Department of History
HISTORY 498C - 001 Fall 2018 FILM AND HISTORY: INDIA’S PARTITION
Instructor: Sanjay Joshi
Office: LA
206
Phone: 523-6216 Office Hours: Mon &
Wed 11:15 to 12:15
Prerequisite: HIS 300W completed and by appointment
E-mail: Sanjay.Joshi@nau.edu URL:
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~sj6/partitionandfilm.htm
Credit Hours: 3 Class Meetings: WED: 4:00-6:30 Eastburn Education, 151
CHECK THE COURSE WEB PAGE FOR THIS SYLLABUS WITH LINKS TO ELECTRONIC READINGS.
Look at the following for NAU’s Policy Statements: https://nau.edu/Curriculum-and-Assessment/_Forms/Curricular-Policy/Syllabus_Policy_Statements(2)/
COURSE DESCRIPTION
A capstone is the opportunity for you to demonstrate the skills and perspectives you have learnt from your training as historians over the last few years. The course allows you to exhibit that training, and produce work that will show that you have not only read history, but can “do” history, and communicate your own research to an audience of historians.
This capstone research seminar takes as its subject the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. A major event in the history of the modern world, partition created two (later, three) separate nation-states in the Indian subcontinent and directly influenced the lives of well over 11 million people in 1947. It continues to play a large role in shaping the lives of almost a quarter of the world’s population even today.
Partition is also a fascinating study in historical interpretation, and has a great deal of room for new and inventive historical research. After studying different representations of the partition of the subcontinent in traditional historiography and film in the first half of the course, we move to the second and equally important component of this course. In the second half of the course, students will undertake an independent research exercise related to the subject of the course, and produce a final research project based on that original research.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course has two primary objectives. The focus of the first half of the course is to understand contending interpretations of India’s partition. Not only will we be reading a variety of different historical interpretations of the event, but taking advantage of a growing number of excellent films on the subject, we will also examine how various films represent this event. An important component of the first half of the course will be to see how cinematic and literary representations differ from other sorts of written narratives, and how the latter differ amongst themselves. An equally important objective of this course is to have you learn how to undertake independent historical research and how to present that research that is in dialogue with existing historical scholarship, and with content and form acceptable to the historical profession.
COURSE STRUCTURE
Discussions are the lifeblood of a seminar. This is not a lecture class where you can expect to learn simply by reading and listening to the instructor. Rather, learning occurs through in-class discussions as much as from the readings/films and assignments. Recognizing that much of the subject matter of this course may be quite unfamiliar to many students, over the first two weeks of the course, we will seek to understand the historical background to India’s partition. There will be some lecturing involved during this period. However, after that, I fully expect that this course WILL continue as a true seminar where students take primary responsibility for knowledge-production in the classroom. To do that effectively, you must come prepared having done the week’s assigned readings and viewed the relevant films. To ensure you are ready to raise questions and discuss the material for the week, I will ask you to bring to class first, written discussion notes, and later questions as well as notes for discussions, which will be evaluated and count toward a substantial part of your class grade.
In the second half of the semester, you will undertake independent research on a subject related to the theme of this course. All students will first submit a preliminary, and then a more detailed research prospectus, describing their project, sources, their research questions, and a tentative thesis or hypothesis. The actual writing of the paper (or filmmaking) will go through a peer-review process before submitting the final version of the project.
READINGS
AND FILMS
Two books have been ordered at the NAU Bookstore for this course.
1.
Barbara and Thomas Metcalf. A Concise History of India. Cambridge, UK:
Cambridge University Press, 3rd edition 2012. ISBN-13: 9781107672185.
Second edition ISBN 13: 978-0521682251 also acceptable.
2. Yasmin
Khan. The Great Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan. New Haven:
Yale University Press, 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0300143331
In addition, there are a large number of articles either available on the internet, or available as electronic reserves (most of which I will try to link directly from the course webpage).
You are also required to analyze a number of films for this course. ALL the films required or recommended for this course are available through web-streaming BY USING THE BBLEARN PAGE FOR THIS COURSE. I will also try to have available for in-library use only in the Media Section of Cline Library. The films we will use in this class are:
Required
Gandhi DVD 1695
Jinnah DVD 1290
Viceroy’s House DVD 7258
Division of Hearts DVD
2330
Earth DVD 2231
Begum Jaan (if available)
Pinjar
DVD
1297
Silent Waters DVD
2295
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, unless special circumstances dictate doing so. It is your responsibility to come to class having already seen the film and done the readings we are to discuss on a particular day.
There are a number of writing assignments required for this course.
