2014-2015 Catalog

MALA 10100-10200-10300. First-Year Malayalam I-II-III.

This sequence focuses on building basic reading, writing, speaking, and listening comprehension skills in Malayalam. The Malayalam script is introduced at the beginning of Autumn Quarter. Students are presented a range of materials, including audio and video material.

MALA 20100-20200-20300. Second-Year Malayalam I-II-III.

This sequence continues to build up student’s skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening comprehension in Malayalam. This sequence transports students beyond basic Malayalam and widens vocabulary/register by providing deeper grammatical knowledge of the more complex levels of language.

TLGU 10100-10200-10300. First-Year Telugu I-II-III.

First-year Telugu is designed to deal with all of the necessary language skills (i.e., speaking, writing, reading, oral comprehension). The primary goal is to equip students with basic communicative competence in Telugu. By the end of the first quarter, students are expected to be able to carry out day-to-day conversational situations with ease. Through this gradual learning process, students should be capable of reading simple authentic texts. The goal is to tune students to a native speaker’s proficiency.

TLGU 20100-20200-20300. Second-Year Telugu I-II-III.

Second-year Telugu is designed to expand the language skills in the four areas of speaking, writing, reading, and oral comprehension. To enhance these skills, students are required to read Telugu texts, according to their academic interests. Students are introduced to a different native speaker every other week as part of a luncheon discussion. Students watch popular Telugu films to gain overall understanding of vernacular cultural attitudes, and they are expected to give weekly oral presentations during the discussion session.

BANG 10100-10200-10300. First-Year Bangla (Bengali) I-II-III.

This sequence concentrates on developing skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing Bangla at the novice and intermediate low levels. It is designed both for scholars who want to do research on Bengal and for those who want to gain proficiency in elementary Bangla for communication purposes. Evaluation will be based on classroom performance, attendance, homework assignments, projects, quizzes and final examination.

BANG 20100-20200-20300. Second-Year Bangla (Bengali) I-II-III.

This sequence is a continuation of First-Year Bangla and aims at gaining intermediate high proficiency in the language. Students who have prior knowledge of elementary Bengali can join the course. The course concentrates equally on speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. At the end of the course the learner is supposed to have a command of Bengali language and culture that allows him/her to communicate with native speakers with ease. He/she will have sufficient reading abilities to comprehend non-technical modern texts. Evaluation will be based on classroom performance, homework assignments, projects, tests, and final examination.

HIND 10100-10200-10300. First-Year Hindi I-II-III.

This five-day-a-week sequence presents an introduction to the world’s second most spoken language through reading, writing, listening, memorizing, and speaking. We begin with the Devanagari script, and we then introduce the Urdu script in Winter Quarter.

HIND 20100-20200-20300. Second-Year Hindi I-II-III.

This intermediate Hindi sequence presupposes knowledge of the basic grammar of Hindi and requires substantial reading and translating of Hindi prose, alongside exposure to advanced Hindi grammar topics. Regular attention is given to conversation and composition. Texts in Hindi.

MARA 10100-10200-10300. First-Year Marathi I-II-III.

This sequence follows the textbook Marathi in Context (with its online supplement Marathi Online) in its focus on developing the basic skills—comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing—of Marathi language use. It covers all the fundamentals of Marathi grammar, but only as they are encountered in context, within a wide array of social and conversational “situations.”

MARA 20100-20200-20300. Second-Year Marathi I-II-III.

This sequence significantly extends both the breadth and the depth of the social and conversational situations introduced in the first year and includes numerous readings, largely from An Intermediate Marathi Reader. It covers all the grammar required for reading most kinds of modern Marathi prose texts.

PALI 10100-10200-10300. First-Year Pali I-II-III.

This sequence introduces the language of the Theravada Buddhist tradition. Essentials of grammar are emphasized, with readings in simpler texts by the end of the first quarter.

PALI 20100-20200-20300. Second-Year Pali I-II-III.

Students in this intermediate Pali sequence read Pali texts that are chosen in accordance with their interests. The texts read in the introductory course are usually taken from a single, early stratum of Pali literature. The intermediate course takes examples of Pali from different periods and in different styles. Texts in Pali.

SANS 10100-10200-10300. First-Year Sanskrit I-II-III.

The first half (about fifteen weeks) of this sequence is spent mastering the reading and writing of the Devanagari script and studying the grammar of the classical Sanskrit language. The remainder of the sequence is devoted to close analytical reading of simple Sanskrit texts, which are used to reinforce the grammatical study done in the first half of this course. The aim is to bring students to the point where they are comfortably able, with the help of a dictionary, to read simple, narrative Sanskrit. Texts in Sanskrit.

