College of Arts and Letters Department of History

Northern Arizona University Fall 2009

HISTORY 249 PRE-MODERN INDIA

Instructor: Sanjay Joshi Office: LA 206

Phone: 523-6216 Office Hours: Tu-Thu 11-12 and by appointment

E-mail: Sanjay.Joshi@nau.edu Web Page: http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6

Class Location LA 204 Class Meetings: TTH 9:35-10:50

Teaching Assistant: Mr. Dan Karalus Office: Peterson, 227

Email: dek42@nau.edu Phone: 523-1299 or (208) 608-3231 Office Hours:M 9-11, T 3-4

or by appointment

A LIBERAL STUDIES COURSE IN THE CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING BLOCK

CHECK THE COURSE WEB PAGE: http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/HIS249Pre-ModernIndia.htm

FOR THIS SYLLABUS WITH CLICKABLE LINKS TO ELECTRONIC READINGS

NAU Policy Statements http://www2.nau.edu/academicadmin/plcystmt.html

Classroom Management Statement http://www4.nau.edu/stulife/handbookmanagement.htm

Course Description

This course examines the history of India from c. 2500 B.C.E. to c. 1500-1700 C. E. While roughly organized around developments in political history, the course emphasizes the rich diversity of human experience in the form of important economic, social, and cultural developments of this period. Thus not only will the course cover the rise and fall of civilizations, kingdoms and dynasties, but also the ecological, economic, social, and cultural factors that accompanied and contributed to such changes. One textbook, an epic drama, a book which analyses changing perceptions of India’s past, as well as many “primary sources” -- the writings of people actually living in the periods of history we examine -- will help us to better understand the factors that shaped the pre-modern traditions of South Asia. Even as we seek to understand the past in its own terms, we will try to better understand how our knowledge about this past has been produced. This course will thus highlight competing interpretations of Indian history, and encourage students to examine these interpretations, and evaluate them on the basis on what they have learnt about historical events, personalities, and processes occurring in pre-modern India. Therefore, along with familiarizing students with some of the details of an unfamiliar history, the objective of this course is to encourage discussion, debate, and reasoned argumentation supported by evidence.

Course Structure/Approach

The format of the course consists of lectures and informal discussions. Students are encouraged to raise questions and make comments throughout the course. Please note: This course requires extensive use of internet resources.

Course Readings

1. Hermann Kulke and Dietmar Rothermund. History of India. Fourth Edition. Routledge, 2004.

2. The Mahabharata. Translated by Chakravarthi V. Narasimhan. Revised Edition. Columbia University Press, 1997.

3. Other REQUIRED readings available on the World Wide Web (WWW) OR on Electronic Reserve available via NAU VISTA Shell created for this class.

Assessment of Outcomes

The course uses primarily two types of instruments to assess your achievement of the learning objectives listed above: two examinations ( 25% and 30% of the total points for the course), and two short papers (20% of the total points for the course, each). The examinations may consist of short answer, essay, and/or map questions to test your breadth of factual details and interpretive insights into Indian history. The papers are designed to test your ability to critically read and think creatively about the material on Indian history, and to be able to present it effectively in appropriate prose. Five percent of the total grade for the course will be determined by your attendance record and the quality of your participation in the class.

Assignments and Exams

I. Term Papers: You will write two short papers between 5 and 7 pages in length in response to specific questions. The first paper will ask you to use the Mahabharata as a primary source for understanding the history of Ancient India. The second paper will ask you to analyze the way in which this history has been re-written over time. While the first paper will ask you to interpret a text written in ancient times, the second will be a more analytical paper focusing on the way in which such texts are rewritten and understood over time. Each paper will count for 20% of the total points for the course.

II. Mid-Term and Final Exams: There will be one final and one mid-term exam. The mid term will consist of a map quiz and a number of short answer questions. A list of map locations and topics for short answer questions will be provided in advance of the exam. The mid term will count towards 25% of the total course grade. The final exam MAY be a take-home type exam, and will then involve writing out longer essay-type answers to questions. A list of map locations, short answer topics, and essay themes will, again, be handed out in advance of the exam. The final will count towards 30% of the course grade.

