RAI 116 PAUWELS
Students will read selections from medieval and modern South Asian literature in translation. The class has its focus on understanding the texts in their South Asian context. The first half of the course is devoted to all-time South Asian "classics", still sung and performed today, with selections from famous medieval Hindu devotional or Bhakti poetry originally in North Indian vernaculars, and from Íåkta poetry originally in Bengåli. In addition, there will be a section on Islamic-influenced Urdu literature. The second part of the class will concentrate on secular literature of the last century, with selections from Bengåli, Hindi-Urdu, Kannada, and English novels and short stories. We will read around the themes of "the independence movement" with focus on women, "partition and communalism", and issues of "caste and untouchability". Finally, we will read the Booker Prize 1997 winning novel by Arundhati Roy.
ASIAN 263 Great Works in Asian Literature: Buddhist Literature 5 cr
TTh 2:30-3:50 EXEC 110 COX
(SEE TIME SCHEDULE FOR TIME/LOCATION OF QUIZ SECTIONS)
The course will survey the Buddhist literature of India, China, and Japan through selected excerpts chosen from the genres of biography, poetry, narrative, ritual manuals, doctrinal treatises, and historical accounts. The course will begin with the origins of Buddhist literature in India and will trace its further development in India, China, and Japan. Attention will also be given to the themes of textual composition, authorship, audience, transmission, context and function. All works are read in English translation.
ASIAN 404 Writing Systems 3 cr
TTh 1:30-3:20 SAV 158 SALOMON
Origin, nature, and development of writing systems. Alphabets, syllabaries, and logographic systems; relation of writing systems to spoken languages; decipherment of previously undeciphered scripts. Prerequisite: ASIAN 401.
BENG 312 Elementary Bengali 5 cr
DAILY 11:30-12:20 MGH 289 ABEDIN
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. Prerequisite: BENG 311.
BENG 322 Intermediate Bengali 5 cr
DAILY 12:30-1:20 MGH 289 ABEDIN
Develops proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking standard colloquial Bengali at an intermediate level. Readings in fiction and non-fiction literature, vocabulary and grammar exercises, writing of essays and creative pieces, aural comprehension exercises, and topic-based conversation and role-play. Prerequisite: BENG 321.
BENG 402 Advanced Bengali 5 cr
Time to be arranged ABEDIN
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 non-fiction literature, vocabulary and grammar exercises, writing of essays and creative pieces, aural comprehension exercises, and topic-based conversation. Prerequisite: BENG 401.
BENG 499 Bengali: Independent Study 3-5 cr; max 15 cr
Time to be arranged ABEDIN
For Bengali language and literature majors.
HINDI 312 Elementary Hindi 5 cr
TTh 9:30-10:20 RAI 121 PAHLAJRAI
MWF QUIZ SECTIONS: See Time Schedule
Modern literary Hindi. Reading, writing, and conversation
HINDI 322 Intermediate Hindi 5 cr
DAILY 10:30-11:20 RAI 121 PAHLAJRAI
Systematic expansion of vocabulary and grammar. Intermediate-level prose and poetry readings. Oral drills. Prerequisite: HINDI 321 or equivalent.
HINDI 402 Advanced Hindi 5 cr
DAILY 10:30-11:20 SAV 167 SHAPIRO
Rapid reading of contemporary Hindi prose, poetry, and drama. Advanced conversation and composition. Prerequisite: HINDI 401 or equivalent.
HINDI 423 Modern Hindi Literature 3 cr
TWTh 10:30-11:20 SAV 162 PAUWELS
The primary goal of this class is to read one representative Khari Boli novel from the “modern period” that is the second half of the nineteenth century to the present. We will endeavor to read one complete novel, which will also be placed in its literary, cultural, and historical context. The novel selected for Winter 2009 is Mirza Muhammad Hadi Ruswa’s Umrao Jan Ada, one of the first novels in Hindi-Urdu, published in 1899. This novel is about the life of a courtesan from Lucknow, told by herself to the author. It was made famous by the Muzaffar Ali film Umrao Jan with Rekha (and the more recent remake with Aishwarya Ray).
