College of Arts and Sciences

Departmental E-mail: india [at] indiana [dot] edu

Departmental URL: www.indiana.edu/~isp

Curriculum

Curriculum
Courses
Faculty

Program Information

Modern India has more than a billion citizens, nearly 16 per­cent of the world’s population. India today is a reflection of millennia of interaction and exchange across a wide spectrum of cultures and civilizations. Critical contemporary intellectual, political, and social issues—including security, social equality, economic and political development, and the role of historical relationships—are all being debated in India, and how these issues are addressed is of vital interest to the world community. The India Studies Program at Indiana University provides for the interdisciplinary study and critical analysis of the Indian subcontinent and its peoples from ancient times to the present.

The primary focus of the India Studies Program is on mod­ern India. Yet in order to understand present-day India, it is important to have basic knowledge of the great periods in its history that have shaped modern India. This approach re­quires a sophisticated understanding of the country’s highly developed arts, music, literature, drama, philosophy, religions, and social and political structures. In addition to providing an overall, comprehensive education about Indian civilizations, the program allows for more specialized work in (a) literary and performance studies, (b) philosophical and religious studies, and (c) social, political, and historical studies. The India Studies Program also offers beginning- and intermediate-level courses in several Indian languages. All students in the program are en­couraged to take language classes, as well as to consider study abroad in India.

Ph.D. Minor in India Studies

Requirements: 12 credit hours, including the core, plus ad­vanced work in one of the three disciplinary groups of the program (excluding language courses). Specific courses as well as language requirements (if any) should be chosen in consulta­tion with the director of India Studies. Ordinarily, only 3 credits from the student’s major program may be counted toward the Ph.D. minor.

Cooperative Programs

Students in the Ph.D. minor in India Studies are encouraged to take advantage of programs in India Studies and South Asian Studies at participating institutions in the Committee on Institu­tional Cooperation (CIC). Excellent work in the social sciences is available through the University of Chicago and the University of Wisconsin—Madison.