Northern Arizona University                                                                        Department of History

College of Arts and Sciences                                                                           Spring 2020

           

HISTORY 300W: COLONIALISM AND NATIONALISM IN INDIA

 

Instructor: SANJAY JOSHI                        Meeting: Tu 4:00 to 6:30 pm, HLC 4113

Office: LA 206                                            Office Hours: Tu-Thu 12:30-1:30,

Credit Hours: 3                                                         and by appointment

Phone: 523-6216                                                    E-mail: Sanjay.Joshi@nau.edu

 

Course Web Page: http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/HIS300W.htm

NAU Policy Statements https://nau.edu/university-policy-library/syllabus-requirements/

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course uses written and visual texts to study two key themes in the history of modern India. Starting with the advent of British colonialism, this course then studies the many ways in which Indians responded to colonialism. Our aim is to understand the working of British colonialism in India and to understand how a variety of nationalisms emerged in response to British rule. An important part of the course will be to see why, in 1947, not one but two nation-states, came into being in the Indian subcontinent.

 

We will be using a variety of sources, traditional historical scholarship as well as film to see how this history is represented in many different ways. The course will ask students to examine and evaluate how cinematic representations of history differ from a variety of written narratives, and, of course, how the latter differ amongst themselves.

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES    

Our aim is to reach a critical understanding and evaluation of different perspectives in the history of one of the most populous areas of the world. As a course designed to meet the Junior Writing Requirement for Liberal Studies and the History Major, writing is, obviously, central to this course. An essential quality for any historian is the ability to be able to express their ideas with clarity and logic. However, good writing cannot come without a proper understanding of the subject matter about which we write. There is a mutually reinforcing relationship between content and writing that I will emphasize throughout the course. Good historical writing can only come from practice and revision, which this course is designed to facilitate.

 

COURSE STRUCTURE

The course will be run primarily as a film and readings-based seminar, with some lectures which will usually be given only on student demand. To gain the maximum from any seminar experience, it is absolutely imperative that all students participate in the seminar, both orally and through their writing.

 

READINGS

Only one book has been ordered for this course at the NAU Bookstore.

Barbara and Thomas Metcalf. A Concise History of India. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge

University Press, 3rd edition, 2012. It is also available as an e-book via Cline Library. https://arizona-nau-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/t42gdr/01NAU_ALMA51182581970003842

 

There are a number of other REQUIRED electronic readings available as links through this syllabus, or on the COURSE WEB PAGE. As a matter of habit, I urge you to visit all course-related web sites in advance, and save or print the required readings. Connections to web sites often fail at the very time we need them most! For that reason, having soft or hard copies of the readings in advance will prevent panic the night before, or a few hours before class.

 

FILMS

The following films are also required viewing for this course. They can be streamed via BBLearn.

1. Rudyard Kipling's The Man Who Would Be King         

2. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India                               

3. Gandhi (Attenborough’s version)                         

4. Jinnah                                                                               

5. Pinjar                                                                                 

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS

The primary requirement is that you attend all class meetings, and come to the meetings well prepared to discuss the films and the readings. I will not screen films in class, but will ask you to come prepared to discuss specific portions of a film that we might screen for the purpose of discussion. However, it IS your responsibility to come to class having already seen the entire film before our discussion of the theme it covers.

 

Writing is a central element of this course and it requires you complete three different kinds of writing assignments.

 

1. A short two to four page (double-spaced, 12 point font, 1 inch margins) response to the first four chapters of Metcalf and Metcalf based on prompts I will provide. It is very important that you follow accepted citation styles and write this as formal response paper paying attention to grammar, punctuation, spelling, and of course, content. The paper will be evaluated on both content and form. (10 points)

 

2. Reviews of Film and Readings: You are expected to write TWO sets of reviews of films and readings in this course, each of around five to seven double-spaced pages (12 point font, 1 inch margins) reviewing sections II and III of the course. You need to pay equal attention to the films and the course readings. I will provide more detailed assignment guidelines for the reviews closer to the deadlines for their submission, which are on the schedule, below. (10 points each, 20 total)

 

