| Course | Description |
| S,SEASN N51 Introductory Topics in Religious Studies Tompkins, C., Wallis, C. |
The Yoga Tradition in Theory and Practice This course will constitute an engaging survey of the various forms of Indian spiritual practice referred to with the term 'yoga' over the last 2500 years. Using primary and secondary sources, we will study not only specifically yogic practices such as breath control, meditation, and visualization, but also and especially the various forms of thought and religious doctrine with which they have been associated. Surprisingly, the very same practices were utilized by spiritual adepts of differing and even opposing philosophies. Thus we will look at the early Upanishads, early Buddhism, the 'classical' Yoga of Pata??jali, Tantric Yoga, and Hatha-yoga. As far as possible we will situate these belief systems in their intellectual and cultural context. This includes an examination of Indian ideas about the nature of the mind, body, consciousness, and their interrelationships. We will consider the questions of what Yoga was supposed to accomplish, and why it became such a central part of Indian religion. We will not be performing yoga practices in this class, though students interested in such an experiment will be exposed to materials in the course of their learning which would facilitate it. |
| S Asian R5A Great Books of India Claire, J. |
Reading and composition based on 10 classic works of Indian literature ranging from the ancient Sanskrit epics to modern novels by Indian and western authors. Weekly composition on texts and topics read and discussed in class. Satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement. |
| S Asian R5B, Section 1 India in the Writer's Eye Paul, A. |
Reading and composition in connection with eastern and western representations of India, and other Asian cultures, in great works of modern literature. Satisfies the second half of the reading and composition requirement. |
| S Asian R5B, Section 2 India in the Writer's Eye Mani, P. |
Reading and composition in connection with eastern and western representations of India, and other Asian cultures, in great works of modern literature. Satisfies the second half of the reading and composition requirement. |
| S Asian R5B, Section 3 India in the Writer's Eye Govind, N. |
Reading and composition in connection with eastern and western representations of India, and other Asian cultures, in great works of modern literature. Satisfies the second half of the reading and composition requirement. |
| S Asian 127 Religion in Early India Wiley, K. |
This course examines the history and philosophical beliefs of Indian religions, including the Vedic and Hindu traditions as well as Buddhism and Jainism, from the Indus Civilization to the early medieval period. We will read, in translation, selections from the Vedas, Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita, and passages from Buddhist and Jain texts. Through films and other visuals, we will learn about various religious practices, such as temple rituals, gifting, festivals, and pilgrimage. Because this course covers the formative period of Indian religions, it is an excellent background for other South Asian Studies courses, including SA 140 (Hindu Mythology) and SSEAS N51 (The Yoga Tradition in Theory and Practice), which are offered in Session D. |
| S Asian 140 Hindu Mythology Gonzalez-Reimann, L. |
In this course we will study literary and religious aspects of Hindu myths. Through the reading of primary sources in translation, the course covers the main divinities and many mythological themes of early Vedic as well as later Puranic literature. We will follow the development of mythology from the Rg Veda to the epics—The Mahabharata and the Ramayana—and up to the classical mythology of the Sanskrit Puranas. |
| S Asian 152 Literature Nation and Film: South Asian Trajectories Kapse, A P |
This class examines visual and literary constructions of the experience of modernity in 20th-century India, with a particular focus on the imaginary of the nation. Students will read seminal literary works of the 19th and 20th centuries, such as Anandmath, Sevasadan, Home and the World, and Tughlaq. Class curriculum will include readings that consider issues of identity, historical consciousness,nationhood, the public sphere, art, and mass culture. We will watch a wide selection of films, beginning with the silent era and the early sound period, and then move on to the "golden age" of Indian cinema in the 1950s. Film screenings will focus mainly on, but may not be limited to, North India. The class will provide an advanced level exposure to South Asian cultural history and theory, with special reference to modern literature and film. |
| SEASIAN 10B Intro Civilization of SE Asia Scalice, J. |
This course is an introduction to the cultures, histories, and literatures of Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and East Timor, nations that comprise an area known traditionally as the Malay World. Grounding ourselves in the classical kingdoms of Southeast Asia through the coming of Islam and the early modern era, we will pay particular attention to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: the entrenchment of European and American imperialism, the rise of Southeast Asian nationalism, and developments in modern Southeast Asia up through the aftermath of the fall of Marcos, Soeharto, and Mahathir. We will analyze the role that history plays in modern Southeast Asia. We will discuss the role of religion, of Islam and Roman Catholicism, in private and political life, situating insular Southeast Asia both within a global and a regional Southeast Asian context. These themes will be introduced, as much as possible, through works of fiction and primary source materials in translation. Readings will include fiction by Jose Rizal, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, and F. Sionil Jose, and scholarly writings by Clifford Geertz, James Scott, and Benedict Anderson. |
| SEASIAN 138 Southeast Asian Cultures, Texts, and Politics Vergara, B. |
This seminar examines Southeast Asia from the late colonial era to the present through literary and visual lenses. Utilizing a wide range of sources including novels, films, ethnographies, photographs, and scholarly articles, we will explore shifting conceptions of national and regional identity, and the form of the modern nation-state, throughout modern Southeast Asian history. How is Southeast Asia, both as a region and as an area of study, seen in texts from postcolonial and transnational frameworks? How do these texts contribute to emergent or state-sponsored nationalisms? How do affective elements, like memory, laughter, and longing, engage with forms of the national? This class will also encourage students to fashion a critical perspective regarding the authorial voice and the sociohistorical circumstances under which the texts were produced. |
| Hin-Urd 15 Intensive Elementary Hindi-Urdu Ahmad, A. |
A comprehensive introduction to modern standard Hindi. The Hindi (Devanagari) writing system; survey of grammar, graded exercises and readings, leading to a mastery of basic language patterns, essential vocabulary, and to achievement of basic reading, writing, and conversational competence. Special emphasis on the ability to speak and understand Hindi (and spoken Urdu). |
| TAGALG 15 Pena, I. |
Tagalog 15 is equivalent to two semesters of Introductory Tagalog (1A & 1B). The course gives a systematic introduction to the grammar, sentence patterns, and essential vocabulary of modern standard Tagalog. Emphasis is placed on extensive practice in idiomatic Tagalog conversation, with additional practice in reading and writing Tagalog. Lessons are presented in the backdrop of Filipino/Filipino-American culture. Pre-requisite: none. |
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