Spring 2015

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.

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.

Required Textbooks:

Shaiva Devotional Songs of Kashmir by Constantina Rhodes, State University of New York Press, ISBN: 0887064930

Songs of the Saints of India by John Stratton Hawley and Mark Juergensmeyer, Oxford University Press, ISBN: 0195694201

I, Lalla: The Poems of Lal Ded translated by Ranjit Hoskote, Penguin Books, ISBN: 014342078X

Writing Analytically 7th edition by David Rosewasser and Jill Stephen, Cengage Learning, ISBN: 1285436504

Fulfills the L&S breadth requirements in Historical Studies and Social and Behavioral Sciences.

This is an introductory level course on the history of Muslim communities and institutions in South Asia.  Its aim is to introduce students to the broad historical currents of the expansion of Islam in the Indian subcontinent, the nature of pre-modern Muslim political authority, the interaction between religious communities, Islamic aesthetics and contributions to material culture, the varied engagements and reactions of Muslims to colonial rule, and the contemporary concerns of South Asia’s Muslims. This course assumes no prior knowledge of South Asian or Islamic history.

Mughal History

This graduate seminar is designed to introduce students to the Mughal Empire (c. 1500-1750). As well as interrogating the larger question of early-modernity and the empire's place in a global context, we will also -- among others -- explore debates focused on state-formation, Islam, elite women, male comportment, Persian and other languages, relations with the Ottomans and the Safavids, the imperial city, and decline/decentralization.

Buddhism has inspired a wide spectrum of religious, textual, and political movements in modern Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka, ranging from millenarian movements and scriptural reform projects to the secular nationalism of Young Men’s Buddhist Associations. This interdisciplinary course explores the individuals, beliefs, influences, practices, and institutional developments that shaped, led and framed such movements in 19^th and 20^th century Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka with particular emphasis on the contested terrains of text, monument, and material culture. We will examine the tensions between purist prescriptions, colonial categorizations, European heritage conventions and popular practice as played out in Laos, Burma, Siam/Thailand and Cambodia. We will examine diverse articulations of sacred space; tensions between modernization projects to centralize and nationalize Buddhist learning and forest-based dhutanga practices involving cross-boundary mobility, and the transnational traction between M. K. Gandhi and Buddhist resistance movements in Southeast Asia. Our focus areas are Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Required Textbooks:

Locations of Buddhism: Colonialism and Modernity in Sri Lanka by Anne Blackburn

The Birth of Insight by Erik Braun

Cambodge: The Cultivations of a Nation, 1860-1945 by Penny Edwards

How to Behave: Buddhism and Modernity in Colonial Cambodia by John Holt

Curators of the Buddha: The Study of Buddhism under Colonialism by Donald S. Lopez

The Lovelorn Ghost and the Magic Monk: Practicing Buddhism in Modern Thailand by Justin McDaniel

Modern Buddhist Conjunctures in Myanmar: Cultural Narratives, Colonial Legacies, and Civil Society by Juliane Schober

Harp of Burma by Michio Takeyama

Buddha in the Jungle by Kamala Tivanavich

This course introduces the worlds of Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma, and Thailand through modern literature, including epic verse, short story, novel and contemporary poetry. Issues we will explore include transmission, circulation and censorship, but our principle concern is with voice.   The twentieth century dramatically expanded not only the media in which stories were told, but the repertoire of voices and forms through which literature was passed down. Through a close reading of the class texts, we will examine why some stories travel and gain traction in ways that ensure their longevity.  The course embraces the classical works Khun Chang Khun Phaen (Thailand, excerpts) and Tum Teav (Cambodia) as well as the modern novels Dumb Luck (Vietnam) and Not Out Of Hate (Burma).  Throughout the course, we will explore how cultures, stories and language echo and resonate across time even as regimes, genres and voices change.

Required Textbooks:

Not out of hate by Ma Ma Lay, Ohio University, ISBN: 0896801675

Dumb Luck by Vu Trong Phung, University of Michigan Press, ISBN: 9780472068043

In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner, Simon & Schuster, ISBN: 9781451657715

Recommended Textbook:

Khun Chang Khun Phaen translated by Chris Baker, University of Washington Press, ISBN: 9786162150456

This course is continuation of the fall 2014 semester Hindi/Urdu 1A course and emphasizes the development of full range of Hindi language skills: reading, listening comprehension, use of grammatical structures, oral and written communication through a variety of learning themes.

