Spring 2021

Filipino 100B Section 1: Intermediate Filipino

This is an intermediate class with emphasis on the four basic skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The course uses the functional-situational approach in learning a language.The students will learn four necessary skills in the effective use of Filipino: paglalahad (defining and explaining); paglalarawan (describing…

Filipino 1B Section 1: Introductory Filipino

This is the continuation of the beginners’ class with emphasis on the four basic skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The course uses the functional approach in learning a language. The students focus on basic conversational skills in Filipino. A review of basic grammar rules…

Filipino 101B: Advanced Filipino

Filipino 101B. Advanced Filipino. Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites. Two years of Filipino/Tagalog or consent of instructor. Have you successfully completed Filipino 100 A and B (Intermediate Filipino)? Are you a heritage learner who may have left the Philippines during your middle school…

Hindi 1B: Introductory Hindi

Hindi 1B is designed for students with Novice High proficiency in Hindi. It will help you develop communicative skills in Hindi, refresh your knowledge of Indian cultures, and broaden your linguistic horizons. In Hindi 1B, you will develop: • An ability to communicate at an…

Hindi 100B: Intermediate Hindi

Intermediate Hindi 100B is designed for students with Intermediate Medium proficiency in Hindi. It will help you deepen your communicative skills in Hindi and your knowledge of Indian cultures and broaden your linguistic horizons. In Hindi 100B, you will develop: • An ability to communicate…

Indonesian 210B: Seminar in Malay Letters and Oral Traditions

Various aspects of Malay language and literature, history and development of the language, classical literature, drama, oral literature, modern literature of Indonesia and Malaysia, and dialect studies. Applies various theoretical approaches to the study of the language and literature.

Khmer 1B: Introductory Khmer

Students complete their study of everyday standard Khmer to a “survival” level. While the memorization of vocabulary and common personal exchanges practiced in 1A will make up the majority of material studied, students will have some opportunity to learn to improvise and talk about personal…

Khmer 100B: Intermediate Khmer

Students continue their study of Khmer literacy and formal speaking begun in the fall. Topics include current events in Cambodia, Cambodian history and politics, and a basic overview of Khmer literature. Much of this study will be accomplished by working on projects in groups with…

Punjabi 1B: Introductory Punjabi

This course is designed for those with very little Punjabi proficiency and will focus on building the student’s knowledge in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Students will begin to master the basic grammatical formations and will build a base of vocabulary essential for everyday communication….

Punjabi 100B: Intermediate Punjabi

This course focuses on building the student’s knowledge of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Selected readings will be assigned depending on the interest of the students. These begin the starting point to stimulate the student’s own writings, which might include poetry, short stories, drama or…

Sanskrit 100B: Elementary Sanskrit

Elements of Sanskrit grammar and practice in reading Sanskrit texts. Sanskrit 100A, followed by 100B, introduces students to Sanskrit grammar, with the goal of developing the skills necessary to speak and read basic, simple Sanskrit texts. Sanskrit 100A covers lessons 1–12 of the Devavāṇīpraveśikā [Robert…

Sanskrit 101A: Intermediate Sanskrit: Epic and Puranic Sanskrit

Introduces students to the itihasa/puranic traditions and related commentarial style of Sanskrit. An extended passage from Valmiki’s Ramayana, Vyasa’s Mahabharata, or one of the Mahapuranas is normally read with commentary, if available. The development of strong reading skills is the focus of the class. Additionally,…

Sanskrit 200A: Sanskrit Literature

Advanced readings in Sanskrit literature, including Sanskrit ornate poetry with emphasis on the canons of poetic analysis of the Indian aesthetic tradition.

South and Southeast Asian 39 Sec. 4: Society in the Mirror of Indian Film

This seminar will focus on problems and dilemmas of contemporary society as they transpire in recent Indian films and TV shows. TV shows will be of special interest to us as a medium that often escapes scholarly attention due to its perceived low content quality…

South and Southeast Asian Studies C145: Buddhism in Contemporary Society

A study of the Buddhist tradition as it is found today in Asia. The course will focus on specific living traditions of East, South, and/or Southeast Asia. Themes to be addressed may include contemporary Buddhist ritual practices; funerary and mortuary customs; the relationship between Buddhism…

South Asian 140: Hindu Mythology

In this course we will study literary and religious aspects of Hindu myths. Through the reading of primary sources in translation, the course covers the main divinities and many mythological themes of early Vedic as well as later Puranic literature. We will follow the development…