3. A Paper: which will be written and evaluated in four stages. The paper needs to focus on any event or process in South Asian history from 1750 to 1947 and refer to at least TWO films AND TWO scholarly articles OUTSIDE OF SYLLABUS. You must, of course, refer to all the course readings and films from the course which pertain to the topic of your paper. Your objective will be to compare and evaluate different representations in scholarly literature and film and to make a case for the medium that yields a better, more nuanced, understanding of the historical issue you choose to examine. The four stages that the paper will go through are as follows:

 

a. A Proposal which I expect to be a two to three page double-spaced document, with a description of your project with sufficient historical background explaining its relevance and significance. You need also to include a list of films and articles (outside of the syllabus) you will use to write the paper, and a tentative THESIS you will put forward in your paper. Do include a bibliography which includes both FILMS and the SCHOLARLY works you will use to write your paper, including in this part, readings and films from the course. (10 points)

 

b. A First Draft which will be submitted to ME, where I will primarily be looking at CONTENT rather than style. I expect this document to be at least 5 to 8 pages long (double spaced, no more than 12 point font, one-inch margins all around). I expect a relatively finished document, with AT LEAST the research as well as the argument (thesis) to be the one you will use in your final paper. A piece of advice, the closer you can make this version to the final draft, the better the quality of the feedback you will get from me. You will certainly NOT benefit greatly from my comments if I need to spend most of my time simply trying to make sense of your prose!! I ADVISE ALL STUDENTS, REGARDLESS OF ABILITY, TO TAKE APPOINTMENTS AT THE HISTORY WRITING LAB BEFORE SUBMITTING THEIR FIRST DRAFT. (15 points)

 

c. Peer Review of Paper You must carefully proofread, edit, and comment on a classmate’s paper, and provide at least one page of written constructive feedback to your peers. Please try to provide the sort of feedback on peer papers you would find most helpful yourself. Be considerate of the effort they have put into the paper, and keep in mind that this is not an opportunity to “trash” peer work, but rather a process through which everyone can write a substantially better paper than the version they have submitted. Do correct writing errors, but also try to provide more substantive comments on your classmates’ work. You will also be giving some verbal comments and suggestion to the person whose paper you review in class. (10 points)

 

d. Final Submission This is your final revised paper. You should submit this as part of a PORTFOLIO of writing, which should include the proposal, your first draft, your revised second draft along with the peer comments you received. Your evaluation will be based on the quality of your final work, but will also take into account how well you have responded to suggestions you have received in the different stages of the writing process. (25 points)

 

The deadlines for each of these stages are in the course schedule, below.

EVALUATION

Grades will be determined using the following criteria:

            Response paper                                               10 points

            Two Reviews                                                  20 points (10 points each)

            Paper Proposal                                                10 points

            First Draft                                                       15 points

            Review of Peer Work                                     10 points

            Final Paper                                                      25 points       

            Attendance and Participation                          10 points

 

                                    TOTAL FOR COURSE         100 points

           

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

I expect regular class attendance of course, without which there is no point in your being enrolled in this class. Missing too many classes will however undoubtedly and negatively impact your class performance, especially given the discussion-oriented nature of this class, and will be penalized at my discretion.

 

If you miss a class, whatever your reasons for doing so, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to arrange to meet or call a classmate and find out what happened in that class. I also expect you to come to class having done all the required reading, and prepared to engage in discussion. Finally, I expect you to be motivated to learn about the subject, and to improve your skills as a historian and social critic.

 

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, 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.

 

I do not permit the use of ANY electronic devices in the classroom, for any purpose not directly related to this course.  If this policy is abused, I reserve the right to ban all electronic devices in the classroom at any point in the semester.

PROVISIONAL SCHEDULE (subject to change)

 

SECTION I: INTRODUCTIONS

January 14                             Introduction to the Course and Region

 

Assignment: Prompt for Response Paper to Metcalfs’ Chapters One through Four assigned

 

January 21-28                        Preliminary Historical Background

Readings

  1. Metcalf and Metcalf, Chapters One through Four
  2. It will be helpful for you to look at the following from the course web page:

