Letter for Savannah Vyoral
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HIS 3315-500: MODERN SOUTH ASIA SPRING 2021 Aryendra Chakravartty Contact Information Department of History E-mail: [email protected] Liberal Arts North 355 Office Hours: Online office hours: Monday: 1-4 pm Tuesday: 9-11 am Available by email and zoom COURSE DESCRIPTION Home to over 1.5 billion people, South Asia is a land of enormous diversity and extreme contrasts. Often represented as an exotic land with deeply embedded tradition and culture, it also produces nearly half of the world’s software. It is a place where the old and new, the modern and traditional, urban and rural, and the rich and poor jostle together for space. The primary aim of this course is to provide historical depth and comparative perspective on South Asia’s transition to social, economic and political “modernity” through its experience of British colonial rule, its struggle for independent nationhood and its experiments with democracy as independent nations. As such, the course will provide historical depth and comparative perspective on this sub- continent and elucidate on the experiment that is modern South Asia. We will survey the history of the subcontinent from the decline of the Mughal empire in 1707 to the establishment of British rule from 1757, to the rise of anti-colonial nationalisms in the 19th and 20th centuries culminating in independence and partition in 1947, and finally, to the 1950’s post-independent India. In the process we will also engage with these fundamental questions. How were the British able to establish their rule in the subcontinent? What was the impact of colonial rule? How did varying populations in India respond to colonial rule? How did anti-colonial nationalism evolve in the subcontinent? Why did M. K. Gandhi manage to capture the national imagination? What factors led to the independence and partition of the subcontinent into Pakistan and India? What were the contours of the development of India after independence? Where does India stand globally today? These questions will help us understand the nature of modern South Asia and of the sovereign, independent nations within the region. READINGS The following books are required for the course - Barbara D. Metcalf and Thomas R. Metcalf, A Concise History of Modern India. - Stephen Hay ed. Sources of Indian Tradition, Volume 2 - Amartya Sen, The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity - Gurucharan Das, India Unbound: The Social and Economic Revolution from Independence to the Global Information Age - Edward Luce, In Spite of the Gods: The Rise of Modern India Additional Readings: Assigned readings aside from these required texts will be available on the course website. 1 Policies and Procedures Academic Integrity (4.1) Academic integrity is a responsibility of all university faculty and students. Faculty members promote academic integrity in multiple ways including instruction on the components of academic honesty, as well as abiding by university policy on penalties for cheating and plagiarism. Definition of Academic Dishonesty Academic dishonesty includes both cheating and plagiarism. Cheating includes but is not limited to (1) using or attempting to use unauthorized materials to aid in achieving a better grade on a component of a class; (2) the falsification or invention of any information, including citations, on an assigned exercise; and/or (3) helping or attempting to help another in an act of cheating or plagiarism. Plagiarism is presenting the words or ideas of another person as if they were your own. Examples of plagiarism are (1) submitting an assignment as if it were one's own work when, in fact, it is at least partly the work of another; (2) submitting a work that has been purchased or otherwise obtained from an Internet source or another source; and (3) incorporating the words or ideas of an author into one's paper without giving the author due credit. Please read the complete policy at http://www.sfasu.edu/policies/student-academic-dishonesty- 4.1.pdf Withheld Grades (Semester Grades Policy, 5.5) Ordinarily, at the discretion of the instructor of record and with the approval of the academic chair/director, a grade of WH will be assigned only if the student cannot complete the course work because of unavoidable circumstances. Students must complete the work within one calendar year from the end of the semester in which they receive a WH, or the grade automatically becomes an F. If students register for the same course in future terms the WH will automatically become an F and will be counted as a repeated course for the purpose of computing the grade point average. Students with Disabilities To obtain disability related accommodations, alternate formats and/or auxiliary aids, students with disabilities must contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS), Human Services