COURSES
Fall 2011 | Spring 2012 | Language Courses
Archive:
Spring 2010 | Fall 2009 | Spring 2009 | Fall 2008 | Language Courses
Fall 2011 Courses
HSAR 306/SAST 274
Art and the British Empire
Timothy Barringer
The visual culture of the British Empire on four continents, with reference to themes such as exploration, conquest, slavery, orientalism, commerce, and settlement. Focus on questions of race and representation. Study of original paintings, works on paper, and photographs in the Yale Center for British Art.
HSAR 728a/ SAST 460
Craft in Colonial and Independent India
Edward Cooke, Jr
This seminar focuses upon South Asian craftsmen and their products from the eighteenth century to the present. Looking closely at materials, techniques, forms, and decoration and paying attention to the training of craftsmen and the function and circulation of their work, the course probes the full complexity of textiles, metalwork, ceramics, and woodworking in regard to issues of colonialism, hybridity, and control of work.
HUM418/RLST130/SAST367
Asian Classics: Indian, China and Japan
Phyllis Granoff
Introduction to literary works that shaped the great civilizations of Asia. Focus on traditional literature from India, China, and Japan. Readings range from religious and philosophical texts to literature of the court, poetry, drama, and epics.
SAST 220/HIST 311
Women in Modern India
Rochisha Narayan
This course maps a history of women and the public sphere in modern India, from eighteenth century to the present. Topics include social reforms, education, participation in national movements, partition and its impact on women’s bodies, caste, class, law, popular cultures, sexuality and development of women’s organizations and movements.
SAST 237
South Asia and the Gulf
Sana Haroon
Study of the seas around South Asia has been well defined in the field of Indian Ocean studies. This course focuses on South Asia and the Arabian Gulf as a sub-region within the wider Indian Ocean world, charted by the processes of trade and human migration. The arrival of the British in the sub-continent and the efforts of the Government of India to control and secure sea-routes through the Arabian Sea brought the Arabian Gulf into the colonial administrative system of the British Empire as a ‘frontier of the British Raj’. Our enquiry traces the rise of the modern Arab Gulf states within a system of imperial, cultural and economic relations with South Asia from the 1700s into the 20th century.
ENGL343 /SAST 371
Postcolonial Studies
Shital Pravinchandra
Introduction to key writers, literary works, concepts, and issues in the field of postcolonial studies. Questions include what is meant by the term “postcolonial” and to whom it can be applied; the cultural, psychological, and political consequences of colonization; and opinions of non-Western writers about our current cultural times and the historical processes that shaped them.
HSAR 266 SAST 266
Introduction to Islamic Architecture
Kishwar Rizvi
This course is an introduction to the theory and practice of architecture in the Islamic world, starting from the early foundational years in the 7th century and continuing up until the present. Cities and monuments from India to North Africa are studied within their social and historical contexts. Supplemented by a guided tour to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to view the Islamic collection as well as collections in the YUAG.
HSAR 383A/ SAST 256A
The Art of India, c. 300 BC-1650 AD
Tamara L. Sears
Introduction to the art and architectural history of the Indian subcontinent between c. 300 BC and 1650 AD. The course traces the development of early Buddhist and Jain art, the development of Hindu temples and icons, and the efflorescence of Islamic visual culture under the Mughal Empire.
HSAR/ SAST 370
Visualizing Stories and Picturing Epics in Southern Asia
Tamara L. Sears
Taking storytelling as its central theme, this seminar examines the many ways in which India’s epic and narrative traditions became visualized in various media. Through a series of case studies drawn from Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain traditions, it looks at how stories both transformed, and became transformed by, artistic renderings, which often followed non-linear patterns and visual logics that functioned differently from textual telling.
HIST 310/ SAST 220
History of Modern South Asia
Juned Shaikh
Survey of the Indian subcontinents history from colonial rule, through nationalist resistance, to postcolonial history. Topics include the establishment of British dominion; colonial transformation of Indian politics, society, economy, and culture; nationalism before and after Gandhi; the partition of India; and recent developments in South Asia.
ANTH276/SAST 219
Contemporary South Asia
Sara Shneiderman
Study of a series of texts that introduce anthropological and critical approaches to South Asia's peoples and cultures while questioning the historical and political possibility of understanding such a diverse region.
ANTH322/EVST 322/SAST306
Environment, History and Society in India
K. Sivaramakrishnan
The course is intended as a systematic discussion and analysis of the most important environmental conflicts and concerns as they arise in modern India from the mid-nineteenth century and leading into present times. It will consider environmental history and ideas about nature while examining the social effects of environmental change as well as the environmental consequences of modern state formation and social transformations in India. Through cases dealing with forests, agriculture, wildlife, marine resources, and urban ecology, the course will engage abiding questions around environment and development, nature and nation-building, environmental law and justice, green politics, relations between city and country, and the relationship between social stratification and environmental policies and outcomes.
