In this seminar we will examine contemporary Southeast Asian society and culture through the lens of contemporary Southeast Asian films, three each from Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. In discussions about the films in class we will seek to understand how these films mirror modern and traditional aspects of the societies in which they were produced. We will also consider the films as examples of current world cinema and vehicles of storytelling. In their four-page papers for each section of the course, students will address the above broad issues (referencing class discussions when appropriate) in relation to their own experiences and opinions, focusing either on one film or comparing two or three from the same country. Students should plan to participate actively and consistently in class discussions, remembering that class participation makes up 25% of the grade in the course. Previous knowledge of or personal experience with Southeast Asian societies and cultures, and if possible Southeast Asian film, is desired but not required. Students with no previous knowledge of Southeast Asia who have experience watching and discussing a wide range of films from other countries with a critical eye are also welcome.

Taking a historical perspective this course examines the evolution of Hindu and Muslim religious nationalism in South Asia from the colonial period to the present. It will interrogate the nature of Hindu and Muslim religious identities before colonialism; the construction of Hinduism and Islam by the British; early articulations of Hindu and Muslim religious nationalism; the interplay between secular and religious nationalisms; the success of religious nationalism in India and Pakistan over the recent decades; and the implications of religious nationalism for the future of South Asia.

Prerequisites. Two years of Filipino/Tagalog or consent of instructor.

Using literary texts (short stories, poems, and creative non-fiction) and critical essays on Philippine culture and society, students learn advanced vocabulary and more complex grammatical structures. The students shall then choose whether they would like to go on a creative track or a research track. For the former, the student should be able to write either a short story, five poems, or a creative non-fiction work. For the latter, the student should submit a critical essay in Filipino based on the texts and their own research. These works shall be discussed using a workshop format, enabling the students to revise the work until it can be deemed ready for publication.

This weekly seminar will be an investigation into the cultures and politics of Islam in Southeast Asia through readings of key texts. In particular we will trace the development of a discourse on syncretism from the late 18th century through to our "post September 11 world." Is there a peculiarly Southeast Asian Islam? Why is Buddhism central to studies of mainland Southeast Asia while scholars of Indonesia have been able to disregard Islam? How does the Islamic "Moro" identity fit within Philippine nationalism? We will analyze theories on early conversion to Islam and explore accounts of the Arab, Indian, Chinese, and European encounters with Islam in Southeast Asia. We will analyze the role of Sufism and mystical associations, and of reformist movements in the 18th through 20th centuries that reacted to these associations. Of critical importance are the Southeast Asian Muslim discussions of local traditions (adat), the idea of the "moderen," nationalism, and the place of the Southeast Asian Muslim community within the broader Muslim world. Emphasis will be on Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Readings will include primary sources in translation as well as works by T. Abdullah, J. Bowen, C. Geertz, Hamka, R. Hefner, A. Johns, R. McVey, N. Madjid, W. Roff, N. Saleeby, C. Snouck Hurgronje, and others.

Taking a thematic approach this class will examine the growth and development of Islamic mysticism/Sufism in South Asia over the past millennium. Each week will focus on a different rubric. Included are: the origins of Sufism in S. Asia, the institutionalization of Sufi orders, Sufis and non-Muslims, women and Sufis, the literatures of Sufism, the ritual practices of Sufism, Sufi relations with the Muslim state, “sober” versus “drunken” Sufism, Sufi relations with the Ulema, Sufism and the colonial state, reformist Sufism, reformist Islam and Sufism, and Sufism and the post-colonial state.

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Literary works of ancient India are read in English translation and studied critically. The course aims at giving a comprehensive picture of many important areas of the Indian literary heritage.

This course will examine the role of contemporary literature in Indonesian/Malaysian society. Emphasis on the socio-political aspects of this literature in historical context. Genres discussed will include poetry, the novel, the short story, and drama.

Indonesia is the nation with the world's largest Muslim population, and Malaysia and the southern Philippines are regions with vibrant Islamic traditions. Islam has been essential in the development of Southeast Asian cultures, literatures, and arts for over seven hundred years, and Southeast Asian Islam is intimately tied to the Islamic world. This upper-division undergraduate course will be an investigation into key discourses on the cultures and politics of Islam in Southeast Asia. Beginning with a brief introduction to Islam and the Quran the course traces the processes through which Islam entered the Malay world in the 13th century. We will explore the European colonial encounters with Islam in Southeast Asia and the ways that Islam interacted with and resisted colonialism. We will discuss the role of mysticism and Sufi associations, and of reformist movements in the 18th through 21st centuries. And we will analyze the place of Islam in Southeast Asian arts and literature. We will consider the majority Muslim nations of Indonesia and Malaysia, and will also explore the struggles of Islam as a minority religion in the Philippines and Thailand. The course concludes with a discussion of modern political developments in Southeast Asian Islam, including the role of separatist movements and so-called "terrorism," placing these developments in historical context. Readings will include primary sources in translation, literary texts, ethnographic works, and writings by colonial and local scholars.

