Instructor: SANJAY JOSHI Meeting time: T-Th. 12:45-2:00

Office: LA 206

Office Hours:T-Th. 11:00-12:00,  Wed. 11:00 - 12:30, and by appointment.

Phone: 523-6216 or 523-4378

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

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

This course examines social, political and economic developments in India since independence in 1947, and places these developments in a historical and comparative context. Exploring the sources of India's diversity as well as unity, riches as well as poverty, the roots of cooperation as well as conflict, its progress as well as shortcomings, the course aims at achieving a nuanced understanding of the working of the world's largest democracy. Studying the work of well known scholars, as well as a selection from the many sources of information available over the Internet, this course introduces students to the multiple facets that make up India today. 

The class will be run primarily as a seminar, with discussions between the students and the instructor forming the main part of the learning experience. The discussions will, on occasion, be supplemented by lectures. Frequency and content of lectures will be dictated by the nature of questions asked by the students. The reading load for the class is not very high, but the course demands that students come to class having done the assigned readings and prepared to discuss them with the instructor and fellow students. 

READINGS
Three books are Required Readings for all students in the class and have been ordered at the NAU Bookstore.

1. Mark Tully and Zareer Masani. From Raj to Rajiv: Forty Years of Indian Independence. Delhi: UBS, 1992. 

A very elementary introduction to events, personalities, and politics in India since independence in 1947. We will use this only in the first three weeks of the class, and read it along with viewing the documentary film, "The Dynasty: The Nehru-Gandhi Story." 

2. Sunil Khilnani. The Idea of India. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998. 

A more complex look at some of important issues of contemporary Indian politics in the context of historical developments since 1947. 

3. Jean Dreze and Amartya Sen. India: Economic Development and Social Opportunity. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1995. 

Written by eminent scholars in the field (Amartya Sen won the Nobel Prize for Economic in 1998) this book focuses on questions of economic and social development in India, outlining the problems and possibilities, while making a well-argued case for the need to pay attention to some of the issues that concern the mass of the Indian people.

4. Because this is a course on Contemporary India, we will be studying history as it happens! For that reason it will become important to introduce more current writing, taken from newspapers, journals, or other sources. I may put such readings on reserve, circulate them to students in the class, or provide you with the URLs to look up on the World Wide Web. These readings will then become a part of the REQUIRED course readings.

Recommended Readings

Students need to choose ONE of the following books to report on for their first paper (see below). A brief description is attached to help with your selection. All have been ordered at the NAU Bookstore.

1. Kancha Ilaiah. Why I am Not a Hindu: A Sudra Critique of Hindutva Philosophy, Culture and Political Economy. Calcutta: Samya, 1996.

Description: A scathing and sometimes polemical critique of "mainstream" Hindu culture and ideals from a Dalit (literally oppressed, effectively, lower caste) perspective. 132 pages. The lack of a glossary, and the assumption of some familiarity with Indian society and politics may make this book difficult to follow initially, but the importance of the subject it covers and the arguments used by Ilaiah make this a very powerful and important book for students of contemporary India.

2. Shrilal Shukla. Raag Darbari: A Novel. Translated from Hindi by Gillian Wright. Delhi: Penguin India, 1992.

Description: A satire on the working of Indian politics in the 1950s and 1960s, the novel is a series of episodes that take place in a fictional village in north India. 343 pages, but a very funny read and an acerbic comment on the workings of Indian democratic politics once you get past the first few pages. Has a glossary of Indian terms to help readers with unfamiliar terms and concepts.

3. Arundhati Roy. God of Small Things: A Novel. New York: Random House, 1997. 

Description: Winner of the prestigious Booker Prize in 1997, this novel tells a rich, complex, yet deeply touching story about memory, morality, mischief, and lots of other things. Women characters are at the center of Roy's narrative, and the book draws attention to the complex ways in which patriarchy and power operate in a small town in Southern India.

ASSIGNMENTS

In addition to regular participation in class activities, the course requires students to write two short papers, and take three exams. 

I. Papers

Paper One (1000-1200 words) will ask students to write a report on ONE of the recommended books for this class (see the list above). Detailed guidelines will be presented when the paper is assigned. This paper will count towards 20% of the total course grade. 

Paper Two (between 800-1000 words) will be based on a survey and analysis of CONTEMPORARY INDIAN media sources and centered on a specific theme. Ideally, students should choose a theme that connects with a theme from their first paper. Alternatively, you may choose to pick up on one of other themes covered in the course. Please consult with me before you begin writing this paper. The Internet (with http://www.samachar.com one of the best sites to start with) is the best source for following contemporary developments, and I urge students to begin their media study early in the semester. There are also links to various media sources from my web page at http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6

The paper should aim to place contemporary events in a historical context. Paper two will count towards 25% of the total course grade.