            Outline # 1: Coming of British Rule

            Mughals to EIC Powerpoint

            Outline # 2: Revolt of 1857 and Responses to EIC Colonialism

Early Responses to EIC Rule Powerpoint

  1. William K. Shorey, “Writing History Faithfully” Chapter Three of Writing History: A Guide for Students Fifth Edition.  New York: Oxford University Press, 2016, pp. 40-61. (for writing response paper)  Do look the Chicago Manual of Style Citation Style guidelines at https://nau.edu/library/citation-help/

           

Class Objectives and Activities

 

SECTION II: EMPIRE

February 4                 Imperial Representations of Empire

 

Assignment: Response Paper due

 

Required Film          Man Who Would Be King (129 Minutes)

Readings

1. Bernard S. Cohn “Introduction” in Colonialism and Its Forms of Knowledge: The British in India. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996, pp. 3-15. http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/CohnIntroduction.pdf

2. Francis Hutchins, "Concepts of Indian Character." in The Illusion of Permanence: British Imperialism in India. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1967, pp. 53-78. http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/Concepts_of_indian_character.pdf

3. Rudyard Kipling, “Man Who Would be King”

 

Class Objectives and Activities

 

February 11               Nationalist Representations of Empire

 

Assignment: Review of Section II Assignment handed out

 

Required Film          Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India. (225 minutes)

Readings

1. Boria Majumdar “Politics of Leisure in Colonial India ‘Lagaan’: Invocation of a Lost history?” Economic and Political Weekly of India (henceforth EPW) September 1, 2001. http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/Boria Politics of Leisure in Colonial India.pdf

2.Chandrima Chakraborty “Subaltern Studies, Bollywood and Lagaan.” EPW May 10, 2003. http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/Subaltern Studies Bollywood and Lagaan.pdf

Class Objectives and Activities

 

February 18               History, Empire, and Cinema

Readings                                            

Robert A. Rosenstone, “History in Images History in Words: Reflecting on the Possibility of Really Putting History onto Film,” in Visions of the Past: The Challenge of Film to Our Idea of History. http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/rosenstonefilmhistory.pdf

and ALL the readings assigned for the last two weeks!

 

Class Objectives and Activities

 

SECTION III: NATIONALISMS IN SOUTH ASIA

February 25               Historical Background to Nationalisms in India

 

Assignment: Review of Section II Due.

 

Readings

1. Metcalfs, Chapter Five.

2. Sumit Sarkar, “Introduction” and “Chapter Two: c.1870-1917.” From Popular Movements and Middle Class Leadership in late Colonial India: Perspectives and Problems from a History from Below. Calcutta: K.P. Bagchi and Sons, 1983.

http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/SarkarPopularmovements.pdf

3. From the Course Web Page:

Outline # 3: Themes in Indian Nationalism

Powerpoint:  Nationalism and the Middle Class

Powerpoint:  Early Nationalism in India

 

Class Objectives and Activities

Discuss the following:

March 3                      India’s Gandhi and Attenborough’s          

 

Required Film: Gandhi (ca. 191 minutes)

 

Readings:

1. Metcalfs chapter Six

2. Salman Rushdie, “Attenborough’s Gandhi” in Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism 1981-1991 London: Granta, 1991.

3.  From the course web page:

            Outline # 4: Gandhi and Indian Nationalism, 1915-32

Powerpoint:  Gandhi

Powerpoint:  Gandhi’s India

 

Class Objectives and Activities

Discuss the following:

 

March 10                    Gandhi’s India

 

Assignment: Paper Proposal Due

 

Readings

1. David Hardiman, “Father of the Nation” in Gandhi in His Time and Ours. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003. http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/hardimangandhigender.pdf

2. Shahid Amin “Gandhi as Mahatma” in Selected Subaltern Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988, pp. 288-350. http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/AminGandhiasMahatma.pdf

3. From the course web page:

Powerpoint: Gandhi: Class, Caste and Gender

 

Class Objectives and Activities

Discuss:

 

MARCH 16-20 SPRING BREAK

 

March 24                  No class.  Individual Meetings on Proposal (through the week)                       

 

 

 

 

March 31                    Gandhi, Jinnah, and the lead up to Partition

 

Assignment: First Draft of Paper Due

 

Required Film:           Jinnah (ca. 110 minutes)

 