This course acquaints students with representative readings from Hindi texts on pivotal cultural issues from a wide variety of sources, to enable them to acquire cultural competence in the language. Systematic training in advanced grammar and syntax, reinforced by exercises in composition, both oral and written. Special attention will be given to developing communication skills in both spoken and written language.

To enroll in this course, you must first obtain a CEC (class entry code) from the instructor. Contact the instructor, A. L. Huettemann, by email at l.huettemann@berkeley.edu or attend the first class to get the CEC.

This course is designed to improve proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing Hindi. It introduces students to a variety of contemporary literary styles. Weekly readings and discussions will be on short stories, poems, and dramatic sketches from representative authors. Written assignments on themes suggested by the readings will be required. Students will also work on advanced grammar and special emphasis will be on vocabulary building, idioms, and problems of syntax. There will be advanced exercises in composition and
students will acquire language skills sufficient to approach literary texts on their own.

Introduces various types of written and spoken Urdu; vocabulary building, idioms, and problems of syntax; and conversation. Reading of selected fiction and nonfiction in modern Urdu, including fables, short stories, and poetry. Exercises in grammar, conversation, and composition.

Reading of Urdu prose and poetry in a variety of literary and scholarly styles; composition. Topics in advanced grammar; designed to improve proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Students will be expected to converse in a clearly participatory fashion, initiate, sustain, and bring to closure a wide variety of communicative tasks using diverse language strategies.

Classes will commence on September 24, 2009. This course is also being offered as a Distance Learning Course in conjunction with UCLA and is meeting for the Fall Quarter in lieu of the Fall Semester.

Prerequisites: 1A-1B or equivalent; completion of Intermediate Cambodian.

This course will increase student fluency in reading a variety of texts and enhance the student's ability to converse in the standard dialect of the language, which is spoken by educated Cambodians. Selected readings in Khmer will advance the student's understanding of Cambodian culture, history, literature, social, and political institutions. The language of contemporary journalism will also be considered. Conversation exercises are designed to provide students with a familiarity of the vocabulary sets and usages that are appropriate for various social settings, such as interaction with Buddhist clergy and conversation between speakers of relatively higher and lower social rank. Sanskrit and Pali influences on Khmer and the orthography and vocabulary of Old Khmer are considered. Dialect variation in modern Khmer is considered and special attention is paid to the spoken and written jargons that are associated with various recent regimes and ideological contexts.

This course is designed to introduce students to traditional Khmer literary texts, composed between the 16th-early 20th centuries. The first semester will open with a general introduction to Khmer literary history and classical verse forms. The remainder of the semester will be devoted to reading the Reamker, the classical Khmer version of the Ramayana (16th-17th centuries). In the second semester we will read from cpap (didactic texts) and verse novels, based on Buddhist jataka tales or oral legend. Students will be expected to analyze literary and grammatical forms and expand their vocabularies.

These courses introduce students to a variety of literary styles. 101A will consist of weekly readings and discussions of short stories, poems, and dramatic sketches from representative authors. Short written assignments on themes suggested by the readings are required. Special attention is paid to matters of style and idiom. 101B is devoted to viewing films based on a variety of themes (social, village, mythological, classical Tamil) and to reading scripts and oral written exercises. Students will acquire language skills sufficient to approach literary texts on their own.

Readings in advanced Tamil. Texts to be determined by the needs of the student.

Introduction to reading, writing, and speaking Thai. Open to anyone who does not know how to read Thai. (Non-reading Thai speakers may take 1A.) Materials include a course reader and Thai films with English subtitles.

An introduction to modern spoken and written Vietnamese, including intensive drill on basic phonology and grammar. By the end of the second semester the student should be able to function successfully in ordinary Vietnamese conversation and read simple texts of moderate difficulty.

A second-year course in Vietnamese vocabulary and syntax with intensive drills on short colloquial expressions and auditory recognition of speech patterns. First semester course stresses phraseology, sentence building, rules of composition and development of students' communicative skills. By the end of the second semester students will learn to speak and write simple compositions and will have a cursory introduction to Vietnamese literature and sample readings from contemporary Vietnamese writers.

This course is designed for students who have already achieved an intermediate degree of proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing modern Vietnamese. Objective: to move students toward a greater level of fluency in each of these key areas and provide an introduction to the literature and culture of Vietnam by reading Vietnamese language texts. Readings will vary from semester to semester and will include novels, short stories, poetry, and essays from the classical, colonial, post-colonial, and contemporary periods. Topics to be addressed in class are the nature of the Sino-Vietnamese classical tradition; cultural legacies of French colonialism; the regional character of literary and cultural production; the emergence of a distinctive Vietnamese modernity, and the history of Vietnamese gender norms and relations. Regular attendance and participation in classroom activities is mandatory and no English will be spoken in class.