SANS 20100-20200-20300. Second-Year Sanskrit I-II-III.

This sequence begins with a rapid review of grammar learned in the introductory course, followed by readings from a variety of Sanskrit texts. The goals are to consolidate grammatical knowledge, expand vocabulary, and gain confidence in reading different styles of Sanskrit independently.

SALC 20100-20200. Introduction to the Civilizations of South Asia I-II.

This sequence introduces core themes in the formation of culture and society in South Asia from the early modern period until the present. This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies. These courses must be taken in sequence.

SALC 20400. The Mahabharata in English Translation. 100 Units.

A reading of the Mahabharata in English translation (van Buitenen, Narasimhan, Ganguli, and Doniger [ms.]), with special attention to issues of mythology, feminism, and theodicy. (C)

Instructor(s): W. Doniger     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): RLST 26800,FNDL 24400,HREL 35000,SALC 48200

SALC 20508. Radical Cinema in India: From Decolonization to the Emergency. 100 Units.

What constitutes radicalism in cinema? All too often the expression radical has been reserved for films that come under the rubric of “art”, “parallel” or “third” cinema. Formally these films share certain commonalities with Latin American, Eastern European cinemas and even the various European new waves. Is it possible however to read a radical politics and ethics into films and filmmakers who did not self-consciously describe themselves as such? To what extent does political cinema and extra-cinematic discussions of such films compromise questions of formalism? This course will analyze these and related issues by looking closely at Indian cinema from 1947 to 1977. We will be watching and discussing both “popular” and “art” films to understand the ways in which they have addressed (or not) issues of mass politics, the state, and the people. You do not need a prior background in Indian films or Indian history to take this class but it is absolutely essential that you attend all the screenings and participate in class discussion.

Instructor(s): R. Majumdar     Terms Offered: Spring 2015
Equivalent Course(s): CMST 24106,HIST 26707,HIST 36707,SALC 30508

SALC 20702. Colonizations III. 100 Units.

The third quarter considers the processes and consequences of decolonization both in the newly independent nations and the former colonial powers.

Terms Offered: Spring
Note(s): This sequence meets the general education requirement in civilization studies. These courses can be taken in any sequence.
Equivalent Course(s): CRES 24003,ANTH 24003,HIST 18303,SOSC 24003

SALC 20800. Music of South Asia. 100 Units.

This course examines the music of South Asia as an aesthetic domain with both unity and particularity in the region. The unity of the North and South Indian classical traditions is treated historically and analytically, with special emphasis placed on correlating their musical and mythological aspects. The classical traditions are contrasted with regional, tribal, and folk music with respect to fundamental conceptualizations of music and the roles it plays in society. In addition, the repertories of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka, as well as states and nations bordering the region, are covered. Music is also considered as a component of myth, religion, popular culture, and the confrontation with modernity.

Terms Offered: Various
Prerequisite(s): Any 10000-level music course or consent of instructor
Note(s): This course typically is offered in alternate years.
Equivalent Course(s): MUSI 23700,SALC 30800

SALC 20900. Cultural Politics of Contemporary India. 100 Units.

Structured as a close-reading seminar, this class offers an anthropological immersion in the cultural politics of urban India today. A guiding thread in the readings is the question of the ideologies and somatics of shifting "middle class" formations; and their articulation through violence, gender, consumerism, religion, and technoscience.

Instructor(s): W. Mazzarella     Terms Offered: Not offered 2014-15; will be offered 2015-16
Equivalent Course(s): ANTH 25500,ANTH 42600,SALC 30900

SALC 20901. Indian Philosophy I: Origins and Orientations. 100 Units.

A survey of the origins of Indian philosophical thought, emphasizing the Vedas, Upanisads, and early Buddhist literature. Topics include concepts of causality and freedom, the nature of the self and ultimate reality, and the relationship between philosophical thought and ritual or ascetic religious practice. (B)

Instructor(s): D. Arnold     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): RLST 24201,DVPR 30200,HREL 30200,SALC 30901

SALC 20902. Indian Philosophy II: The Classical Traditions. 100 Units.

Continuing and building upon SALC 20901/30901, we focus on the development of the major classical systems of Indian thought. The course emphasizes Indian logic, epistemology, and philosophy of language. (B)

Instructor(s): M. Kapstein     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): RLST 24201
Equivalent Course(s): RLST 24202,DVPR 30300,HREL 30300,SALC 30902

SALC 22900. Performance and Politics in India. 100 Units.