Grading System

              Grades for the course will be determined according to the following criteria:

                            Paper One                                                                                                  20%

                            Paper Two                                                                                                 20%

                            Mid-Term Exam                                                                                       25%

                            Final Exam                                                                                                30%

                            Participation                                                                                               5%

                                           TOTAL FOR COURSE                                                              100%

              The grading scale for the course will be as follows:

              90%+ = A; 80 - 89%= B; 70-79%= C; 60-69%= D; below 60%= F.

Course Policies

ALL WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE IN CLASS.

PLEASE NOTE: I do not give extensions, incompletes, or make-up exams, except in cases allowed for by University Policy.

Plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in any of the assignments, and will result in failing the course. Please consult the section on “Academic Integrity” in the NAU Policy Statements appended to this syllabus for further details. IT IS THE STUDENTS' RESPONSIBILITY TO FAMILIARIZE HERSELF/HIMSELF WITH THESE MATTERS AS DEFINED BY THE UNIVERSITY.

Attendance and Punctuality

              Frequent absence and/or lack of punctuality will be penalized at my discretion. Whatever your reasons for arriving late or missing a class, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to arrange to meet or call a classmate and find out what happened in that class. I encourage you to form small “study groups” or at least make a “class buddy” you can contact for information about classes missed, study with for the exams, or more generally discuss the proceedings of the class.

In General

              I expect you to come to class having done all the required reading and prepared to engage in discussion. I also expect you to be motivated to learn about the subject and to improve your skills as a historian. There is only so much a teacher can do to assist students in the learning process. I will do my best to help you understand more about the subject. What you make of this course however, is ultimately entirely up to you.               

PROVISIONAL COURSE OUTLINE and ASSIGNMENTS (both subject to modification)

August 25                                        COURSE INTRODUCTION

August 27                                        AN INTRODUCTION TO INDIA

Reading: Kulke and Rothermund, Introduction.

September 1                                   MYSTERIES OF THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION

Readings:

1. Kulke and Rothermund, pp. 17-31.

2. Selections from The web-site on Harappa http://www.harappa.com

I strongly advise that you START READING THE MAHABHARATA the week of September 3.

September 3 -8                 COMING OF THE ARYAS

Readings:

1. Kulke and Rothermund, pp. 31-45.

2. Selections from the site on the VEDAS http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_1/rig_veda.html

3. Madhav Gadgil and Ramachandra Guha “Forest and Fire” Chapter Two of This Fissured Land: An Ecological History of India. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1992. http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/gadgilforest&fire.pdf

September 10-17                             AGE OF THE EPICS

Readings:

1. Kulke and Rothermund, pp. 45-49.

2. Narasimhan, Mahabharata.

3. Selections from the site on the Mahabharata http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Sanskrit_in_Classics_at_Brown/Mahabharata/

Screening: Part of Peter Brooks’ Mahabharata. “ The Game of Dice.”

September 22-24                            AGE OF EMPIRES

Readings:

1. Kulke and Rothermund, pp. 50-72.

2. Selections from The Arthshastra http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/india/kautilya1.html#Book I, Chapter 19

3. Kumkum Roy, “ The King’s Household: Structure and Space in the Sastric Tradition.” In Kumkum Sangari and Uma Chakravarti eds. From Myths to Markets: Essays on Gender. Delhi: Manohar, 1999. http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/roykingshousehold.pdf

Illustrations:

Map of the Mauryan Empire http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/ANCINDIA/MAURYMAP.HTM

Recommended: Edicts of Ashoka http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/ashoka.html

                            SEPTEMBER 24, PAPER ONE ASSIGNED

September 29                   MID TERM REVIEW

October 1                          MID TERM EXAM

October 6-8                      AGE OF THE HETERODOXIES: FOCUS ON BUDDHISM

Readings:

1. Romila Thapar “Religions and Ideologies: Questions and Responses” pp. 164-173 of her Penguin History of Early India from the Origins to AD 1300 (Delhi: Penguin, 2002) http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/ThaparReligions&Ideologies.pdf

