INTRODUCTION TO INDIA (and South Asia)

ANS 302K (30450), ANT 310L (29860)

HIS 306N (39240), RS 312 (44140)

University of Texas at Austin

WAG 101

Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:00 to 3:15 pm

 Instructor: Maggie Ronkin

Office: WCH 4.124

Office Hours: Wednesdays 12.00 noon to 2.00 pm

and by appointment

Email: ronkinmAThotmailDOTcom

Teaching Assistant: Nikola Rajic

Office and Hours: MEZ 3.310, Tuesdays 1.00 to 2.00 pm

and by appointment

 
Description

This course offers an introductory understanding of South Asia (chiefly Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan), which accommodates one-fifth of humanity. The course serves as a gateway, leading students not only to particular topics, but also to larger issues of knowledge production and transmission. By crossing temporal, religious, and linguistic divides, we will explore multiple histories, cultures, and identities in the rich tapestry of this region. Particular attention will be placed on the role of popular culture and the extent to which it has defined Indian identity for the past six decades. In addition, we will critically draw attention to sexism, racism, colonialism, nationalism, and elitism in the region. Supplementing class lectures and readings, students will benefit from guest lectures by leading South Asian scholars. We will focus on the following themes:

Issues in Studying India

India's Multiple Histories

India's Shifting Geography: Narratives of Conquest, Partition, Inside, and Outside

India's Religious Traditions

Issues of Caste and Marginalization

Gender and Sexuality

Colonialism

Nationalism

Art and Architecture

Popular Culture

Environmental Crises

Globalization and Outsourcing

Texts

Ludden, David.  2002. India and South Asia: A Short History. Oxford, UK: OneWorld Publications. Indian edition 2004. (also available online http://www.history.upenn.edu/coursepages/hist086/material/ShortHistFrameset.htm).

Ronkin, Maggie. 2007. Coursepak for Introduction to India (including electronic resources).

Films: Mother India, Sholay, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaenge, Gandhi, Kaadu, and The Apu Trilogy.

Evaluation

 Three exams=90 percent; attendance=10 percent

 Grading Scale

A= 90-100% average

B = 80-89% average

C = 70-79% average

D = 60-69% average

F = anything below a 60% average

University's Disability Policies and Resources

Available at: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/ssd/

Standards of Academic Integrity

Available at: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/acint_student.php

Class Schedule (to be adjusted to accommodate guest presentations and end on May 3)

This course originally was proposed by Syed Akbar Hyder.

Films not on the syllabus and included in Part 3 of the course:

• "A Death for Peace" from a CBC Newsworld series on assassinations: A terrific documentary--using much original film footage and expert interviews--on Gandhi, players in the Independence movement, and the right-wing political surround of his assassination
• "Division of Hearts" by Satti Khanna and Peter Chappell: A documentary with archival news film and interviews on ordinary Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs recounting their tumultuous experiences of Partition, one of the largest movements of people ever
• "Matir Moina [The Clay Bird]" by Tereque and Catherine Masud: The first feature film from Bangladesh, a beautiful drama that explores through the story of one boy various ideas of freedom, and their limitations, in East Pakistan (Bangladesh) of the late 1960s
• "Jang aur Aman [War and Peace]" by Anand Patwardhan: A stunning Indian documentary that uses words and original film footage of Indians and Pakistanis to show how elites' sponsorship of the arms race and nuclear proliferation produces new identities
• "Born into Brothels" by Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski: An Academy-award winning documentary on the restorative power of art among children in Calcutta's red light district; raises important questions about ethnographic reciprocities and attempts to help others