This seminar considers and pushes beyond such recent instances as the alleged complicity between the televised "Ramayana" and the rise of a violently intolerant Hindu nationalism. We consider the potentials and entailments of various forms of mediation and performance for political action on the subcontinent, from "classical" textual sources, through "folk" traditions and "progressive" dramatic practice, to contemporary skirmishes over "obscenity" in commercial films.

Instructor(s): W. T. S. Mazzarella     Terms Offered: Not offered 2014-15; will be offered 2015-16
Equivalent Course(s): ANTH 22910

SALC 23103. Problems In the Study of Gender. 100 Units.

The notion of differential citizenship is a topic that exercises scholars the world over.  In particular, those interested in issues of feminism and ethnicity have studied why women (and then some women more than others) or particular social groups experience disenfranchisement more than their counterparts.  This is so even when officially many cultures grant them formal equality before the law. This course explores issues of disenfranchisement, inequality, and violence through a focus on South Asia.  We will begin with a set of theoretical readings mainly John Locke and John Stuart Mill whose works demonstrate some early strands of thinking about the political and cultural role (or the lack thereof) of women within the (fraternal) social contract.  We will then move to contemporary works such as Joan Scott’s Only Paradoxes to Offer (selections), Parite: Sexual Equality and the Crisis of French Universalism (selections), Leila Ahmed’s A Quiet Revolution (selections), Amy Dru Stanley’s From Bondage to Contract (selections) to frame the issue of differential citizenship and inequality in a historical and global context.  Following this we turn to South Asia with a particular focus on gender and caste inequality and the violence unleashed by majoritarian politics (both overt and covert).

Instructor(s): R. Majumdar     Terms Offered: Spring 2015
Note(s): Cross listed with GNSE 10100

SALC 25300. Love Connections: Stories of Famous Couples in Pre-Modern Indian Literature. 100 Units.

Is love a universal theme? What constitutes a good match? To what extent are love and desire culturally constituted? This course aims to answer such questions through the stories of five famous couples in pre-modern Indian literature. These couples—some divine, some human and some mixed—will provide multiple perspectives on central themes in Indian culture such as love, desire, and devotion as well as on the advantages and disadvantages of being human and/or of being divine where love is concerned. Readings in this course will include translations of classical Sanskrit texts their retellings in various regional languages and a few modern adaptations.

Instructor(s): Ilanit Loewy Shacham     Terms Offered: Autumn 2014
Equivalent Course(s): GNSE 25310,RLST 26811

SALC 25302. Slavery in South Asia. 100 Units.

This course offers an introduction to historic and contemporary forms of unfree labor in South Asia. We will explore ideas of freedom and slavery in the work of seminal modern thinkers, read about slavery in ancient and medieval South Asia and discuss the convergent histories of slavery in the Americas and caste in British and princely India. How do race, gender, caste and class shape this history? Does this history inform contemporary texts or social practices in South Asia?  Students will gain knowledge of the little-known history and practice of slavery in pre-modern to contemporary South Asia through close reading of primary sources and historical scholarship. At the end of the course, students will be better able to identify silences and dominant voices within primary sources, interpret texts in their social and political contexts and evaluate the differences between historiographical approaches. This course will also encourage students to trace the historic roots of contemporary practices and to find ways to share knowledge acquired in class with the campus or wider community.

Instructor(s): M. Jayanth     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): CRES 25302,HIST 26604

SALC 25701. Rel/Sex/Pol/Release Anc India. 100 Units.

Equivalent Course(s): FNDL 23601,GNDR 32200,HREL 32200,RLST 27300,SALC 35701,SCTH 35600

SALC 25704. Indian Secularism and Religious Nationalism. 100 Units.

In light of the recent ascent to power of the BJP in India, this course will ask one fundamental question: how can India be both officially secular and governed by Hindu Nationalists? We will begin with a study of the history and unique form of Indian secularism followed by an investigation into secularism’s impact on legal matters in India. The course will then shift to a study of Hindu nationalism’s history, ideology, and role in various events such as the Gujarat riots. In the final third of the course, we will turn to recent writings on secularism in India that cast Hindu nationalism as a threat to secularism, critique secularism itself, or offer more complex assessments. These debates will make it difficult to give a straightforward answer to the course’s fundamental question, and will even challenge the logic of the question itself. Our conversation will be open to various opinions as well as comparisons with secularism and religious nationalism in other countries.

Instructor(s): C. Preston     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): RLST 27710

SALC 27300. Comparative Modernisms: China and India in the Modern Literary World. 100 Units.