Reading

1. Metcalfs Chapter Seven.

2. Pervez Hoodbhoy, “Jinnah and the Islamic State: Setting the Record Straight.” Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 42, No. 32 (Aug. 11-17, 2007), pp. 3300-3303

http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/Hoodhbhoy%20Jinnah%20Islamic%20State.pdf

3. David Hardiman “Fighting Religious Hatreds” in Gandhi in His Time and Ours. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003, pp. 156-197. http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/Hardimanreligioushatred.pdf      

 

Class Objectives and Activities

Discuss:

 

April 7                        Historical Background to Partition

 

Assignment: Review of Section III Assignment handed out

 

Readings

1.   Pankaj Mishra, “Exit Wounds,” The New Yorker (August 13, 2007) https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/08/13/exit-wounds

2. David Gilmartin, "Partition, Pakistan, and South Asian History: In Search of a Narrative," Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 57, no. 4 (November 1998) pp. 1068-95. http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/gilmartin%20partition.pdf

3 From the course web page:

Outline # 5: Toward Independence and Partition 1928-47

Gandhi Marginalized Powerpoint

Partition Powerpoint

 

Class Objectives and Activities

The following questions will frame our discussion:

 

April 14                      Women and Partition

 

Assignment: Submit Second Draft of Paper to Peer Reviewer

 

Required Film          Pinjar (ca. 183 minutes)

 

Readings

1. Urvashi Butalia, "Abducted and Widowed Women: Questions of Sexuality and Citizenship During Partition,"in Meenakshi Thapan, ed., Embodiment: Essays on Gender and Identity. http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/butaliaabductedwomen.pdf

2. Ritu Menon and Kamla Bhasin “Honourably Dead” and “Speaking for Themselves: Partition History, Women’s Histories” in Borders and Boundaries: Women and India’s Partition. Delhi: Kali for Women, 1998, pp. 1-64. http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/Menon_BhasinHonourablydead.pdf AND http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/MenonBhasinSpeakingforthemselves.pdf

 

Class Objectives and Activities

 

SECTION IV WINDING UP!

April 21                      Peer Review of Paper

Objective

Provide helpful feedback to your peers in class on the first draft of their papers. These comments should be based on the written comments as well as comments on the actual paper, both of which you should hand back to the classmate whose paper you reviewed.

 

April 28                      Short Class Meeting for End of Term Review

ASSIGNMENT: Review of Section III due.

 

MAY 6                       FINAL REVISED PAPER DUE IN THE HISTORY OFFICE by 3 pm.

NAU Logo

 

Syllabus

Requirements

 

Syllabus Policy Statements

 

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

NAU expects every student to firmly adhere to a strong ethical code of academic integrity in all their scholarly pursuits. The primary attributes of academic integrity are honesty, trustworthiness, fairness, and responsibility. As a student, you are expected to submit original work while giving proper credit to other people’s ideas or contributions. Acting with academic integrity means completing your assignments independently while truthfully acknowledging all sources of information, or collaboration with others when appropriate. When you submit your work, you are implicitly declaring that the work is your own. Academic integrity is expected not only during formal coursework, but in all your relationships or interactions that are connected to the educational enterprise. All forms of academic deceit such as plagiarism, cheating, collusion, falsification or fabrication of results or records, permitting your work to be submitted by another, or inappropriately recycling your own work from one class to another, constitute academic misconduct that may result in serious disciplinary consequences. All students and faculty members are responsible for reporting suspected instances of academic misconduct. All students are encouraged to complete NAU’s online academic integrity workshop available in the E-Learning Center and should review the full academic integrity policy available at https://policy.nau.edu/policy/policy.aspx?num=100601.

 

COURSE TIME COMMITMENT

Pursuant to Arizona Board of Regents guidance (Academic Credit Policy 2-224), for every unit of credit, a student should expect, on average, to do a minimum of three hours of work per week, including but not limited to class time, preparation, homework, and studying.

 

DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR

Membership in NAU’s academic community entails a special obligation to maintain class environments that are conductive to learning, whether instruction is taking place in the classroom, a laboratory or clinical setting, during course-related fieldwork, or online. Students have the obligation to engage in the educational process in a manner that does not breach the peace, interfere with normal class activities, or violate the rights of others. Instructors have the authority and responsibility to address disruptive behavior that interferes with student learning, which can include the involuntary withdrawal of a student from a course with a grade of “W”. For additional information, see NAU’s disruptive behavior policy at https://nau.edu/university-policy-library/disruptive-behavior.