II. Exams

There will be THREE exams, whose content is explained in the course schedule below. Exam # 1 will count towards 10% of the total class grade, Exam #2 will count towards 15%, and the Final (including the take-home component) will count towards 20% of the total grade.

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 however undoubtedly and negatively impact on your class performance, especially given the discussion-oriented nature of this 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 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. 

EVALUATION

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

Paper One 20%

Paper Two 25%

First Exam 10%

Second Exam 15%

Final Exam 25% (10% Take-Home; 15% In-Class)

Class & Discussion 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.

PROVISIONAL COURSE SCHEDULE (subject to modification) 

Tue. January 18: Course Introduction.

An Introduction to Contemporary Indian History 

Thu. January 20: Mark Tully and Zareer Masani, From Raj to Rajiv, Chapter 1.

Start Screening film, The Dynasty: The Nehru Gandhi Story.

Tue. January 25: Tully and Masani, Chapters 2, 3. 

Continue viewing The Dynasty.

Thu. January 27 Tully and Masani, Chapters 4, 5,6.

Continue viewing The Dynasty.

Tue. February 1 Tully and Masani, Chapters 7 and 8.

Complete viewing The Dynasty. 

Thu. February 3 Tully and Masani Chapters 9 and 10. Review for EXAM #1.

Tue. February 8 Exam #1: Chronology, Personalities, Maps, and Broad Policy Questions. Based on the Film and Raj to Rajiv.
 

Themes in Contemporary Indian Politics 

Thu. February 10 Sunil Khilnani, The Idea of India, Foreword, Preface and Introduction: ix-13.

WORKINGS OF INDIAN DEMOCRACY

Tue. February 15 Khilnani, Democracy: 15-42.

PAPER ONE ASSIGNED

Thu. February 17 Khilnani, Democracy: 42-60.

CENTRALIZED PLANNING AND THE INDIAN ECONOMY

Tue. February 22 Khilnani, Temples of the Future: 61-81.

Thu. February 24 Khilnani, Temples: 81-106.

URBAN LIFE IN CONTEMPORARY INDIA

Tue. February 29 Khilnani, Cities: 107-124.

Thu. March 2 Khilnani, Cities: 124-149.

Tue. March 7 - Thu. March 9 SPRING BREAK

IDENTITY POLITICS AND ITS PROBLEMS

Tue. March 14 Film Screening Ram Ke Naam (In the Name of God). This documentary lasts for one hour and 35 minutes: Class will held in the Cline Media Center Screening Room AND WILL START AT 12:30 pm. Please make it convenient to convene early, and possibly leave 10 minutes AFTER the regularly scheduled class time. In case you cannot make these times, the film will be on reserve at the Media Center for you to complete the viewing. 

Thu. March 16 Khilnani, Who is an Indian: 150-195.

PAPER ONE DUE.
 

Tue. March 21 Khilnani, Epilogue:196-208 and Discussion and Review for EXAM #2. 

Thu. March 23 Exam # 2: Mix of Essay and Short Answer Identifications. Essays will focus on the themes in Khilnani's book. May include map questions.

PAPER TWO ASSIGNED
 

Economic and Social Development in Contemporary India

Tue. March 28 "Dregs of Destiny" by P. Sainath, (Introductory Article and "Development Can Hurt")

URL http://www.outlookindia.com/previous/19oct/features.htm

Dreze and Sen: Introduction.

Thu. March 30 Dreze and Sen, Chapter Two.

Tue. April 4 Dreze and Sen, 3:1- 3:3.

Thu. April 6 Dreze and Sen, 3: 4- 3: 6.

Inequalities

Tue. April 11 Sections on "Food" "Water" "Healthcare" Roads, Power, and "Security" from "Dregs of Destiny." 

URL http://www.outlookindia.com/previous/19oct/features.htm

Thu. April 13 Dreze and Sen, 5:1-5:5.

The politics of education

Tue. April 18 Dreze and Sen, 6:1-6:4. 

Thu. April 20 Dreze and Sen, 6:5-6:8.

"Dregs of Destiny: Education" Same URL as above.

Gender inequalities and resistance

Tue. April 25 Dreze and Sen, 7:1-7:2.

Screening of Film: When Women Unite.

Thu. April 27 Dreze and Sen, 7:3-7:6.

PAPER TWO DUE

Beyond liberalization?

Tue. May 2 Dreze and Sen, 8:1-8:7.

Thu. May 4 End of Term Review. Take-Home Exam Questions Assigned.
 

Tue. May 9 FINAL EXAM 12.30-2.30 pm: TWO PART exam. Part One: Take Home Essay based on Dreze and Sen book. You will get the questions in advance and bring the essay to the final exam. Part Two: In-Class exam, will consist of a CUMULATIVE test which could have map, short answer and identification questions as its components.