This course takes a comparative approach to the literary term “modernism.” Instead of reading the term as originating in the West and subsequently travelling to the East, we will explore modernism as a plural and globally constituted literary practice. In doing so, we will also challenge the literary and real categories of “East” and “West.” Reading the roles and imaginations of China, North India, and the (differentiated) West in a variety of texts, we will question the aesthetics and politics of representation, of dynamic cultural exchange, and of the global individual in the modern literary world. Through novels, short stories, poetry, and theoretical orientations, we will conduct close readings and develop working definitions of cross-cultural comparative modernisms. Contributing to recent interest in China-India relationships, this course also aims to uncover new dialogues between Chinese and Indian writers during the modern period. Literary readings include E.M. Forster, Franz Kafka, Lu Xun, Yu Dafu, Premchand, Nirmal Verma, among others. We will also consider the theoretical works of Fredric Jameson, Edward Said, and Georg Lukacs, and others. All readings will be in English.

Instructor(s): A. Mangalagiri     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): CMLT 25009,EALC 25009

SALC 29800-29801-29802. BA Paper.

Students register for this sequence for two quarters. One quarter is for directed reading; and the second quarter is for writing and submission of the BA paper, which can be credited toward the SALC major requirements.

SALC 29900-29901-29902. Informal Reading Course.

This individual reading course with faculty may be used for topics not requiring use of a South Asian language, for independent study, and by nonmajors who wish to explore a South Asian topic.

TAML 10100-10200-10300. First-Year Tamil I-II-III.

The grammar of modern Tamil, in its manifestation both in colloquial and formal styles, and a good amount of vocabulary needed for referring to the immediate environment and using in day today transactions will be acquired. The four language skills acquired will be at different levels of proficiency with listening and speaking at the top followed by reading of formal texts and ending with basic writing skills in the formal style. The gradual progression in listening will be from teacher–student to speaker-speaker; in speaking it will be from articulation of sounds and intonation to expressing personal needs and interests, performing practical tasks, narrating experience and expressing emotions; in reading it will be from alphabet and spelling in the two styles to sign boards, controlled texts, factual news stories, interpretive reports and jokes; in writing from conversion of colloquial style into conventional style to personal letters, paraphrasing and translation of sentences. The tools used are classroom conversations, conversational tapes, videos, graded print materials, select materials from the print media including tales, which are complemented by exercises and quizzes.

TAML 20100-20200-20300. Second-Year Tamil I-II-III.

This sequence is structured in a similar fashion as in the first year to develop the higher order of the four language skills. All materials, aural and visual, will be uncontrolled and unedited. The student will be introduced to web sources and dictionaries for self-reference and to using Unicode for writing. The student also will be exposed to dialects to have a taste of them. At the end of the course, the student will be able to converse in Tamil about specific topics of interest, to understand programs in the visual media including lyrics, to ask questions in field work situations, to read and understand texts on current events in newspapers and magazines, to understand and appreciate modern fiction and poetry, to read and understand public communications such as pamphlets, invitations, announcements, advertisements, and public speeches, and to write short essays and reports. If there is interest, web pages will be added to printed pages for reading and email and chat groups will be added for practicing writing.

TBTN 10100-10200-10300. First-Year Tibetan I-II-III.

The Tibetan language, with a history going back more than one thousand years, is one of Asia’s major literary languages. At the present time, it is the first language of close to seven million people in Tibet, as well as in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. The textbook is The Manual of Standard Tibetan by Nicolas Tournade and Sangda Dorje. This introductory sequence covers the script and pronunciation, the grammar of the modern Lhasa dialect, as well as basic reading and speaking skills.

TBTN 20100-20200-20300. Second-Year Tibetan I-II-III.

This intermediate sequence covers second-level pronunciation and grammar of the modern Lhasa dialect, as well as intermediate-level reading and speaking skills.

URDU 10100-10200-10300. First-Year Urdu I-II-III.

These courses must be taken in sequence. This three-quarter sequence covers basic grammar and vocabulary. Spoken by thirty-five million people in South Asia, Urdu is the national language of Pakistan and one of the official languages of India. Our text is C. M. Naim’s Introductory Urdu, Volumes I and II. Students learn to read and write the Urdu script, as well as to compose/write in Urdu. We also emphasize aural and oral skills (i.e., listening, pronunciation, speaking). These courses must be taken in sequence.

URDU 20100-20200-20300. Second-Year Urdu I-II-III.

This sequence is a continuation of URDU 10100-10200-10300. There is increased emphasis on vocabulary building. Depending on ability levels and interests of the students, readings can include selections from various original sources.