 

NONDISCRIMINATION AND ANTI-HARASSMENT

NAU prohibits discrimination and harassment based on sex, gender, gender identity, race, color, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status. Due to potentially unethical consequences, certain consensual amorous or sexual relationships between faculty and students are also prohibited. The Equity and Access Office (EAO) responds to complaints regarding discrimination and harassment that fall under NAU’s Safe Working and Learning Environment (SWALE) policy. EAO also assists with religious accommodations. For additional information about SWALE or to file a complaint, contact EAO located in Old Main (building 10), Room 113, PO Box 4083, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, or by phone at 928-523-3312 (TTY: 928-523-1006), fax at 928-523-9977, email at equityandaccess@nau.edu, or via the EAO website at https://nau.edu/equity-and-access.

 

TITLE IX

Title IX is the primary federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex or gender in educational programs or activities. Sex discrimination for this purpose includes sexual harassment, sexual assault or relationship violence, and stalking (including cyber-stalking). Title IX requires that universities appoint a “Title IX Coordinator” to monitor the institution’s compliance with this important civil rights law. NAU’s Title IX Coordinator is Pamela Heinonen, Director of the Equity and Access Office located in Old Main (building 10), Room 113, PO Box 4083, Flagstaff, AZ 86011. The Title IX Coordinator is available to meet with any student to discuss any Title IX issue or concern. You may contact the Title IX Coordinator by phone at 928-523-3312 (TTY: 928-523-1006), by fax at 928-523-9977, or by email at pamela.heinonen@nau.edu. In furtherance of its Title IX obligations, NAU will promptly investigate and equitably resolve all reports of sex or gender-based discrimination, harassment, or
sexual misconduct and will eliminate any hostile environment as defined by law. Additional important information about Title IX and related student resources, including how to request immediate help or confidential support following an act of sexual violence, is available at http://nau.edu/equity-and-access/title-ix.

 

ACCESSIBILITY

Professional disability specialists are available at Disability Resources to facilitate a range of academic support services and accommodations for students with disabilities. If you have a documented disability, you can request assistance by contacting Disability Resources at 928-523-8773 (voice), 928-523-6906 (TTY), 928-523-8747 (fax), or dr@nau.edu (e-mail). Once eligibility has been determined, students register with Disability Resources every semester to activate their approved accommodations. Although a student may request an accommodation at any time, it is best to initiate the application process at least four weeks before a student wishes to receive an accommodation. Students may begin the accommodation process by submitting a self-identification form online at https://nau.edu/disability-resources/student-eligibility-process or by contacting Disability Resources. The Director of Disability Resources, Jamie Axelrod, serves as NAU’s Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator and Section 504 Compliance Officer. He can be reached at jamie.axelrod@nau.edu.

 

RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT OF RESEARCH

Students who engage in research at NAU must receive appropriate Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training. This instruction is designed to help ensure proper awareness and application of well-established professional norms and ethical principles related to the performance of all scientific research activities. More information regarding RCR training is available at https://nau.edu/research/compliance/research-integrity.

 

MISCONDUCT IN RESEARCH

As noted, NAU expects every student to firmly adhere to a strong code of academic integrity in all their scholarly pursuits. This includes avoiding fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism when conducting research or reporting research results. Engaging in research misconduct may result in serious disciplinary consequences. Students must also report any suspected or actual instances of research misconduct of which they become aware. Allegations of research misconduct should be reported to your instructor or the University’s Research Integrity Officer, Dr. David Faguy, who can be reached at david.faguy@nau.edu or 928-523-6117. More information about Misconduct in Research is available at https://nau.edu/university-policy-library/misconduct-in-research.

 

SENSITIVE COURSE MATERIALS

University education aims to expand student understanding and awareness. Thus, it necessarily involves engagement with a wide range of information, ideas, and creative representations. In their college studies, students can expect to encounter and to critically appraise materials that may differ from and perhaps challenge familiar understandings, ideas, and beliefs. Students are encouraged to discuss these matters with faculty.