Faculty
Introduction
Major in India Studies
Certificate in India Studies
Minor in India Studies
Overseas Study
Course Descriptions
Cross-Listed Courses
Faculty
Director and Rabindranath Tagore Professor of Indian Cultures and Civilization
Professor Gerald J. Larson (Religious Studies, Philosophy, Comparative Literature)
Professors
Jamsheed Choksy (Near Eastern Languages and Cultures), Henry Glassie (Folklore and Ethnomusicology), Lewis Rowell (School of Music)
Associate Professors
Purnima Bose (English), David L. Haberman (Religious Studies), Paul Losensky (Near Eastern Languages and Cultures), John R. McRae (Religious Studies), Jan Nattier (Religious Studies), Rakesh Solomon (Theatre and Drama), Richard E. Stryker (Political Science), John Walbridge (Near Eastern Languages and Cultures)
Assistant Professors
R. Kevin Jaques (Religious Studies), Rebecca Manring (Religious Studies), Radhika Parameswaren (Journalism), Pravina Shukla (Folklore and Ethnomusicology), Arvind Verma (Criminal Justice)
Academic Advising
Sycamore Hall 332, (812) 855-2048
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Introduction
The India Studies Program (INST) seeks to provide for the interdisciplinary study and critical analysis of the cultures and civilizations that have developed on the Indian subcontinent from ancient times to the present. The primary focus of the program is on present-day or modern India, but in order to understand modern India it is important to have some basic knowledge about the great periods in the history of India that have shaped modern Indian social reality (including the Hindu or Brahmanical, Buddhist, Jain, Muslim, Sikh, and modern Indo-British periods). Moreover, to understand modern India it is also important to have a sophisticated and critical understanding of the arts, music, literature, drama, philosophy, religion, sociological, and anthropological structures of the subcontinent.
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Major in India Studies
Purpose
The India Studies Major is designed primarily for undergraduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences at the Bloomington campus. The major may also be of interest to students in the various professional schools. The program offers regular work in beginning, intermediate, and advanced modern standard Hindi and classical Sanskrit. Faculty expertise is also available for work in Vedic Sanskrit, Pali, Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit, Bengali, Marathi, Arabic, Persian, and Urdu. The India Studies Program, together with cognate programs in Central Asian, West Asian, and East Asian studies, also makes possible advanced work in Buddhist studies and Islamic studies with a focus on India. Students can select from a wide variety of culture courses, but they are expected to take at least seven courses from program approved offerings in India Studies. Graduates will have background training for admission to graduate studies in South Asian studies, gain employment in government, foreign service, or translator work, and pursue professional careers in business, journalism, music, etc.
Requirements
Students must complete the following:
- A second major (B.A.) in a department of the College of Arts and Sciences. (Students completing a simultaneous second degree program in the College or through another school should check with the advisor for details.)
- Two semesters of modern standard Hindi, Classical Sanskrit, or an appropriate substitute-Arabic, Persian, Tibetan, a sequence of courses in Indo-Anglian literature or a semester/year course of study in India-all of which must be approved in advance by the director of India Studies and must fulfill the 10 credit hour language requirement.
- A minimum of 15 credit hours in South Asian culture including the following:
- I300, I358, or COAS E103 with the specific topic "Nonviolence and the Struggle for Freedom";
- At least two courses at the 300 level from the Literary, Performance, and Film Studies group;
- At least two courses at the 300 level from the Philosophical and Religious Studies group.
- One course (3 credit hours) at the 400 level in India Studies.
Students must also complete the degree requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Note: With the approval of both departments and the College, one course may be cross-listed in both majors. A minimum of 25 College of Arts and Sciences credit hours must be taken in each major subject area.
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Certificate in India Studies
The undergraduate certificate requires 24 credit hours, including the core course for India Studies, I300 Passage to India: Emperors, Gurus, and Gods; two courses each from the two areas of specialized work in India Studies (i.e., two courses from the literary, performance, and film studies group; and two courses from the philosophical and religious studies group), with the remainder of the units coming from interdisciplinary electives in either of the two areas of specialization. Of the total 24 credit hours, at least 15 credit hours must be taken from courses at the 300 level or above. It should be noted that under certain circumstances, other courses that include some aspect of the study of India may, by special arrangement and with the permission of the director of India Studies, be counted towards the certificate program. The first two years of language instruction in Hindi or Sanskrit, however, will not count towards completion of the certificate.
Finally, it should be noted that only four courses from a student's major may be double-counted towards the India studies certificate.
The India Studies Program encourages work in elementary, intermediate, and advanced Hindi and Sanskrit. All students in the certificate program are strongly urged to study either Hindi or Sanskrit (and preferably both) and to begin the study of the languages at the earliest possible opportunity. Students in the program should also consider the possibility of studying in India and should consult about this possibility with the director of India Studies. India also has a rich English-medium cultural tradition (in such areas as Indo-British literature, drama, and Third World studies, among others) and so students may choose to focus their work on these English language traditions.
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Minor in India Studies
Requirements
Fifteen credit hours, chosen in consultation with the director, including:
- I300.
- Two courses from the Literary, Performance, and Film Studies group.
- Two courses from the Philosophical and Religious Studies group.
- At least 9 credit hours at the 300 level or above.
Only two courses from a student's major may be counted towards the India Studies minor.