1. Discussion Questions and Notes: To promote class discussions and ensure that everyone in the class is ready for discussion, I have asked you, on four different occasions, to prepare discussion notes, and on the last two of these, to provide your own questions too! The discussion is a forum where you can present your own INFORMED opinion about the subject you study. It requires thinking independently about the subject. You will not find the ANSWERS for discussion questions in the class readings or films -- only the EVIDENCE that YOU have to use to formulate your OWN arguments about the subject. There are no RIGHT or WRONG answers to discussion questions, only more or less persuasive arguments. But, no argument can be persuasive unless it is based on adequate factual, textual, filmic or literary evidence. So, DO take a position on the questions, differ with the assumptions of the questions even, but make your arguments with reference to SPECIFIC data, by deploying known and verifiable historical facts. Merely stating a personal opinion or a general feeling about an issue is not enough. Be as specific as possible about events, dates, personalities, and historical processes and cite page numbers of readings you refer to in your notes. Hold all members of the class to the same standards of historical debate. Discussion notes that either do NOT have a clearly outlined thesis OR do not point to specific evidence to support the thesis, WILL be penalized.
NOTES: You need to prepare at least two to three pages of (single-spaced) TYPED notes for the discussion. Your notes should be in the form of short thesis-type ANSWERS to the questions posed to you, followed by EVIDENCE to support that answer. You may simply point to page and paragraph numbers of assigned texts and point to significant portions of the films when indicating the evidence. Discussion notes do not have to be formally written, and will be evaluated for content and not style. You may use abbreviations and write these up in "note form" as long as you address the questions for discussion. Bring TWO copies of your notes. You will hand one copy to me, and use the other to participate in the discussion.
QUESTIONS: Once you have some experience of the discussion process, you should be ready to put together their OWN list of discussion questions. I expect to see between four and six questions, all designed to encourage discussion of the major issues brought up by the films and the readings, with a focus on competing interpretations of partition. At least one question should make a connection between the film and readings, where appropriate. Do look over the questions I have set up for the first two discussions. While you are free to frame your questions in any way you choose, keep in mind that I will be evaluating them on the extent to which they reveal a close reading and analysis of the films and readings. You are of course free to bring up queries, separately from the discussion questions. You MUST also bring in notes (two to three pages, similar to the notes in response to my questions) that indicate your own positions on the discussion questions and the evidence you use to support your positions. Submit the questions to me – either as hard copy in my box in the History office, or via email – by noon of the day of class. Bring two copies of your notes to class.
2. Research
Project: You have two options.
i.The first, and preferred, option is for you to write a Research Paper. An important part of this capstone course is to demonstrate that you possess the skills of research, writing, and communicating with a scholarly audience. To demonstrate this, the preferred option is for you to write a 15-18 page paper based on original research.
Ø The paper needs to be double spaced, using a 12 point font, and have one-inch margins around the text.
Ø The paper must deal with some aspect of the history of partition of the Indian subcontinent.
Ø It needs to use at least two sets of primary sources and should ideally (but not necessarily), include a discussion of the representation of your topic in film and/or literature.
Ø The paper must be in dialog with the secondary work on your topic, and demonstrate that it is making an original argument on the topic.
I will be happy to discuss ideas about possible topics with you as soon as you are ready and will provide some possible themes during class discussions as well. I have a link from the course webpage called “The Research Process” that can help you through the process of choosing and researching your paper.
The paper will go through multiple stages, starting with two drafts of your paper prospectus (see below). I will give you feedback on both drafts of the prospectus. You will then submit the first draft of your paper to a classmate (selected by me) who will peer-review the paper (also see below). A final, revised, and polished version of the paper will be submitted to me by December 10. I expect this paper to be of publishable quality. If it is so, then, with your permission, I would like to publish it on the course website after you have made the changes I suggest.
ii. Research Film: A second, and much harder, option is for you to produce a digital film between 15 and 30 minutes in length, on a specific topic around the partition of India. The film has to be based on primary sources, and engage with secondary scholarship on the partition of the subcontinent. You are free to include sections from feature films to make your point, but not as the major part of your project. I offer this option only because a great deal of primary filmic data, including interviews with survivors and descendants, is now available online. If you choose this option, please consult with me BEFORE you start work on the project. I will only allow you to do this if you have some demonstrable experience in filmmaking. As seniors, I know you already know how to write a history paper. I need to have evidence that you possess enough knowledge of the mechanics and the art of filmmaking before I allow you to embark on this project.
Stages
for the Final Project
Prospectus: You must submit, by the dates mentioned in the syllabus, TWO versions of your prospectus for a research project.
Ø The first draft (around two to four double spaced pages) must have the following sections:
a. A description of your research project with historical background explaining its relevance and significance and setting it in its historical context. (Less than 1 page)
b. Some reasons why you think this is an important topic, in the context of your preliminary readings on the topic, and in the context of the history of partition. (Less than one page)
c. A bibliography (at least one to two page) which includes
i. at least a few PRIMARY sources you will use for your research, and how you will get them (the point is that you should propose a RESEARCHABLE topic, one that has sources that you know about, and will be able to access).
ii. FILM(S) if relevant to your topic, and
iii. A list of SECONDARY works you will argue with or against when writing your paper or making your film.