PLSC351/SAST 243
Democracy in South Asia
Tariq Thachil
Study of the development and difficulties of democratic politics in South Asia. Topics covered will include colonial legacies for democracy, the evolution of caste politics, the effects of a growing middle class, as well as the nature of prominent social movements ethnic conflict in structuring political life.
PLSC461/SAST242
India and Pakistan: democracy, conflict and development
Steven Wilkinson
This course introduces students to the important countries of India and Pakistan, and also offers an opportunity to explore the issue of why these two countries, which emerged from the same state in 1947, have had such different experiences since then, in terms of their success with democracy, in moderating ethnic and religious conflicts, and in their levels of stability and economic development.
Spring 2012 Courses
Indian Music Theory and Practice
MUSI 357; SASCT 259
Stan Scott
What drew prima ballerina Anna Pavlova and musical giants John Coltrane and the Beatles to the forms and textures of Indian music? Is the practice of Indian ragas a path to enlightenment, or the outdated courtly music of a bygone era? Is it a marker of communal religious identity, or a symbol of ideological synthesis and cultural pluralism? What are the roles of religion and eroticism in Indian music? How are ragas understood by the musicians who perform and teach them? What is the nature of the guru-disciple relationship in Indian music? In this interdisciplinary class we will explore all of these questions, examining both the cultural contexts and the musical form and content of classical music in North India, with forays into the realms of Bengali folk song and Indian film music. Live performances, films, and hands-on sessions will supplement readings and discussions.
RLST 185/SAST 368
The Mahabharata
Hugh Flick
Examination of the background and meaning of this important Vaisnava Bhakti text with emphasis on its function in the religious fabric of India. Discussion of the different ways in which the text has been interpreted. All readings in translation.
RLST 137/SAST 263
Introduction to Hindusim
Phyllis Granoff
A broad introduction to classical Hinduism; focus on close reading of primary texts in translation. Readings include selections from the Rig Veda, Brahmanas, epics, puranas, and medieval devotional poetry.
PLSC181/EP&E 425/SAST 342
South Asia in World Politics
Elizabeth Hanson
Relations of the countries of South Asia - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka - with each other and with the rest of the world. Broad issues of world politics, including problems of development and security that confront developing countries.
SAST 218
Gender and Media in India
Madhavi Murty
This course will discuss the significant role popular media plays in shaping key historical moments in India and will examine the importance of gender in structuring regimes of representation within popular media texts.
SAST 337
Islam in Pakistan
Sana Haroon
Pakistan, as one of the few countries in the world created for a religious group, has faced and posed tremendous challenges because of its commitment to its transcendental Islamic identity. Within Pakistan, Sunni revivalism has come to dominate the public representation of the principles of faith despite emerging from a multi-faceted history of belief and practice. In this course we will trace the history of Pakistan’s orthodox Islam as emerging out of a north-India reformist imperative, but while doing so we will try to situate this history in the context of devotionalism, politics, community and the individual experience of faith. This context gave rise to other orthodoxies, including Shi’a and Ahmadi orthodoxy, and also preserved within itself a place for Sufi culture and practice.
SAST 338/HIST 391J
Networks of Piety, Kinship and Caste in Early Modern India, 1400-1800
Rochisha Narayan
Every South Asian knows that family, religion and community or caste was important to their individual households but does not know the historical context in which these three forces were aligned in the subcontinent. This seminar offers the opportunity to trace hitherto unknown networks of piety, family and caste that shaped politics in the early modern period. What did familial relations in the early modern period look like? How and when did certain sections of people claim upper caste identities? How did investments in piety shape political status or challenge social norms? How were all these processes gendered?
HSAR 600/SAST 600: Painting Poetry in Islamic Art
Kishwar Rizvi
This course explores the intersection between objects and texts in Islamic art, with a focus on the arts of Iran, Turkey, and India. The seminar will study holdings at Yale’s libraries and art galleries, which include 9th century Qurans, 13th century ceramics, and 19th century lithographs, in order to gain an understanding of the manner in which poetic texts were deployed as an inspiration for visual art while serving as a critique of its very materiality.
SAST 259b/MUSI 357
Indian Music Theory and Practice: From Slumdog Millionaire to Ravi Shankar
Stan Scott
In this course students will engage in both discussion about and practice in Indian music. Topics for discussion will include: history and theory of Indian music, improvisation, modern trends, gender, Bollywood, musical fusions, interactions between Indian and Western music cultures. Practical instruction will focus on Hindustani classical traditions. No previous experience in Indian classical music is necessary.