2. The Origins of Buddhism (Asia Society) http://www.askasia.org/teachers/essays/essay.php?no=24&era=&grade=&geo=

3. Buddhism basics: http://www.ship.edu/%7Ecgboeree/buddhawise.html

4. Stories from Jataka sources:

              a. The Gang of Drunkards http://www.buddhanet.net/bt_3.htm

              b. The phony holy man http://www.buddhanet.net/bt_conts.htm

              c. The holy man who tried to be too holy http://www.buddhanet.net/bt_46.htm

              d. Wisdom of Queen Tenderhearted http://www.buddhanet.net/bt_14.htm

Illustrations

Buddha image: http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/images/guptbudd.gif

Recommended:

For Jainism basics:

http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Religions/gurus/Mahavir.html

and http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/jainhlinks.html#Introduction

More Buddhist texts at: http://acc6.its.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~phalsall/texts/bud-ser1.html

October 13                                      BETWEEN EMPIRES

Readings: Kulke and Rothermund, Skim pp. 72-87.

October 15                                      A CLASSICAL AGE?

Readings: Kulke and Rothermund, 87-99; 104-108.

Illustrations: Gupta Map http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/ANCINDIA/GUPTAMAP.HTM 

                            PAPER ONE DUE OCTOBER 15

October 20-22                  REWRITING HER STORY

Readings: Romila Thapar, “Sakuntala: Histories of a Narrative.” http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/ThaparShakuntala.pdf

                            PAPER TWO ASSIGNED OCTOBER 22

October 27-29                  EMERGENCE OF “HINDU” SOCIETY

Readings:

1.Chapter Three of the Laws of Manu at http://oaks.nvg.org/pv6bk4.html#3

Or chapter three from the entire text of the Laws of Manu at: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/india/manu-full.html

2. Joe Elder, “Understanding India’s Caste System” http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/elderunderstandingcaste.pdf

November 3-5                   MAKING OF REGIONAL IDENTITIES

Readings:

October 29 Kulke and Rothermund, 109-118; 125-127.

November 3 Kulke and Rothermund, 127-153.

November 10-12                             NO CLASS (Unless we are behind schedule)

November 17                   AN INDO-ISLAMIC WORLD

Readings:

1. Kulke and Rothermund, 162-180.             

2. Richard Eaton, “Approaches to the Study of Conversion to Islam in India,” in Richard M. Martin ed. Approaches to Islam in Religious Studies. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1985. http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/eatonapproachconversion.pdf

3. Selections from the Amir Khusro web site http://www.angelfire.com/sd/urdumedia/

November 19-24                             WRITING THE HISTORY OF MUSLIMS IN INDIA

Readings: Romila Thapar, “Somnatha: Narratives of a History.” http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/thaparsomnathalecture.pdf

December 1                                    MUGHAL INDIA OVERVIEW 

Readings: SKIM Kulke and Rothermund, pp. 196-219.

PAPER TWO IS DUE IN CLASS.

December 3                                     END OF TERM REVIEW

December 8 (7:30 to 9:30 AM IF in-class) FINAL EXAM

LIBERAL STUDIES REQUIREMENTS

Liberal Studies Mission

HIS 249 supports the mission of the Liberal Studies program in the following ways:

*It helps students gain a deeper understanding of the long history that has shaped the history and culture of people living in the Indian subcontinent, about a fifth of humanity.

*It helps them understand the historical factors that have created a rich cultural, political, social, and religiously diverse environment in the Indian subcontinent.

*Understanding of how such diversity emerged and how it was managed in the Indian subcontinent will help students better appreciate the changing and complex world around them.

*In seeking to understand and evaluate competing interpretations of this rich and complex history, through a variety of sources, the course helps students gain the skills to do the same for the world they inhabit.

Distribution Block: Cultural Understanding.

This course provides students with:

                *an experience of a diverse culture, most likely very different from their own.

*an analytic framework that facilitates awareness of how cultures vary and shape human experience

* It is hoped that students will also develop an appreciation for the unique features and perspectives of the varied cultural traditions that have shaped the history of peoples of the Indian subcontinent.

Essential Skills: Critical reading. The following assignments will help foster this skill among students of HIS 249.

                *students will be able to identify the broad contours of the political, social, and cultural history of India to c. 1750 on written examinations.

                * through writing papers students will be able to demonstrate the ability to critically read and interpret primary and secondary sources, and reach their own conclusions about the merits of different arguments.