Ø For the second version of the prospectus, which should be between five to ten double-spaced pages, I expect to see:
a. a clear, formal, articulation of your RESEARCH QUESTION and at least a preliminary THESIS you will put forward in your paper. (1 page, max.)
b. a clear justification for the significance of the topic in the context of the secondary readings on the topic. I need to have a sense you have mastered the secondary works in your topic by the time you submit this version. (2 - 4 pages)
c. An annotated bibliography of the primary sources you have read, seen, or called, and how they will, or how you expect them to contribute to your final paper. (2-4 pages)
Treat the second and final prospectus as your first outline of the final paper. This is the last occasion on which you will get formal feedback from me before the submission of your final paper, so try to make this as complete, as thorough, as possible. You must show me exactly HOW your proposed paper DIFFERS from or ADDS to the existing writing on the subject, and HOW each entry in your bibliography will support your paper’s thesis.
Ø Peer Review of Project You must carefully proofread, edit, and comment on a classmate’s project, and provide at least one page of constructive feedback to your peer. 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 project, and keep in mind that this is neither an opportunity to “trash” peer work, or to praise it. Rather, it is an opportunity for everyone to help classmates write a substantially better paper than the version they have submitted. You should find this to be useful as you revise your own final project. Do correct writing errors, but also try to offer more substantive comments on your classmates’ work.
Ø Film Projects Much of the same rules as the paper will apply to the film. First, keep in mind that your film is being made for an audience of HISTORIANS! I expect you to use at least two different sets of primary data for the film. I expect you the film to be in conversation with existing historical scholarship, and to demonstrate how it makes an original argument based on the existing primary material available on the topic.
Ø The film project too will go through the same three stages as the research paper (see above). You will first WRITE a prospectus, where you will describe the project, an outline of the argument you wish to make through the film, a list of primary sources you will use (and how you will access them), and a bibliography of secondary scholarship you hope to engage through the film. Your second “prospectus” will be a rough cut of the film, accompanied by a short written statement arguing how it is a dialogue with secondary scholarship on partition. The final submission too needs to be accompanied by a short written paper, explaining to historians the significance of your work for the field. Depending on the nature of the film you make, you might be able to incorporate the latter into your film project.
EVALUATION
AND GRADES
Grades will be determined using the following criteria:
Two sets of Discussion Notes (total) 15 points (5 for first, 10 for second)
Two sets of Discussion Questions and Notes (total) 20 points (10 points each)
Research Prospectus (preliminary) 05 points
Research Paper Prospectus (final) 15 points
Peer Review 05 points
Final Paper 30 points
Participation 10 points
(includes regular attendance and quality of in-class participation)
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, which is particularly critical for a seminar class that meets once a week. Given that we only have around eight or nine substantive class meetings for this course, missing even one class will have serious learning consequences. More than one absence from class, unless it is for documentable reasons or other reasons allowed for by University policy, will result in a penalty of 3 points deducted from your participation points. More than three absences from scheduled class meetings, unless allowed for by University policy, will automatically result in a failing grade. 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. PLEASE NOTE: I do not give extensions on paper deadlines or other assignment deadlines, except in cases allowed for by University Policy. I do not offer the option of an incomplete or “IP” at the end of the course, unless warranted by exceptional, emergency, situations.
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 link to NAU
Policy Statements at the top of 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 COURSE SCHEDULE (SUBJECT TO MODIFICATIONS)
August 29: Introductions
Objective
1. Course and Seminar Participants’ Introductions
2. Introductory Lecture, Questions, and Discussion on Historical Background.
Reading
1. Mytheli Srinivas, “India-Pakistan Partition” at Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective, http://origins.osu.edu/milestones/december-2017-india-pakistan-partition
2. Haimanti Roy, “The road to India’s partition” at The Conversation, https://theconversation.com/the-road-to-indias-partition-82432
3. “Partition, 70 years on: Salman Rushdie, Kamila Shamsie and other writers reflect” The Guardian (August 5, 2017) https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/aug/05/partition-70-years-salman-rushdie-kamila-shamsie-writers-reflect-india-pakistan
Film Screening/ Discussion
1. Partition...
70 years on: A primer - BBC Newsnight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmaNi_c2Dm8
2. That Bloody Line (Fictional Recreation of Cyril Radcliffe’s later life) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIvQ2AyCCu4
For Future Assignments
1. Start reading Metcalf and Metcalf ASAP, even if you DO have some background on South Asian history.
2. ON YOUR OWN TIME (as homework) make sure you see the following films over next two weeks. Gandhi (DVD 1695); Jinnah (DVD 1290).
September 05: Historical Background
Objective