HSAR 385b/ SAST 258b
Temple Towns of Southern Asia
Tamara L Sears
This lecture course explores the history, forms, and meanings of South Asian temples both as important works of architecture and as part of broader urban contexts. We begin by interrogating the nature of divinity in the South Asian context and its relationship to the temple’s fundamental symbolism as altar, shelter, cosmos, and palace. Morphological and stylistic analysis of the buildings themselves forms the basis for subsequent investigations of such themes as architecture and cosmology, ritual and space, royal patronage, pilgrimage, and the economic function of the temple. We will conclude by examining the transformations that the temple has undergone in recent years. While some prior knowledge of South Asian art, history, or religion may be helpful, none is required for the successful completion of this course.
HIST 380/SAST 336
Urban Imaginaries in India
Juned Sheikh
The course helps students understand urban social formations in India and the imaginations that animated it. The course focuses on themes like the lived and everyday experiences in the city, its changing political economy, the transformations of its labor markets, the political formations that took shape in it, and the visual and textual representations of the city. Texts for the course include scholarly works, novels, and films. For their final project, students are expected to do primary research for a research on a city of choice in India.
ANTH 417/670/SAST319
Affirmative Action in S Asia & the US
Sara Shneiderman
Explorations of the concept, policy implementation and socio-cultural effects of affirmative action. Focusing on South Asia and the US, we look comparatively at specific histories and practices of inequality; state strategies for combating inequality through the classification of social difference around concepts like "caste", "ethnicity", "race" and "class"; and consider the role of social science in crafting such policies. These concepts are linked to broader anthropological debates over citizenship, democracy, and the nation-state.
PLSC384/SAST 244
Indian Democracy in Comparative Perspective
Tariq Thachil
This course has two purposes: to introduce students to the major dimensions of Indian democracy, and to encourage them to think about these issues in comparison with the political experiences of other developing nations. We will examine how Indian democracy compares with other developing nations on topics ranging from colonial legacies, identity politics, social movements, and social and human development. Comparative examples will include China, South Africa, Brazil, and Egypt.
SAST 341b/PLSC 341
The Political Economy of Development in South Asia
Tariq Thachil
This course introduces students to the complex issues surrounding questions of political and economic "development" in South Asia, a region that is home to a quarter of the world's population, and the largest number of its poor. Not surprisingly, the successes and failures of modernization in South Asia have informed and been informed by intellectual trends and their derivative policy prescriptions in development studies. To understand this reciprocal relationship, this course intersperses readings on the foundational perspectives on development and the policies they yielded with empirical treatments of the experiences of South Asian countries in the postcolonial era.
ANTH 353/SAST 369
Himalayan Languages & Cultures
Mark Turin
Exploration of social, linguistic and political aspects of the Himalayan region. Issues include classifications of communities and their languages; census taking and other state enumeration projects; the crisis of endangered oral cultures and speech forms; the creation and adoption of writing systems and the challenges of developing mother tongue literacy materials. Case studies are drawn from Bhutan, northern India, Nepal and Tibet.
WGSS/ SAST 458
Pop Culture & Postcolonial India
Geetanjali Chanda
A study of films and literature of South Asians living, working, and directing in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Questions of commercial populism, authenticity, and postcolonial identity.
Language Courses
HNDI 110a/ 510
Elementary Hindi I
MTWThF 10.30-11.20 Seema Khurana, Swapna Sharma
MTWThF 1.30-2.20; Seema Khurana, Swapna Sharma
An in-depth introduction to modern Hindi, including Devanagari script. A combination of graded texts, written assignments, audiovisual material, and computer-based exercises provides cultural insights and increases proficiency in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing Hindi. Emphasis on spontaneous self-expression in the language. No prior background in Hindi assumed. Credit only on completion of HNDI 120b. Limited to 18 students in each section.
HNDI 120b/520
Elementary Hindi II
MTWThF 10.30-11.20 Seema Khurana, Swapna Sharma
MTWThF 1.30-2.20; Seema Khurana, Swapna Sharma
Continuation of HNDI 110a.
HNDI 130a/ 530
Intermediate Hindi I
MWF 2:30- 3:20 Seema Khurana, Swapna Sharma
TTh 9:30-10:20 Seema Khurana, Swapna Sharma
The first half of a two-term sequence designed to develop proficiency in the four language skill areas. Extensive use of cultural documents including feature films, radio broadcasts, and literary and nonliterary texts to increase proficiency in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing Hindi. Focus on cultural nuances and Hindi literary traditions. Emphasis on spontaneous self-expression in the language. After HNDI 120b or equivalent.