South Asian 1B: Introduction to the Civilization of Medieval and Modern India

This course offers a broad historical and cultural survey of the civilizations of the Indian subcontinent from the 12th century to Partition in 1947. Attention will be paid to the geography and ethnography of the region, its political history, and the religious, philosophical, literary, and…

South Asian 110: Introduction to Hinduism

The course will provide through lecture, discussion and course readings a comprehensive introduction to the major texts, doctrines, beliefs and practices of classical Hinduism from antiquity to modernity. Special emphasis will be placed on Vedic and Āgamic traditions and on the rise and development of…

South Asian C224: Readings in Tibetan Buddhist Texts

This seminar provides an introduction to a broad range of Tibetan Buddhist texts, including chronicles and histories, biographical literature, doctrinal treatises, canonical texts, ritual manuals, pilgrimage guides, and liturgical texts. It is intended for graduate students interested in premodern Tibet from any perspective. Students are…

South Asian C113: Buddhist Thought in India

This course is an advanced introduction to the major teachings of Indian Buddhism and their philosophical elaborations. We will cover the core tenets attributed to the Buddha, and the later doctrinal and scholastic developments that turned Buddhism into one of the principal philosophical traditions of…

South Asian 142: India’s Great Epics

The course entails substantial selected readings from the great Sanskirt epic poems–the Mahabharata and the Ramayana in translation, selected readings from the corpus of secondary literature on Indian epic studies as well as lectures on salient issues in both. Readings will be supplemented with selected…

Southeast Asian R5B: Under Western Eyes

In this course, the student will read selections from the large body of scholarly texts that have been written about Southeast Asia. Expository and argumentative essays by premier scholars such as Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, Margaret Mead, Clifford Geertz, and Benedict Anderson will be examined….

South and Southeast Asian 39 Section 1: Filipino Spirituality: Influences of Catholicism, Islam, and Indigenous Beliefs in Philippine Art and Literature

Have you ever wondered why the homes of Filipino families in the United States display religious statues or celebrate Christmas and Lent in a different way from other Christians? Have you read Filipino poems, stories, songs, and festivals that focus on or mention Babaylan spritual…

Tamil 1B: Introductory Tamil

This course focuses on progressive acquisition of language skills to communicate effectively in Tamil. It facilitates development of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing competence along with basic grammar. Course Description & Course Goals: Language skills focused: Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing. This course focuses on progressive…

Telugu 1B: Elementary Telugu

This elementary level course focuses on progressive acquisition of language skills to communicate effectively in Telugu. It facilitates development of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing competence along with basic grammar. Course Description & Course Goals: Language skills focused: Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing. This course focuses…

South and Southeast Asian 250 Sec 1: Islam in South Asia, 700-1750

“Drawing on a broad cross-section of theoretical and methodological perspectives this graduate seminar will interrogate key historiographical debates that have shaped our understanding of the Muslim experience in S. Asia between 700 and 1750 AD. We will begin by engaging Shahab Ahmed’s “What is Islam?”…

Urdu 1B: Introductory Urdu

The course concentrates on developing skills in reading, writing, speaking, and aural comprehension. Evaluation is based on attendance, written homework assignments, quizzes, dictations, and examinations. Conventional teaching materials may be supplemented by popular songs and clips from contemporary Indian cinema.

South and Southeast Asian 250 Sec 3: Nationalism in Southeast Asia

This graduate seminar examines the emergence and rearticulations of nationalisms in Southeast Asia. It begins with the anti-colonial nationalisms of the late nineteenth/early twentieth century and ends with the various contested nationalisms of the present. We will cover a mix of canonical and new books…

Urdu 100B: Intermediate Urdu

Introduces various types of written and spoken Urdu; vocabulary building, idioms, and problems of syntax; and conversation. Reading of selected fiction and nonfiction in modern Urdu, including fables, short stories, and poetry. Exercises in grammar, conversation, and composition.

Bengali 101B: Intermediate Bengali

This course introduces students to both the formal and colloquial forms of Bengali, through a combination of reading, writing, speaking, and grammar exercises. Students will also become better acquainted with Bengali culture, as they begin to read Bengali literature and view short films.

Burmese 100B: Intermediate Burmese

Intermediate Burmese 100A and 100B introduce students to progressively difficult authentic text and multimedia, comprising excerpts from contemporary short stories and poetry, news reports, song lyrics, and TV adverts.

