Introduction to South Asia ANS 302K Prof. Don Davis University of Texas at Austin Department of Asian Studies Spring 2017 WCH 4.114 TTH 11-12:30 512-232-7921 CLA 0.128 drdj@austin.utexas.edu Office Hours: TTH 9-10 or by appt. Course Description This course is an introduction to South Asian cultures and histories, especially to areas of study pursued in the Department of Asian Studies and at UT-Austin. Students will be introduced to major thinkers, ideas, histories, issues, and movements of South Asia. While a clear set of factual information will be integral to the course, the equally important goal of the course is to learn how to engage South Asia on terms similar to other courses in the liberal arts. Stated plainly, we want to do more than learn about South Asia; we want to learn from it as well. The institutional and traditional obstacle to this approach stems from the simple fact that most American students, whatever their ethnic origins, are taught that our intellectual heritage begins with the Greeks and ends with contemporary European and American thinkers. Who we are and what makes us a we, however, is not as clear as it seems. Most of us are simply not taught how and why to understand South Asian (or other area) literatures, art, religion, law, or other cultural expressions as sources for our own humanistic and ethical development. Thus, the primary goal of this course is to train students in how to read South Asia in such a way that it can mean something to them, rather than merely being what other people do not to make South Asia ours, but to take the ideas, history, and people of South Asia seriously. Goals By the end of the course, students should be able to: describe the diversity and richness of South Asian history, culture, and ideas name and discuss important figures in South Asian history and today write concisely and accurately about people and ideas identify different regions and languages used in South Asia communicate the effects of colonialism on South Asia express major areas of political and cultural concern in South Asia today 1
Requirements (full assignment descriptions available on Canvas) Letter (15%) write a 2-page, single-spaced letter or email to a parent, loved one, or friend explaining the message(s) of the Dhammapada. Poetry Analysis (10%) 1-page, single-spaced analysis of a single poem, group of poems, or single theme in The Interior Landscape Creative Essay (15%) write a 3-5 page, double-spaced account of the scene in Shooting an Elephant from the perspective of a Burmese observer of the incident (man, woman, or child; elite, commoner, colonial officer, farmer, etc.) Fictional Minutes (15%) record the minutes (3-4 pages, double-spaced) of a meeting or conversation between 2-5 people in Khilnani s Incarnations about to decide what defines India OR about whether colonialism was good or bad for India UN fellowship application (15%) write a 3-5 page, double-spaced statement of purpose for an application to be the UN Face of South Asia youth recipient from the perspective of one of the characters in End of Karma Final Paper (20%) write a 6-8 page, double-spaced life of an important South Asian figure on the model of, but not included in, Sunil Khilnani s Incarnations Attendance & Participation (10%) Grading Scale A 93-100 B- 80-83 D+ 67-70 A- 90-93 C+ 77-80 D 63-67 B+ 87-90 C 73-77 D- 60-63 B 83-87 C- 70-73 F 0-60 Required Books (all other readings available on Canvas) Khilnani, Sunil. 2016. Incarnations: A History of India in Fifty Lives. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Mascaró, Juan. 1973. The Dhammapada: The Path of Perfection. New York: Penguin. Ramanujan, A.K. 2014 [1967]. The Interior Landscape: Classical Tamil Love Poems. New York: NYRB. Sengupta, Somini. 2016. The End of Karma: Hope and Fury among India s Young. New York: Norton. 2
Class Schedule Jan 17 South Asia, India, and False Boundaries Searching for the Self Jan 19 Reading: Dhammapada, 35-59 Jan 24 Reading: Dhammapada, 60-93 Jan 26 Reading: Dhammapada, 9-33 Jan 31 Friedlander, Dhammapada Traditions and Translations ; Reynolds & Hallisey, Buddhist Religion, Culture, & Civlization Feb 2 Dhammapada Assignment due The Power of Language: Tamil Sangam Poetry Feb 7 Reading: Interior Landscape, 1-42 Feb 9 Reading: Interior Landscape, 43-76 Feb 14 Reading: Interior Landscape, 79-104 Feb 16 Reading: Shulman, First Budding: Tamil from the Inside Feb 21 Sanskrit Poems Feb 23 Tamil Poetry Analysis assignment due People and Ideas: Classical and Medieval India Feb 28 Reading: Incarnations, 3-71 Mar 2 Reading: Incarnations, 72-129 Mar 7 Reading: Incarnations, 130-202 Everyone is Trapped: Colonial South Asia Mar 9 Reading: Orwell, Shooting an Elephant [Spring Break] Mar 21 Reading: Incarnations, 203-262 Mar 23 Reading: Incarnations, 263-315 Mar 28 Shooting an Elephant assignment due To Find Freedom, To Find Purpose Mar 30 Reading: Incarnations, 316-357 Apr 4 Reading: Incarnations, 358-399 Apr 6 Reading: End of Karma, 1-56 3
Apr 11 Fictional Minutes assignment due Apr 13 Reading: End of Karma, 57-112 Apr 18 Reading: End of Karma, 113-162 Apr 20 Reading: End of Karma, 163-219 Apr 25 UN Fellowship Application assignment due Apr 27 Film: Ram ke Naam May 2 Film: Caste on the Menu Card May 4 Final Paper due 4
Policy on Absences & Late Assignments Attendance is mandatory. Attendance will be taken at lecture on a random basis throughout the semester. Regular attendance along with consistent preparation and meaningful contributions to discussion will account that portion of your grade. Unexcused absences can significantly lower your participation grade. Class attendance and the timely submission of assignments are matters of respect and courtesy. Of course, other commitments, illnesses, etc. sometimes necessitate missed classes or late assignments. If you anticipate missing class or needing an extension on an assignment, you should notify me several days or weeks in advance to make alternate arrangements. An email ten minutes before class is NOT good form. Please be responsible and conscientious about attending class and submitting your assignments on time. For late assignments, 5 points will be deducted for every business day an assignment is late, unless an extension is granted prior to the due date. This pertains only to the one-page papers for the course. Global Cultures Flag This course fulfills the Global Cultures flag requirement. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. A substantial portion of the course and your grade will come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one non-u.s. cultural group, past or present, with the explicit goal of self-reflection about one s own cultural experiences. University Policies Honor Code: The core values of UT Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community. Scholastic Dishonesty and Academic Integrity: Any work submitted by a student in this course for academic credit will be the student's own work. Students who violate University rules on academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University. Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, falsifying academic records, and any act designed to 5
give unfair academic advantage to the student (such as, but not limited to, submission of essentially the same written assignment for two courses without the prior permission of the instructor, providing false or misleading information in an effort to receive a postponement or an extension on a test, quiz, or other assignment), or the attempt to commit such an act. For further information please visit the Student Judicial Services Web site: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/. Documented Disability Statement: UT Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 471-6259 (voice) or 232-2937 (video phone) or http://ddce.utexas.edu/disability/. Religious Observance Days: By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of religious observance. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious day, I will give you an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence. 6