All students in the minor program are strongly urged to study either Hindi or Sanskrit (and preferably both) and to begin the study of the languages at the earliest possible opportunity. The first two years of language instruction in Hindi and Sanskrit, however, will not count towards completion of the minor. India also has a rich English-medium cultural tradition (in such areas as Indo-British literature, drama, and Third World studies, among others) and so students may choose to focus their work on these English language traditions.
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Overseas Study
Students in the program should also consider the possibility of studying in India and should consult with the director about opportunities, and with the Office of Overseas Study, Franklin Hall 303, (812) 855-9304.
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Course Descriptions
I101 Beginning Hindi I (5 cr.) Introduction to the Hindi language. The writing system and basic grammar. Graded exercises and readings leading to mastery of grammatical structures and essential vocabulary. Development of reading and writing competence and simple conversations in contemporary Hindi. Classroom use of storybooks, tapes, and Indian films in Hindi.
I102 Beginning Hindi II (5 cr.) Continuation of the first semester. Graded exercises and reading for mastery of grammatical structures and essential vocabulary. Composing short dialogues from the students' own environment. Reading and writing competence is increased, as well as the ability to conduct conversations.
I201 Second-Year Hindi I (3 cr.) Reading mythology, folklore, and modern short stories and poetry, including several examples from Urdu literature. Students compose and perform dialogues based on the material read.
I202 Second-Year Hindi II (3 cr.) Promotes rapid reading skills and vocabulary building. Study of grammar is based on Hindi reading material and includes regular grammar drills. Students sharpen composition skills by retelling stories from the reading material orally and in writing.
I300 Passage to India: Emperors, Gurus, and Gods (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Critical survey of the development of the major periods of Indian civilization(s), including Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Islamic, and Sikh historical periods as well as the emergence of India as a modern nation-state, together with an introduction to the art, music, literature, drama, philosophy, religion, and social reality of the subcontinent.
I339-I340 Elementary Sanskrit I-II (5-5 cr.) Introduction to Sanskrit, a classical language of ancient India. Basic grammatical structure and vocabulary in preparation for the reading of both secular and religious texts. Credit not given for both I339-I340 and LING L339-L340.
I347 Meditation Traditions of India (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Survey and analysis of the practice of meditation in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions of India. Focus on the philosophical and structural basis of meditation and the relation of meditation to the monastic traditions of India. The role of the holy person and the importance of the guru-student relationship.
I349-I350 Intermediate Sanskrit I-II (4-4 cr.) P: I339/I340 or permission of instructor. These courses build directly on the grammatical, lexicographical, and semantic foundation given in the elementary courses. The main emphasis is on reading, translating, and interpreting Sanskrit texts. Grammatical analysis of the reading material will be complemented by the study of syntax. Issues of historical grammar will be discussed.
I368 Philosophies of India (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Historical and critical-analytic survey of the major intellectual traditions of the cultures and civilizations of India. Attention to early philosophizing and the emergence of the classical schools in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions. Attention also to contemporary thought in India, including critical theory and subaltern theorizing. Credit given for only one of INST I368, PHIL P328, or REL R368.
I370 Literature of India in Translation: Ancient and Classical (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Survey of the ancient and classical Sanskrit literature of India in translation, presented in cultural context.
I371 Medieval Devotional Literatures of India (in translation) (3 cr.) A & H, CSA Survey of medieval Indian devotional literatures with reference to the various cultural milieus in which they were produced and their impact on and importance for contemporary Indian cultures.
I380 Women in South Asian Religious Traditions (3 cr.) A & H, CSA A historical view of the officially sanctioned roles for women in several religious traditions in South Asia, and women's efforts to become agents and participants in the religious expressions of their own lives.
I496 Individual Readings in Indic Studies (1-6 cr.) R: Reading knowledge of Sanskrit and Hindi. Selected substantive topics investigated from ancient, medieval, and modern texts about the civilization of India. May be repeated with different topics for a maximum of 6 credit hours.
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Cross-Listed Courses
Religious Studies
R497 Language Instruction for Religious Texts (1-6 cr.)
R498 Advanced Language Instruction for Religious Texts (1-6 cr.)
Literary, Performance, and Film Studies
Comparative Literature
C257 Asian Literature and the Other Arts (3 cr.) A & H, CSA (with appropriate focus approved by director)
C291 Studies in Non-Western Film (3 cr.) A & H, CSA (with appropriate focus approved by director)
English
L383 Seminar: Studies in British or Commonwealth Culture (3 cr.) A & H, CSA (with appropriate focus approved by director)
L450 Seminar: British and American Authors (3 cr.) (with appropriate focus approved by director)
Theatre and Drama
T468 Non-Western Theatre and Drama (3 cr.) A & H, CSA (with appropriate focus approved by director)
Philosophical and Religious Studies
Religious Studies
R348 Hindu Goddesses (3 cr.) A & H, CSA
R349 Hindu Devotionalism (3 cr.) A & H, CSA
R354 Buddhism (3 cr.) A & H, CSA
R358 Hinduism (3 cr.) A & H, CSA
R368 Philosophies of India (3 cr.) A & H, CSA
R450 Topics in the Buddhist Tradition (3 cr.)
R454 Tantric Traditions of India (3 cr.) A & H, CSA
R458 Topics in Hindu Religious Traditions (3 cr.)
By special arrangement and with the permission of the director, courses not listed above that substantially address India studies may be included in the major or minor.
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