HINDI 431 Advanced Hindi Conversation 3 cr
MWF 1:30-3:20 SAV 162 DUBROW
This course will provide extensive practice in conversational Hindi for intermediate to advanced Hindi students. Class will consist of drill sessions, oral presentations, listening comprehension, and conversation practice. Students will be exposed to a variety of speakers and vocabulary. Techniques to improve fluency, pronunciation, and general speaking ability will be discussed. Course can be repeated for credit (Winter 2009) and is recommended as a two-quarter sequence.
HINDI 499 Undergraduate Research 3-5; max 15 cr
Time to be arranged.
INDN 499 Undergraduate Research 3-5; max 15 cr
Time to be arranged.
INDN 590 Special Topics in Indology 3 cr
F 3:30-5:20 GWN M230 SALOMON
Studies in selected research topics in South Asian languages and literatures. Prerequisite: graduate standing or permission of instructor.
SNKRT 302 Introduction to Sanskrit 5 cr
DAILY 9:30-10:20 SAV 169 SALOMON
Basic grammatical structure and vocabulary of the classical language; reading of elementary texts from the epic and classical periods written in the Devanagari script. Prerequisite: SANSKRIT 301.
SNKRT 402 Intermediate Sanskrit 5cr
DAILY 10:30-11:20 SAV 169 BAUM
Advanced classical grammar; readings in classical literature. Prerequisite: SANSKRIT 401.
SNKRT 412 Advanced Sanskrit 3 cr
TTh 1:30-3:20 SAV 158 COX
Intensive reading and analysis of classical texts, chosen from the Sastra or Kavya literatures. Prerequisite: SANSKRIT 411 or permission of instructor.
SNKRT 499 Undergraduate Research 3-5, max 15 cr
Time to be arranged.
Entry code required.
URDU 312 Elementary Urdu 5 cr
DAILY 9:30-10:20 SAV 158 AHMAD
Modern literary Urdu. Reading, writing, conversation, and listening comprehension. Introduction to Perso-Arabic script. Prerequisite: URDU 311.
URDU 322 Elementary Urdu 5 cr
DAILY 10:30-11:20 SAV 158 AHMAD
Systematic expansion of vocabulary and grammar. Intermediate level prose and poetry readings. Expansion of skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening comprehension. Prerequisite: URDU 321.
URDU 402 Advanced Urdu 5 cr
Time to be arranged. AHMAD
Rapid reading of contemporary Urdu prose and poetry. Advanced conversation and composition. Prerequisite: URDU 401
URDU 499 Urdu: Independent Study 3-5 cr; max 15 cr
Times to be arranged.
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE
C LIT 315A/ SISA 490A Special Topics: Hindi Cinema: Genre, Form, Ideology 5 cr
M 3:30-6:20 SAV 264 MAHADEVAN
TW 3:30-4:50 MGH 251
See SISA 490 under INTERNATIONAL STUDIES:ASIA for course description.
COMPARATIVE RELIGION
RELIG 202 Introduction of World Religions: Eastern Tradition 5 cr
MW 1:30-2:50 SMI 120 TOKUNO
(SEE TIME SCHEDULE FOR TIME/LOCATION OF QUIZ SECTIONS)
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. (50% South Asia content)
RELIG 211/NEAR E 211 Islam 5 cr
TTh 3:00-4:50 KNE 220 BROWN
Introduction to important cultural and historical aspects of Islam, focusing on basic concepts and developments such as prophethood, Quran and Hadith, canon and law, ritual, social theory, Sufism, theology, and sectarianism. Special attention to comparison of varied Muslim practices and beliefs, and their relation to textual and personal authority.
ENGLISH
ENGL 316 Postcolonial Literature and Culture 5 cr
MW 8:30-10:20 MUS 223 TARANATH
This course investigates contemporary South Asian literature in order to think through the domestic and international politics of migration, violence, sovereignty, and gendered agency. In addition to the literature,
we will engage with films and appropriate theoretical essays that draw on postcolonial, queer, and feminist theories and cultural studies. Class is structured around student participation and discussion.