Filipino W1Y: Introductory Filipino for Heritage Learners online

Do you know the words nanay (mother), tatay (father), sinigang (sour soup), masarap (delicious), and kawawa (poor you)? Would you like to better communicate with your grandparents who speak Filipino and only have a limited knowledge of English? You may be a heritage learner, or…

India in the Writer’s Eye R5B

This “Reading and Composition” course is taught in connection with the study of representations of India in great works of modern literature from around the world. Satisfies the second half of the reading and composition requirement.

Indonesian 232: Readings in Modern Indonesian and Malaysian Literature

Sanskrit: Literature 200B

Advanced readings in Sanskrit literature, including Sanskrit ornate poetry with emphasis on the canons of poetic analysis of the Indian aesthetic tradition.

South and Southeast Asian 24: Bollywood cinema: Contexts, politics and spectatorship

This seminar will provide an introduction to the cultural, social and political significance of Hindi cinema and the development of popular Indian cinema since the 1930s. The course will examine the evolution of the Bollywood form and narrative strategy across a wide repertoire of films…

South and Southeast Asian 250 Sec 2: City Texts: Urban Imaginaries in post-liberalization Hindi Literature

Literature plays a crucial role in representing and imagining the city, providing acute observations on urban life and social processes (David Harvey). Novels, in particular, explore urban desires and motivations in relation to social forms, institutions, and conventions. The class will read excerpts from recent…

South Asian 118: Gender and Sexualities in South Asian Literature and Film

South Asian 124: Modern Indian Literature

This course aims to introduce the vernacular and the Anglophone literary landscapes of South Asia by providing an overview of the role and growth of modern literature in India. This course examines the different socio-cultural, political and historical contexts in the production and reception of…

South Asian 130: Film, Visual Media and Spectatorship Practices in Modern South Asia

This course will examine the role of film, visual media and spectatorship practices in the construction and narration of modern South Asia. In particular, this course will interrogate how modern South Asia has been produced and represented in different visual aesthetic forms such as popular…

South Asian 136: Framing Tamil Worlds: Histories, Cultures and Identities

South Asian C215: Readings in Indian Buddhist Texts

This graduate seminar focuses on reading a wide spectrum of Indian Buddhist texts in the Sanskrit (or Pali) original introducing the students to different genres, and different aspects of Indian Buddhism. The students taking the course for two units (rather than four) will be expected…

Southeast Asian 10B: Introduction to the Civilization of Southeast Asia

Readings, lectures, and discussion of the culture and civilization of Southeast Asia. Insular Southeast Asia: Covers the modern-day nations of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Special emphasis on the arts and their social and political context, with discussions on the impact of the colonial experience…

Southeast Asian 148: Philippines: History, Literature, and Performance

This course is a cultural history of modern 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…

Southeast Asian 188: Cinema of Southeast Asia

This Upper Division, seminar-style class introduces students to the modern history and politics of Southeast Asia, from the 1940s to the 2010s, through the lens of cinema and the frame of memory. From American B-Movies to Japanese anti-war features, media monarchs to Indie film-makers, spectral…

Thai 1B: Introductory Thai

This course is designed for students who have little or no knowledge of the Thai language. The focus of Thai 1A is to build vocabulary and develop the ability to speak with correct pronunciation through basic conversation in day-to-day settings. Students will be introduced to…

Tibetan Buddhism

This course is a broad introduction to the history, doctrine, and culture of the Buddhism of Tibet. We will begin with the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet in the eighth century and move on to the evolution of the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan…

Vietnamese 1B: Introductory Vietnamese

Second semester Vietnamese for beginners. A continued introduction to modern spoken and written Vietnamese, based on intensive drill of phonology and grammar structures for everyday topics. By the end of the second semester, students should be able to function successfully in ordinary Vietnamese conversation and…

Vietnamese 100B: Intermediate Vietnamese

Fourth semester Intermediate Vietnamese with emphasis on Reading and Writing. A second-year course in Vietnamese vocabulary and syntax with intensive drills on short colloquial expressions and auditory recognition of speech patterns. Students will research authentic text in academic and cultural topics. By the end of…

Vietnamese 101B: Advanced Vietnamese

Vietnamese 101A & 101B serves as an introduction to Vietnamese language, literature and culture. A continuation of 101A, with the goal of conversational fluency, advanced reading competence, and facility in writing. This course also provides an introduction to the literature and culture of Vietnam through…