Department of History Fall 2001 

Instructor: SANJAY JOSHI Office Hours: MWF 12:30 - 1.30

Office: LA 206 Phone: 523-6216 

E-mail: Sanjay.Joshi@nau.edu Class Meetings: MWF 11:30 - 12:20, 

Web Page: http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/ Location: LA 321
 

IMPORTANT: Please look at the "Northern Arizona University Policy Statements" and the "Classroom Management Statement" at the back of this documentbefore reading the syllabus.
 

Course Description

Through a focus on the times, ideas, achievements, and limitations, of one of the most remarkable individuals of the twentieth century, this course examines the history of British colonialism and Indian nationalism. To understand Gandhi's India, we need to go back and understand the nature of British imperialism against which Indian nationalism, including Gandhi's, evolved. The period we look at therefore stretches from the mid 1700s to 1947. In addition to Gandhi's ideas and activities, the course examines the material and ideological structures of British imperialism, and then seeks to understand the many strands that went into the making of Indian nationalism. We will pay particular attention to the events that led to decolonization, and created in 1947 not one, but two independent nation-states of India and Pakistan. Looking at this history will not only afford insight into the life and work of Gandhi, but also allow us to better evaluate the nature of the transition that took place in India in 1947.
 

Readings

Our main books are the textbook by Sugata Bose and Ayesha Jalal, a short analytical biography of Gandhi by Bhikhu Parekh, and Hind Swaraj by Gandhi himself -- which outlines many of the central tenets of his beliefs and philosophy. In addition, you will be required to read a few short articles or pieces of fictional writing about the period covered in the course. In order for you to get a better sense of social life and attitudes of the times, I have also included two novels as part of the course readings. Raja Rao's Kanthapura, and Premchand's Godan, are fictional yet still realistic account of the way in which the majority of common folk in India lived their lives under British rule, and how they responded to Indian nationalism. It is to understand this perspective, and to realize that nationalism could come to mean different things to different people, that we read these novels. There is a deliberate effort to provide you with many different points of views of Indian history in these readings, in the hope that you will be able to make your informed arguments and hypotheses about the important questions we discuss in the course. 
 

The following REQUIRED texts have been ordered at the NAU Bookstore for this course:

1. Sugata Bose and Ayesha Jalal. Modern South Asia: History, Culture, Political Economy. 

2. M. K. Gandhi. Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule.

3. Bhikhu Parekh. Gandhi.

You will write a paper on ONE of the following novels:

4. Raja Rao. Kanthapura.

5. Premchand. Godan.

FOR EXTRA CREDIT, you may use an additional, though optional book, ordered for the course:

6. Gandhi and Ambedkar

IN ADDITION: Short scholarly articles and/or fictional writing which are REQUIRED part of reading for this course will be on reserve (paper and electronic) at Cline Library. 
 

Course Requirements and Evaluation

Students will be expected to write one paper, take a mid term and a final exam, and write notes and participate in scheduled discussions. 
 

Discussions

The class will be divided into small groups to facilitate discussion. You will be given specific questions or topics around which to frame your discussion notes a few days in advance of the discussion day. On the day of the discussion you need to come prepared with TWO copies of your notes on the discussion topics. You will hand one copy of that to me, and use the other to participate in the discussion. Attendance and participation in all discussions is mandatory; there is no possibility of make-ups in this regard. Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES will notes be accepted after the discussion has already taken place. 
 

Paper

The paper needs to be about 1700-2000 words in length and will ask you to undertake a HISTORICAL reading of EITHER Kanthapura or Godan. In the paper you will be expected to combine your understanding of the story with the HISTORICAL background of events, ideas, personalities, and processes you have obtained from the two books on Gandhi, the textbook, as well as class lectures. Detailed instructions for writing the paper will be provided when it is formally assigned.
 

Extra Credit

The only extra-credit assignment allowed for in this class is to write a paper comparing and contrasting Gandhi's position on one or a group of issues with that of AMBEDKAR, a colleague and critic. For this, I expect a paper of about 1000-1200 words, based on the book Gandhi and Ambedkar, some web sites to be reviewed after discussion with me, as well as other classroom material.
 

Grades

The grades for the course will be determined according to the following criteria:

Paper 400 points

Final Exam 250 points

Mid-Term Exam 200 points

Discussion Notes (50 points each) 150 points
 

TOTAL FOR COURSE 1000 points
 

EXTRA CREDIT PAPER 150 points

The grading scale for the course will be as follows: 

900-1000 = A; 800-899 = B; 700-799 = C; 600-699= D; below 600 = F.
 

