This course offers an advanced introduction to the literary history, cultural norms,
poetic forms and textual traditions of 17th to 19th century Southeast Asia through a
comparative study of three epic poems: Tum Teav (Cambodia), Khun Chang Khun
Phaen (Thailand), and Tale of Kieu (Vietnam). We will explore the dynamics of desire
and transgression, duty and sacrifice, kinship and kingship, and the interplay between
folk, court, Buddhist, Confucian, and Hindu values. Finally, we will consider the

This course is a cultural history of the Philippines, from the birth of the nation in the nineteenth century to the present. It outlines the major events in Philippine history through cultural texts that reflect the salient attitudes and ideas of key periods. Not only will this course cover canonical works, it will also examine popular texts. Expect to discuss everything from anti-colonial novels, Tagalog garage rock, third world brutalism, Manila disco, power ballads, protest songs, romantic comedies, to contemporary crime dramas.

This course examines the histories and the contexts of the realist novel through a comparative literary focus on South and South East Asia. Through novels published in South and South East Asia from the 1900’s to the present, this course will look at how the writers in these regions deployed realism in complex and innovative ways to represent ideas of the individual and the collective.

Lecture and discussion on the novel as it arose on the Indian subcontinent during the 19th and 20th centuries, using English translations and original works in English. Critical discussion of the novel as a modern genre adapted to local conditions and coexisting with older traditions of writing. Examines the novel as a window on Indian modernities. Interpretation of Indian society, culture, and history through literature.

This graduate seminar is a comprehensive introduction to Tamil cultural identity in South and Southeast Asia, engaging students through the lenses of literature, visual culture and history. The course utilizes a wide array of original Tamil texts alongside their English translations, spanning from the Sangam period to modern times, to trace the evolution, growth, and transformations of Tamil societies within India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, and broader diasporic contexts. Central to the course is an in-depth examination of Tamil belonging and subjectivity.

This graduate seminar explores the rich and diverse tradition of the South Indian novel, focusing on its historical, cultural, and literary contexts. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the course examines novels written in major South Indian languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. We will study the distinctive forms, themes, and stylistic innovations of these novels, paying particular attention to how they reflect regional identities, caste dynamics, gender relations, and the impact of colonialism and modernity.

Content varies with student interests. The course will normally focus on classical Buddhist texts that exist in multiple recensions and languages, including Chinese, Sanskrit, and Tibetan.

The Freshman Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small seminar setting. Freshman seminars are offered in all campus departments and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment limited to 15 freshmen.