HINDI 132/532
Accelerated Hindi
T Th 4- 5.15 pm Swapna Sharma
A fast-paced course designed for students who are able to understand basic conversational Hindi but have minimal or no literacy skills. Introduction to the Devanagari script; development of listening and speaking skills; vocabulary enrichment; attention to sociocultural rules that affect language use. Students learn to read simple texts and to converse on a variety of everyday personal and social topics.
HNDI 140b/ 540
Intermediate Hindi II
MTWThF 2.30-3.20 Seema Khurana, Swapna Sharma
Continuation of HNDI 130a, focusing on further development of proficiency in the four language skill areas. After HNDI 130a or equivalent.
HNDI 150a/ 550
Advanced Hindi
TTh 4-5.15 Seema Khurana
An advanced language course aimed at enabling students to engage in fluent discourse in Hindi and to achieve a comprehensive knowledge of formal grammar. Introduction to a variety of styles and levels of discourse and usage. Emphasis on the written language, with reading on general topics from newspapers, books, and magazines. Prerequisite: HNDI 140b or permission of instructor.
HNDI 157
Hindi in the Diaspora
T Th 4-5:15 Seema Khurana
HNDI 198a or 198b/ 598
Advanced Tutorial, 1HTBA
For students with advanced Hindi language skills who wish to engage in concentrated reading and research on material not otherwise offered by the department. The work must be supervised by an adviser and must terminate in a term paper or its equivalent. Permission to enroll requires submission of a detailed project proposal and its approval by the language studies coordinator. Prerequisite: HNDI 150a or permission of instructor.
SKRT 110a/LING 115a/ 510
Introductory Sanskrit I
David Brick
MTWThF 9.25-10.15
An introduction to Sanskrit language and grammar. Focus on learning to read and translate basic Sanskrit sentences in the Indian Devanagari script. No prior background in Sanskrit assumed. Credit only on completion of SKRT 120b.
SKRT 120b/LING 125b/ 520
Introductory Sanskrit II
David Brick
MTWThF 9.25-10.15
Continuation of SKRT 110a. Focus on the basics of Sanskrit grammar; readings from classical Sanskrit texts written in the Indian Devanagari script. After SKRT 110a.
SKRT 130a/530
Intermediate Sanskrit I
David Brick
MTWThF 10.30-11.20
The first half of a two-term sequence aimed at helping students develop the skills necessary to read texts written in Sanskrit. Readings include selections from the Hitopadesa, Kathasaritsagara, Mahabharata, and Bhagavadgita. After SKRT 120b or equivalent.
SKRT 140b/540
Intermediate Sanskrit II
David Brick
MTWThF 10.30-11.20
Continuation of SKRT 130a, focusing on Sanskrit literature from the kavya genre. Readings include selections from the Jatakamala of Aryasura and the opening verses of Kalidasa’s Kumarasambhava. After SKRT 130a or equivalent.
SKRT 150b/550
Advanced Sanskrit Dharmasastra
David Brick
M W 1:00--2:15
This course is designed as an advanced tutorial to be offered in connection with the proposed seminar course "Law and Religion in Ancient India." Its purpose is to introduce students to Sanskrit commentarial literature in general and to Dharmasastra in particular. Knowledge of Sanskrit equivalent to at least two years of college coursework is required. Dharmasastra is a major genre of Brahmanical literature dedicated to the explication and analysis of everything falling under the broad rubric of dharma.
TAML 110a/510
Introductory Tamil I
Blake Wentworth
MTWThF 10.30-11.20
An in-depth introduction to modern Tamil, focusing on comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing skills as well as on cultural understanding. Course work includes graded texts, written assignments, audiovisual material, and computer-based exercises. No prior background in Tamil assumed. Credit only on completion of TAML 120b.
TAML 120b/520
Introductory Tamil II
Blake Wentworth
MTWThF 10.30-11.20
Continuation of TAML 110a. After TAML 110a.
TAML 130a/530
Intermediate Tamil I
Blake Wentworth
MTWThF 11.35-12.25
The first half of a two-term sequence designed to develop proficiency in comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing through the use of visual media, newspapers and magazines, modern fiction and poetry, and public communications such as pamphlets, advertisements, and government announcements. Prerequisite: TAML 120b or equivalent.
TAML 140b/540
Intermediate Tamil II
Blake Wentworth
MTWThF 11.35-12.25
Continuation of TAML 130a, focusing on further development of proficiency in the four language skill areas. Prepares students to conduct fieldwork in Tamil. Prerequisite: TAML 130a or equivalent.
TAML 198a or 198b/598
Advanced Tutorial
W 3.30- 5.20
Blake Wentworth
For students with advanced Tamil language skills who wish to engage in concentrated reading and research on material not otherwise offered by the department. The work must be supervised by an adviser and must terminate in a term paper or its equivalent. Permission to enroll requires submission of a detailed project proposal and its approval by the instructor and the director of undergraduate studies.