Attendance and Course Policy

I expect regular class attendance of course, without which there is no point in your being enrolled in this class, but I do not demand it. Missing too many classes will undoubtedly and negatively impact on your class performance. Absence from discussion groups will certainly bring your grade down as there is no possibility of make-ups for that part of the class. 
 

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. 
 

PLEASE NOTE: I do not give extensions, incompletes, or make-up exams, except in cases required by University policy. Full documentation of reasons for absence will be required in such cases. Plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will result in failing the course. Please consult the NAU Student Handbook's sections on academic dishonesty (particularly Appendix F) if you are not certain of the meaning of any of these terms. IT IS THE STUDENTS' RESPONSIBILITY TO FAMILIARIZE HERSELF/HIMSELF WITH THESE MATTERS AS DEFINED BY THE UNIVERSITY. 
 

Provisional Course Schedule (Subject to modification)
 

INTRODUCTIONS

August 27Course Introduction.
 

August 29 An Introduction to India.

Reading

Bose and Jalal, Modern South Asia, Chapter One.
 

BACKGROUND: BEFORE THE BRITISH

August 31India Before the Raj

Reading

Bose and Jalal, Chapters Two and Three.

September 3Labor Day: No Class

September 5India Before the Raj II

Reading

Bose and Jalal, Chapters Four and Five.
 

COLONIALISM: ECONOMICS, POLITICS, AND CULTURE

September 7Coming of British Rule

Reading

Bose and Jalal, Chapter Six.

September 10 Economic Logic of Colonialism

Reading

Bose and Jalal, Chapter Seven.

September 12 Culture ofColonialism

Reading

Bose and Jalal, Chapter Eight: Part One.
 

RESPONSES: APPROPRIATION, REVOLT AND CONTROL

September 14-19

Reading

Bose and Jalal, Chapter Eight: Part Two.

Bose and Jalal, Chapter Nine.

Bose and Jalal, Chapter Ten.

September 20-26 I will be out of the country. Please arrange to see Richard Attenborough's film, GANDHI on your own during this time. I will distribute study guides for the mid-term on Sept. 17.
 

September 28MID TERM REVIEW
 

October 1 MID TERM EXAM 
 

GANDHI: THE NATIONALIST BACKGROUND

October 3 - October 8

Reading

Bose and Jalal, Chapter Eleven, part one.

Bose and Jalal, Chapter Eleven, part two.

Tanika Sarkar, "Hindu Wife and Hindu Nation." (Library Reserve)

October 10-12 Screening of film, "Home and the World" by Satyajit Ray. 

Assignment

Questions for Discussion #1: Gender, Class, and Early Indian Nationalism.

October 15 Discussion #1: Nation, Class, and Gender in the early Twentieth Century. 
 

MAKING OF THE MAHATMA

October 17- 26

Reading

Parekh, Chapters One through Four.

Bose and Jalal, Chapter Twelve and Thirteen.

I advise you to start reading Hind Swaraj and one or both of the novels on your own from the week starting October 22. 
 

MANY SIDES OF GANDHIAN NATIONALISM

October 29 November 2-14 (No class November 12, Veteran's Day)

Reading

M.K. Gandhi, Hind Swaraj. (entire text)

Raja Rao, Kanthapura and Premchand Godan. (entire text) 

Parekh, Chapters Five through Seven.

Possible screening of a documentary film on Gandhi.

Assignment

PAPER ASSIGNED NOVEMBER 2 

Discussion Questions Assigned November 9
 

November 16Discussion # 2: Evaluating Gandhian Nationalism
 

THE MAHATMA MARGINALIZED

November 19The Congress and the Raj

Reading

Bose and Jalal, Chapter Fourteen.
 

November 21The Congress AS the Raj?

Reading

Bose and Jalal, Chapter Fifteen.

Assignment

Discussion # 3 Questions Assigned.
 

November 23 No class, Thanksgiving Break

November 26Towards a Troubled Freedom 

Reading

Bose and Jalal, Chapter Sixteen
 

November 28 Partition

Reading

Bose and Jalal, Chapter Seventeen

Short stories on the partition (Library Reserve).

Assignment

PAPER DUE
 

November 30Discussion #3: Why Partition? Who Benefits?
 

WINDING UP 

December 3 Evaluating the 1947 Transition
 

December 5 Special Class, Gandhi and the World. Optional Readings, "Gandhi after Gandhi" available at http://www.littlemag.com/nandy.htm Please access this on your own.
 

December 7End of Term Review
 

THE FINAL EXAM FOR THIS COURSE WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 

10:00 A.M. TO 12:00 noon.