This course strictly enforces a fall semester Hindi/Urdu 1A prerequisite, or admission with the permission of the instructor. Students are expected to come to this semester already knowing the basic Hindi conversation along with reading, and writing skills using Devanagari script. Admission priority will be given to the students who have completed Hindi/Urdu 1A course in fall 2014, followed by the students who have taken the Hindi/Urdu 1A in fall 2013 or before. Other students will not be allowed.

Prerequisites: Hindi 101A or consent of the instructor. It is a continuation of Hindi 101A, with the goals of conversational fluency and advanced reading and writing competence. Students will be exposed to a variety of contemporary literary genres. Weekly readings and class discussions will be on short stories, poems, and dramatic sketches from representative authors. In 101B students will also work on films based on well-known literary texts, such as those of Premchand. These readings and films focus on various social, cultural, political, and historical aspects of Indian society. Students are encouraged to explore these issues in their written assignments as well as in their class discussions. Furthermore, students are expected to investigate a topic in depth and write a research paper in Hindi. The class will be conducted entirely in Hindi and students will acquire language skills sufficient to approach literary texts on their own.

Note: This course can be repeated for credit.

This 2^nd semester Urdu course is intended for students who have completed 1^st semester or beginner’s level Urdu. All four skills, speaking, listening, reading and writing will be taught.

Grammar constructions and sentence structure will be presented through models/example, necessary explanation will also be done. Practice of these things will be done through various drills and class activities.

Based on teacher’s assessment, teacher may move a student to a different level of course/instruction more commensurate with student’s proficiency level.

In this  6th^h semester level course,  all four skills, speaking, listening, reading and writing will be taught. Oral skills and reading comprehension will be main focus of the course and there will be equal emphasis on these skills. Writing will also be given due importance.

Grammar constructions and sentence structure will be presented through models/example, necessary explanation will also be done. Practice of these things will be done through various drills and class activities.

This introductory level course focuses on progressive acquisition of language skills to communicate effectively in both written and spoken Tamil. It facilitates development of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing competence along with basic grammar.

This introductory level course focuses on progressive acquisition of language skills to communicate effectively in Telugu. It facilitates development of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing competence along with basic grammar.

Required Textbooks:

Conversational Vietnamese (Seventh Edition) by Bac Hoai Tran, Tin & Dong, Messrs., ISBN: ConvViet7

Vietnamese Dictionary and Phrasebook by Bac Hoai Tran & Courtney Norris, Hippocrene Books, ISBN: 0781809916

Recommended Textbooks:

Colloquial Vietnamese with CD by Bac Hoai Tran, Ha Minh Nguyen, & Tuan Duc Yuong, Routledge, ISBN: 0415436079

Colloquial Vietnamese without CD by Bac Hoai Tran, Ha Minh Nguyen, & Tuan Duc Yuong, Routledge, ISBN: 0415435765

Required Textbook:

Vietnamese-English/English-Vietnamese Practical Dictionary by Bac Hoai Tran & Courtney Norris, Hippocrene Books, ISBN: 0781812445

This course provides an introduction to Vietnamese literature and culture through extensive reading of authentic Vietnamese texts. Reading assignments will be determined according to a general theme selected for each semester, from a broad range of sources including novels, short stories, poetry, journalism articles and essays covering the classical, colonial, and contemporary eras.  Examples of the selected theme are: the nature of the Sino-Vietnamese classical tradition, the cultural legacies of French colonialism, the emergence of a distinctive Vietnamese modernity, historical legacy of the Vietnam War, gender issues in Vietnamese literature, the Doi moi era, Vietnamese memoirs, etc. Regular attendance and participation in classroom activities is mandatory and no English will be spoken in class.

Intermediate Thai 100B is an upper intermediate level course, a continuation of Intermediate Thai 100A.  Students will learn to read longer and more abstract writing, advertisements from newspapers, and articles from magazines and webpage. The class will cover expressions, figures of speech, higher level grammar, and hierarchical pronouns. Writing will move from descriptive to expository. To increase verbal skills and cultural education, students will watch karaoke, TV advertisements, and films. Students will also have regular intensive conversation practice and in-class presentation. The language of instruction will be in Thai approximately 50% to 70% of the time. By the end of the semester, the average student should have acquired a level of literacy equivalent to 5th to 6th grade in Thai schools.

Prerequisite:  Thai 100B (Lower Intermediate Thai) or equivalent, by consent of instructor. Ability to read descriptive articles, and write short composition equivalent to 3rd - 4th grade students in Thai school. Capable of carrying informal conversation on a general subject with medium fluency.