FALL 2007 HONORS COURSES

HONR 218P Understanding India
Tuesday/Thursday, 9:30-10:45 a.m.
Amita Sarin, Lecturer in University Honors

This class will meet in Hornbake library's Non-Print Media Center.

India, the world’s most populous democracy, is a complicated composite of distinct regional, religious, ethnic, and linguistic traditions and Indians cover the entire range of socio-economic categories. Understanding this five thousand year old multi-faceted civilization requires an interdisciplinary multi-dimensional approach. This course examines kingdoms, emperors, ethnic groups and other historical and regional entities primarily through their art and architecture but also includes literature and religion. The course will be divided into four segments: royal, rural, religious, and urban contemporary India. We will study the impact of environment, history, religion, socio-cultural and aesthetic traditions on the development of various types of structures and associated lifestyles.

Included in this survey are remains and monuments of the Indus Valley civilization, Ashoka’s empire, Gupta, Chola and Vijaynagar empires, Delhi Sultanate, Mughal empire, Rajput kingdoms and the British Raj. We will also study vernacular architecture from the desert, mountains, plateau and coastal regions of the subcontinent dwellings of nomadic pastoralists, merchant havelis in western India, palaces of Rajput Maharajas. We will learn about Buddhist stupas, Hindu Temples, Sikh Gurudwaras and Islamic monuments along with associated traditions and festivals. Approximately half the class sessions will consist of slide-illustrated lectures by the instructor. The remainder will be used for discussions and student presentations.

Students will be asked to write two papers on topics, from two out of the four subject areas of the course: rural, religious, royal, and urban India. Points will also be assigned for participation in class discussion. In addition, there will be a mid-term and final exam.

Tentative Reading List:
Chapters and excerpts will be assigned from the following books:
Ilay Cooper and Barry Dawson, Traditional Buildings in India
Stephen Hay, ed. Sources of Indian Tradition
Roy Craven, Indian Art; Stanley Wolpert, India

CORE: Humanities (HO) and Diversity (D)