                *students will be able to combine evidence from secondary and primary sources to describe the complexities of social, political, and cultural life in Pre-Modern India in their papers.  

Student Learning Expectations/Outcomes for this Course

Through this course you will have developed some sense of the long and complex history of the Indian subcontinent to 1700 CE that produced a tremendously diverse society in the region. To help you understand this history, the course assigns a variety of readings. It is absolutely critical that you complete your assigned readings before coming to class. Lectures will always relate to the topics assigned but will not duplicate assigned readings. Instead, they will introduce additional material, different interpretations, and theoretical concepts that are not always in the text. I expect you to be motivated to learn about the subject and to improve your skills as a historian. I will do my best to help you understand more about the subject. What you make of this course however, is ultimately entirely up to you. An active engagement with the content of this course will allow you to:

*learn through texts, lectures, and films students to learn the essential history of the pre-modern period of the history of the Indian subcontinent and how it has been interpreted in different ways.

*demonstrate, through class participation, discussion, examinations as well as papers, your understanding of how the diversity of languages, religions, social strata, polities and ideas evolved in the Indian subcontinent between 2500 BCE and ca. 1700 CE.

*demonstrate through in-class discussions your understanding of textual materials and participate in critical discussions of sources and their interpretation.

* demonstrate through the in-class examinations, your grasp of the details of this long history.

*demonstrate through the two papers as well the essay sections of the examinations, your ability to critically read and analyze a variety of sources.

Northern Arizona University

Policy Statements

 Safe Environment Policy

NAU’s Safe Working and Learning Environment Policy seeks to prohibit discrimination and promote the safety of all individuals within the university.  The goal of this policy is to prevent the occurrence of discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status and to prevent sexual harassment, sexual assault or retaliation by anyone at this university.

You may obtain a copy of this policy from the college dean’s office or from the NAU’s Affirmative Action website http://www4.nau.edu/diversity/swale.htm. If you have concerns about this policy, it is important that you contact the departmental chair, dean’s office, the Office of Student Life (928-523-5181), or NAU’s Office of Affirmative Action (928-523-3312). 

Students with Disabilities

If you have a documented disability, you can arrange for accommodations by contacting the office of Disability Support Services (DSS) at 928-523-8773 (voice), 928-523-6906 (TTY). In order for your individual needs to be met, you are required to provide DSS with disability related documentation and are encouraged to provide it at least eight weeks prior to the time you wish to receive accommodations. You must register with DSS each semester you are enrolled at NAU and wish to use accommodations.

Faculty are not authorized to provide a student with disability related accommodations without prior approval from DSS. Students who have registered with DSS are encouraged to notify their instructors a minimum of two weeks in advance to ensure accommodations. Otherwise, the provision of accommodations may be delayed.

Concerns or questions regarding disability related accommodations can be brought to the attention of DSS or the Affirmative Action Office. For more information, visit the DSS website at http://www2.nau.edu/dss/.

Academic Integrity

The university takes an extremely serious view of violations of academic integrity. As members of the academic community, NAU’s administration, faculty, staff and students are dedicated to promoting an atmosphere of honesty and are committed to maintaining the academic integrity essential to the education process. Inherent in this commitment is the belief that academic dishonesty in all forms violates the basic principles of integrity and impedes learning. Students are therefore responsible for conducting themselves in an academically honest manner.

Individual students and faculty members are responsible for identifying instances of academic dishonesty.  Faculty members then recommend penalties to the department chair or college dean in keeping with the severity of the violation. The complete policy on academic integrity is in Appendix G of NAU’s Student Handbook http://www4.nau.edu/stulife/handbookdishonesty.htm.

Academic Contact Hour Policy

The Arizona Board of Regents Academic Contact Hour Policy (ABOR Handbook, 2-206, Academic Credit) states: “an hour of work is the equivalent of 50 minutes of class time…at least 15 contact hours of recitation, lecture, discussion, testing or evaluation, seminar, or colloquium as well as a minimum of 30 hours of student homework is required for each unit of credit.”

The reasonable interpretation of this policy is that for every credit hour, a student should expect, on average, to do a minimum of two additional hours of work per week; e.g., preparation, homework, studying.