Building, and Room 325, 468-3004 / 468-1004 (TDD) as early as possible in the semester. Once verified, ODS will notify the course instructor and outline the accommodation and/or auxiliary aids to be provided. Failure to request services in a timely manner may delay your accommodations. For additional information, go to http://www.sfasu.edu/disabilityservices/. Attendance You are expected to attend all lectures and participate in class discussions. As this course combines both lectures and class-discussions, irregular attendance will preclude the student from performing well in the course. It is important to note that class lectures are not a substitute for the readings and proper comprehension of both the readings and lectures are necessary to pass this course. All assignments, including papers and quizzes, are due on the day mentioned in the syllabus. 2 Acceptable Student Behavior Classroom behavior should not interfere with the instructor’s ability to conduct the class or the ability of other students to learn from the instructional program. Unacceptable or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Students who disrupt the learning environment may be asked to leave class and may be subject to judicial, academic or other penalties. The instructor will have full discretion over what behavior is deemed appropriate/inappropriate in the classroom. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Participation: - Each class is going to be a mix of lecture and discussion based upon the day’s readings. Class participation and active engagement in the discussions are essential components of this course. Readings: - The lectures are not a substitute for the reading or vice versa. You will require information from both lectures and readings to pass the course. Students are required to come to class fully prepared and this means they should have done the day’s assigned readings beforehand. Assignments: PAPER ONE DUE IN D2L FEB 7 BY 10PM: By 1856, it was almost a hundred years since the traders of the East India Company had become the rulers of India. In your opinion what were the significant transformations that the subcontinent experienced during this period. (4-5 pages) PAPER TWO DUE IN D2L FEB 28 BY 10PM: Beginning with 1857, in what ways did Indians react to colonial rule and to colonialism’s social and cultural impact on Indian society? Compare the experiences and reactions of three individuals discussed in the readings of weeks 4, 5 and 6. (4-5 pages) OR PAPER THREE DUE IN D2L MAR 21 BY 10PM: In what ways had the Indian national movement changed since the inauguration of the Indian National Congress in 1885 to the pre- partition days of the 1940s. Explain the limitations of the Congress and the rise of the Muslim League. (4-5 pages) PAPER FOUR DUE IN D2L MAY 6 BY 10PM: In your assessment, what are some of the more significant attributes of post-independent India? In addressing this question, consider India’s embrace of democracy and economic liberalization as it projects its strength regionally and increasingly globally. Internally, however, India continues to face significant challenges, ranging from a rising Hindu nationalism, caste politics, gender violence, and tribal marginalization to name a few. Taking these into consideration, and drawing upon the works of Gurucharan Das and Edward Luce along with the supplementary readings, write a paper building an argument supporting your view of modern India. (8-10 pages) Discussions: I will post 5 discussion topics on D2L. In these discussions you will respond to a specific topic or question that I will post. The topic/question will be based on assigned readings and lectures. A good discussion post requires you to think critically and draw upon your historical understanding of the topic. Each response should be between 200-300 words long. As this is an academic forum, it is vital that you pay attention to your grammar, spelling, sentence structures as you craft your discussion post. 3 Grading Policy: Paper One (4-5 pages) 15% Paper Two (4-5 pages) OR 20% Paper Three (4-5 pages) Paper Four (8-10 pages) 30% Discussion - 5 X 5% = 25% Attendance & Participation - 10% TOTAL = 100% Grading Scale 90-100 = A 80-89 = B 70-79 = C 60-69 = D 0-59 = F No alternate (or "make-up") quizzes/exams will be offered. You must contact me prior to any excusable absence (medical, sport-related, etc.). Alternate and make-up exams and will only be given for prior excused absences or in case of emergencies that prevent you from taking the exam on the assigned day. You will not be allowed to make-up for the exam unless you provide me with appropriate documentation verifying your absence. Any late assignment will reflect in a lowering of your grade by 5% for each day they are late, up to a total of 25%. This leaves you the possibility of still getting a maximum of a “C” grade for a good work turned in late.