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.

Before ‘Buddhist Psychology’—and Its Making: Reading the Early Discourses in Conversation with Modern and Postmodern Psychological Imagination(s)

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.

Reading of Urdu prose and poetry in a variety of literary and scholarly styles; composition. Topics in advanced grammar; designed to improve proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Students will be expected to converse in a clearly participatory fashion, initiate, sustain, and bring to closure a wide variety of communicative tasks using diverse language strategies.

Advanced readings in Sanskrit texts of various genres, including Sanskrit ornate poetry with emphasis on the canons of poetic analysis of the Indian aesthetic tradition. The course is designed for advanced Sanskrit students at the graduate level and focuses on readings in various critical genres of Sanskrit texts and their commentaries with readings and discussion of linguistic, stylistic and culture-historical issues.

This is a beginner's course for learning Bengali language. The students learn the fundamentals of the language, including the alphabet and basic grammar. They acquire familiarity with common sentence structures, the ability to read and understand simple texts, and the ability to express their feelings.

Cross-listed with History 100F Section 3.