Humanities

This course is an introduction to the history of Indian Civilization from early times to its independence in 1947.  It traces major political events, economic, social and cultural developments.  Beginning from the Indus Valley Civilization in 2500 BCE, proceeds to the rise of Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism and the advent of the Mughal Empire in the 16th C., through the history of British colonial rule, the struggle for independence, and the partition of India and Pakistan.  Lectures and readings will explore how political, social and cultural changes, invasions and migrations have shaped its diverse cultural heritage.  The course examines concepts such as caste, ethnicity, colonialism, nation, and nationalism, in the light of historical, religious and political environment.  Students will learn to analyze traditional methodologies as well as pre-conceived notions using multidisciplinary approaches and examining both primary and secondary sources.

Ethnic Studies emerged in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s to address patterns of inequality through education and social justice mobilization. In this course students learn the history of Ethnic Studies, including its relationships to Third World Feminism, global anti-imperialism movements, and other critical approaches to the past and present. Classes focus on multiple media, discussions, lectures, and student presentations. We consider how ethnicity, race, and indigeneity intersect class, gender, disability, and sexuality to create complex and nuanced relations of power. How do ethnic studies approaches help us study migration, popular culture, education, imperialism, war, and peace? Students attain an understanding of core concepts and the growing global turn in ethnic studies. Students hone their communication skills through discussion posts, a midterm presentation, and a final project focused on any ethnic studies topic of interest, anywhere in the world.

The course aims to study the ideology and Programs of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) on peace and non-violence, in the context of British colonial rule. The emphasis of the course is on concepts such as colonialism, imperialism, nation, community and nationalism, in the light of historical, religious and political environment. Students will learn to analyze primary and secondary sources as well as pre-conceived notions using multidisciplinary approaches.

A product of the Indian reform and nationalist movements, Gandhi’s philosophy highlighted the importance of peace, human dignity and social inclusion. This has allowed other societies elsewhere to adopt his methods to resolve political, economic, and social disputes. Gandhi stirred the social conscience of his nation and the world through his use of non-violence (ahimsa) and active civil disobedience.

This course examines the ambiguities of the intellectual's role as both a critic of society and an advocate for its highest values and assumptions. Students study the lives of notable Western and non-Western thinkers, public and official reaction to their ideas, and the relation in general between ideas and actions. Some of the thinkers studied include Socrates, Erasmus, Voltaire, Heine, Nietzsche, Kang-Youwei, Yoshida Shoin, and Franz Fanon.

This course will explore the development of the cinema of Japan over the past 120 years, with particular reference to its cultural relevance and aesthetic principles, as one of the only global film traditions that has emerged independent of a Western model. We will investigate its historical origins and the different genres created by the growth of the film industry in Japan, as well as various influences on its forms from literary and artistic sources.

This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.

Media have a long history. The term refers to the means of encoding and transmitting information beyond its original setting. It covers all technologies of inscription, not only the latest ones: from rhyme and writing to the Internet and virtual reality. "Mediology" (or the science of the media) argues that transmission alters the nature of the message -- the world encoded is the world reconfigured to be otherwise than it used to be. Do media function as prosthetic enhancements of our senses? Or do they bend hearing, seeing and sensing into shapes that would never emerge in the first place? Does the experience of the media obscure the nature of their impact? Who is the media subject: Narcissus or Orpheus? In addition to classic theories of the media (Marshall McLuhan, Walter Benjamin, Niklas Luhmann), this advanced seminar will also consider the emerging environmental media theories.

This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.