Spring 2010 Courses

SAST 301/ANTH 330
Science, State and Technology in India
Ashish Chadha
T 2.30-4.30
This course is an historical and anthropological investigation of science, state and technology in the making of colonial India, its transformation into postcolonial nation and now into a global InfoTech player. Topics include colonial medicine, colonial survey, Gandhian critique of science, postcolonial laboratory, big dams, Bhopal gas disaster, nuclear energy and Indian space program.

SAST 201/ANTH 285
South Asian Nationalisms
Bernard Bate
MW 2.30-3.45
An examination of the culture and history of nationalist movements in South Asia. Exploration of elements of various national movements across the subcontinent, focusing on Tamil South India and the war of ethnic fratricide in Sri Lanka. Consideration of ideas and practices surrounding tropes of language, gender, and history in the development of national and regional identities.

SAST 302/ANTH 337
Global Afghans
Alessandro Monsutti
M 3.30-5.20
Introduction to the field of migration studies, focusing on Afghan refugees as a case study. Anthropological perspectives on transnational networks and socioeconomic strategies of Afghan refugees and migrants. Topics include the political stakes of global migration, debates on remittances in contexts of conflict, post-conflict reconstruction and development, the role of humanitarian and development organizations, and issues of illegal immigration to the West.

SAST 321/HIST 390Jb
Postcolonial South Asia, 1947 to the Present
Mridu Rai
T 3.30-5.20
Examination of the modern nation-states of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh in the aftermath of British decolonization. Topics include the imprint of colonialism; democracy and authoritarianism; constructing or contesting nations; regional, linguistic, and caste conflict; gender and politics; political economy of development; war and peace.

SAST322/HIST 391Jb
The Culture of Colonial India
Mridu Rai
Th 3.30- 5.20
This course examines the history of cultural interactions between the British and Indians under imperial rule from c. 1780 until formal decolonization in 1947. It investigates how colonial relationships were established, substantiated and transformed through various cultural and social practices, besides the purely political and administrative ones, that could mark difference between rulers and subjects but also breach them to create domains of interchange that sustained the British Raj in India.

SAST 222/ HIST 392
Indian Merchants in History
Marina Martin
TTh 2.30- 3.20
Antecedents to contemporary India’s role as a global powerhouse for industry. Focus on Indian mercantile networks prior to 1900, their patterns of business organization and spheres of influence, and the political and economic conditions within which they operated.

SAST 257/HSAR309
Visual Culture of British India
Tim Barringer
TTh 2.30-3.45
The impact of British colonial activity in India on visual and material culture since c.1700. Analysis from a range of theoretical positions and historical perspectives. Some attention to contemporary art in South Asia and artists of the Indian diaspora in Britain. Special emphasis on works in Yale and New York collections.

SAST 258/HSAR 385
Temple Towns of Southern Asia
Tamara L. Sears
MW 2:30-3:45
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.

SAST 375/HSAR 427
Gurus and Saints in Indian Art
Tamara L. Sears
T 1:30-3:20
This seminar examines the myriad ways in which (1) saints and sages have served as a subject for artistic works, and (2) holy men have actively contributed to the creation of new forms of visual expression. What is the relationship between art and asceticism? How were ritual practices, such as yoga and meditation, visualized and transmitted visually from teacher to student? And to what extent do images record the relationship between gurus, kings, and lay devotees? Students will be expected to do weekly readings before class, participate actively in discussion, give short oral presentations, and develop an original research paper by the end of the semester.

SAST 259/MUSI 357
Indian Music Theory and Practice
Priya Kanungo
TTh 1.00-2.15
Introduction to the basic concempts of Indian classical music traditions from Vedic times to the present, with a focus on Hindustani music. Discussion of history and theory combined with practical instruction. Topics include improvisation, modern trends, gender, Bollywood, musical fusions, and interactions between Indian and Western music cultures. No previous experience in Indian classical music required.

SAST 240/PLSC 353
Democracy in Modern India
Shreeyash Palshikar
TTh 9-10.15
Examination of democracy in India, with a focus on the postcolonial period. The development and functioning of contemporary Indian democracy analyzed through study of the 2009 Indian election.

SAST 241/PLSC 375
Social Movements in India
Tariq Thachil
TTh 1.00- 2.15
Study of India’s social mobilization movements, from the anticolonial struggle for independence, to dynamic women’s movements, to organized religious violence. Collective action in India situated within a broader study of social mobilization through analysis of social movement theory and reading on similar movements taking place in different parts of the world. Works by authors in the fields of economics, political science, sociology, and literature and film.

SAST 359/RLST 128/RLST 548
Buddhism and Trade in Sri Lanka
Osmund Bopearachchi
W 1.30-3.20
This course provides an introduction to Buddhist archaeology, art history and architecture of South India and Sri Lanka and the role. One emphasis of the course is on the role that trade played in the development of Buddhism and its arts. Students study material remains and texts.

SAST 358/RLST 184
The Ramayana
Hugh Flick, Jr.
W 1.30-3.20
Exploration of the religious and ideological interpretations of this epic of ancient India as manifested in performance and in written texts. Emphasis on the religious and historical contexts from which the texts emerged. All readings in translation.

RLST 580
Recent Archaeological Discoveries
Osmund Bopearachchi
W 9.25-11.15
The focus of this course is new archaeological finds from Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan that have been made by Uzbek, Afghan, Pakistani, Russian, French, Italian and Japanese archaeologists. These finds throw light on the complex religions of the region. Since many of the publications are in Russian, the course will provide summaries in English of major discoveries.

SAST360
Introduction to Bhakti Literature
Swapna Sharma
Th 3.30-5.20
Study of bhakti (devotional literature) in North India, beginning in the sixteenth century. Resistance to Brahmanical forms of social dominance; the role of linguistically based power; the development of vernacular languages and the national language of India.

SAST361
Law and Religion in Ancient India
David Brick
M 1.30 -3.20
The tradition of Hindu law and its place in the legal, religious, social, and political history of South Asia. The methodologies and theoretical presuppositions of comparative religious and legal studies. The relationship between religion and law, the nature of scriptural authority, jurisprudential commentary, and the role of customary law.

SAST 457
The Tamil Literary Tradition
Blake Wentworth
Th 3.30-5.30
An introduction to the masterpieces of Tamil literature. Tamil’s literary heritage as independent of Sanskrit norms. Bardic poetry, epic, lyric verse, devotional hymns, autobiography, and modern fiction. All texts provided in translation; no previous knowledge of Tamil required.

SAST 276/ SOCY 206
Public Health in India
Vani Kulkarni
MW 1.00-2.15
The structure of public health in India examined through a socio-medical perspective. Theoretical, empirical, and critical research on topics such as the burden of disease and communicable, non-communicable, and unintentional injuries; management governance and delivery of health services to populations across the country; and the policies and future challenges for the Indian government to promote the goal of universal health.