South Asia Studies (S_A_ST)

S_A_ST 1152: Asian Humanities

(same as REL_ST 1820, HIST 1820 and ARH_VS 1230). This course is an introduction to the literature and visual arts of Asia through selected master works. It focuses principally on India and China and investigates the distinctive features of their cultures.

Credit Hours: 3

S_A_ST 2100: Philosophy: East and West

(same as PHIL 2100). Compares the interpretation and role of philosophical concepts such as experience, reason permanence, change, immortality, soul, God, etc., in Indian, Chinese and European traditions.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing

S_A_ST 3200: Hinduism

(same as REL_ST 3200). Origin and development of central themes of traditional Hinduism from earliest times to the modern period. Topics include: the Vedic tradition, rituals and practice, varieties of yoga and meditation, Indian religious thought and devotional Hinduism.

Credit Hours: 3

S_A_ST 3230: Buddhism and Environmental Ethics

(same as REL_ST 3230). Global environmental crisis is associated with rapidly expanding human population. Buddhist teachings about the interdependent aspects of existence and interrelatedness of all life may provide critical insights for how humanity can achieve balance and reciprocity with nature.

Credit Hours: 3

S_A_ST 3240: Buddhism of South and Southeast Asia

(same as REL_ST 3240). Examines the origins of Buddhism in India, the narratives of the life of the Buddha, the development of early Buddhist schools, the extension of Buddhism into Central and Southeast Asia, and the current practice of Buddhism in south and Southeast Asia.

Credit Hours: 3

S_A_ST 3261: Hindu Goddesses

(same as REL_ST 3260). This course examines the vast range of Hindu Goddesses and their worship in South Asia. It includes information about goddess origins, mythology, symbolism, and attendant ritual practices. In order to approach this topic, background information about the history of Hinduism, major religious narratives, devotional practices, and iconographic representations of the divine are discussed. The course introduces the approaches of various scholars to Hindu Goddess worship within the context of religion, social relations, and gender roles, and explores ways in which South Asian women experience and negotiate feminine power in contemporary socio-cultural contexts.

Credit Hours: 3

S_A_ST 3270: Yoga and Meditation in the Modern World

(same as REL_ST 3270). This course explores the practice of Yoga and meditation, both as an ancient tradition of India and as an example of the globalization of religion. It will examine how the ancient Hindu religious tradition of Yoga was reinvented against the backdrop of India's colonial experience. Then it will look at a variety of emerging and transforming varieties of Hindu inspired yoga and meditation that spread globally in the context of increasing transnational interaction. To better appreciate both the traditional and the modern aspects of yoga and meditation, a secular meditation practice is included as an instructional and experiential component of this class.

Credit Hours: 4

S_A_ST 3490: Indian Cinema

(same as ANTHRO 3490, FILMS_VS 3490, ARH_VS 3790). Overview of key genres and themes of Indian film, including Bollywood, art cinema/parallel cinema, Indian regional cinemas, and diaspora cinema. The course combines film studies, anthropological, historical, and visual culture analyses to provide a holistic view of Indian culture and society through cinema.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: Sophomore standing or higher

S_A_ST 4630: Sanskrit I

(same as REL_ST 4630; cross-leveled with S_A_ST 7630, REL_ST 7630). This intensive course will cover the essentials of Sanskrit grammar in one semester and prepare students for further readings in Hindu and Buddhist Literature.

Credit Hours: 3

S_A_ST 4790: Culture and Society in South Asia

(same as ANTHRO 4790; cross-leveled with S_A_ST 7790, ANTHRO 7790). Survey of the cultures, social organizations, and lived experience of people from across the Indian subcontinent. Major topics include caste, kinship, gender, religion, village life, urbanization, public culture, popular culture, social change, and the South Asian diaspora.

Credit Hours: 3
Recommended: junior standing

S_A_ST 4800: From Karma to Tao: Philosophies of Asia

(same as PHIL 4800). This course traces the origins of Indian and Chinese philosophical world views. Included are the major ideas in Hindu, Jaina, and Buddhist thought in India, and Taoism and Confucianism in China. Emphasis is placed on the diverse, assimilative, and pragmatic nature of Indian thought and its impact on contemporary Asian philosophy.

Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: sophomore standing and one course in Philosophy; or instructor's consent

S_A_ST 7630: Sanskrit I

(same as REL_ST 7630; cross-leveled with S_A_ST 4630, REL_ST 4630). This course is intended as a ""sampler"" of Sanskrit literature. We will read Sanskrit texts in the original. The objectives of the course are 1) Expanding the students' knowledge of the Sanskrit language, 2) To acquaint the students with a broad range of textual genres in Sanskrit literature, and 3) To acquaint the students with some central ideas of Hindu and Buddhist philosophy.

Credit Hours: 3