HISTORY
HSTAS 402 History of Medieval and Mughal India 5 cr
MW 1:30-3:20 GLD 435 DHAVAN
The period between 1200-1750 CE in South Asia was dominated by the creation and unraveling of two major political formations: the early Sultanates and the Mughal Empire. This class will explore how the political and cultural foundations of these systems were established, the collaboration and resistance with which they were met by their subjects, and their eventual demise. In doing so we will explore not only the elite realm of Imperial politics and Hindu and Muslim religious scholars, but also the daily life of peasants, soldiers, women, ascetics, poets, and wanderers in Early Modern South Asia. We will probe how these intersecting lives and communities created the vibrant trading networks, religious communities, rebellions, and vernacular cultures of the early modern period.
HSTAS 502/ SISSA 510 Interdisciplinary Study of South Asia I:
The History and Practice of South Asia Studies 5 cr
T 1:30-4:20 THO 217 NOVETZKE
See SISSA 510 under South Asian Studies for course descriptions.
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
SIS 345/ ANTH 345 Women and International Economic Development 5 cr
WOMEN 345
TTh 10:30-12:20 RAMAMURTHY
See ANTH 345 under ANTHROPOLOGY for course description.
SIS 495B Task Force: Next Steps for U.S. in Afghanistan 2-3 cr
MW 3:30-5:20 THO 202 YANG
What form and shape should US foreign policy towards South Asia take in the wake of such dramatic recent developments as the nuclear weapons tests conducted by both India and Pakistan in 1998, 9/11 and the ensuing "war on terrorism," political turmoil in present-day Bangladesh and Pakistan, and the changing nature of US interests in Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq? This Task Force will formulate a US policy towards each of the major countries of South Asia and the region as a whole.
NEAR EASTERN LANGUAGES AND CIVILIZATION
NEAR E 211/ RELIG 211 Islam 5 cr
TTh 3:00-4:50 KNE 220 BROWN
See RELIG 211 under COMPARATIVE RELIGION for course description.
WOMEN STUDIES
WOMEN 339/539 Social Movements in Contemporary India 5 cr
SISA 339/SISSA 539
ANTH 339/539
MW 1:30-3:20 THO 325 RAMAMURTHY
See SISA 339 under SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES for course description.
WOMEN 345 Women and International Economic Development 5 cr
SIS 345/ ANTH 345
TTh 10:30-12:20 RAMAMURTHY
See ANTH 345 under ANTHROPOLOGY for course description.
ASIAN STUDIES CORE COURSES
REQUIRED ASIAN CIVILIZATION SURVEY COURSES
SIS 209 Asian Civilizations: Traditions 5 cr
WF 1:30-2:50 CDH 110A PORTER
(SEE TIME SCHEDULE FOR TIME/LOCATION OF QUIZ SECTIONS.)
This course offers an interdisciplinary introduction to the major tenets of traditional cultures of Asia, particularly those of India, China, Japan and Korea. Readings, lectures, discussions and videos will explore the religion, philosophy, literature, art and social and political thought of these cultures from ancient times to the 17th century.
SISA 200 Contemporary India and Pakistan 5 cr
MTWTh 11:30-12:20 SAV 131 KALE
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
ADDITIONAL CIVILIZATION OR CROSS-REGIONAL THEMATIC COURSES
ASIAN 404 Writing Systems 3 cr
TTh 1:30-3:20 SAV 158 SALOMON
Origin, nature, and development of writing systems. Alphabets, syllabaries, and logographic systems; relation of writing systems to spoken languages; decipherment of previously undeciphered scripts. Prerequisite: ASIAN 401.
RELIG 202 Introduction to World Religions: 5 cr
Eastern Traditions
MW 1:30-2:50 SMI 120 TOKUNO
(SEE TIME SCHEDULE FOR TIME/LOCATION OF QUIZ SECTIONS)
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. (50% South Asia content)
NOTE: We strongly recommend that you check the on-line Time Schedule for possible changes.
| 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 |