South Asia Studies courses for Fall 2014

	Title	Instructor	Location	Time	Description	Cross Listings	Fulfills	Registration Notes
SAST 002-401	THE CITY IN SOUTH ASIA	DATTATREYAN, ETHIRAJ	UNIVERSITY MUSEUM 330	TR 1030AM-1200PM	This interdisciplinary social science course examines key topics, themes, and analytic methods in the study of South Asia by focusing on significant South Asian cities. With one-fifth of the worlds population,South Asia and its urban centers are playing an increasingly important role in recent global economic transformations, resulting in fundamental changes within both the subcontinent and the larger world. Drawing primarily on ethnographic studies of South Asia in the context of rapid historical change, the course also incorporates research drawn from urban studies, architecture, political science, and history, as well as fiction and film. Topics include globalization and new economic dynamics in South Asia; the formation of a new urban middle class; consumption and consumer culture; urban political formations, democratic institutions, and practices; criminality & the underworld; population growth, changes in the built environment, and demographic shifts; everyday life in South Asia and ethnic, cultural, and linguistic identities, differences, and violence in South Asia's urban environments. This is an introductory level course appropriate for students with no background in South Asia or for those seeking to better understand South Asia's urban environments in the context of recent globalization and rapid historical changes. No prerequisites. Fulfills College sector requirement in Society and foundational approach in Cross-Cultural Analysis.	ANTH107401 URBS122401	Society sector (all classes)	CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; SOCIETY SECTOR; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS
SAST 003-401	HISTORY, CULTURE, RELIGION IN EARLY INDIA	ALI, DAUD		CANCELED	This course surveys the culture, religion and history of India from 2500 BCE to 1200 CE. The course examines the major cultural, religious and social factors that shaped the course of early Indian history. The following themes will be covered: the rise and fall of Harappan civilization, the "Aryan Invasion" and Vedic India, the rise of cities, states and the religions of Buddhism and Jainism, the historical context of the growth of classical Hinduism, including the Mahabharata, Ramayana and the development of the theistic temple cults of Saivism and Vaisnavism, processes of medieval agrarian expansion and cultic incorporation as well as the spread of early Indian cultural ideas in Southeast Asia. In addition to assigned secondary readings students will read select primary sources on the history of religion and culture of early India, including Vedic and Buddhist texts, Puranas and medieval temple inscriptions. Major objectives of the course will be to draw attention to India's early cultural and religious past and to assess contemporary concerns and ideologies in influencing our understanding and representation of that past.	HIST086401 RELS164401	History & Tradition Sector (all classes)	CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; HISTORY & TRADITION SECTOR; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS
SAST 005-401	PERFORM ARTS SOUTH ASIA	MINER, ALLYN	GODDARD LAB 101	TR 0130PM-0300PM	This course is a survey of selected traditions of theater, music, and dance in India and surrounding regions. Topics include ritual practices, theater, classical dance, classical music, devotional music, regional genres, and contemporary popular musics. Readings and lectures are supplemented by audio and visual materials and live performances. The aim of the course is to expose students to a variety of performance practices from this part of the world and to situate the performing arts in their social and cultural contexts. The course has no prerequisites.	MUSC265401	Arts & Letters Sector (all classes)	CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; ARTS & LETTERS SECTOR; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS
SAST 008-401	INDIA: CULTURE & SOCIETY	SREENIVASAN, RAMYA	CLAUDIA COHEN HALL 402	TR 0300PM-0430PM	What makes India INDIA? Religion and Philosophy? Architectural splendor? Kingdoms? Caste? The position of women? This course will introduce students to India by studying a range of social and cultural institutions that have historically assumed to be definitive India. Through primary texts, novels and historical sociological analysis, we will ask how these institutions have been reproduced and transformed, and assess their significance for contemporary Indian society.	HIST085401	Hum & Soc Sci Sector (new curriculum only)	CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCE SECTOR; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS
SAST 057-301	PLANNING TO BE OFFSHORE	GANGULEE, SRILATA	COLLEGE HALL 315A	TR 1200PM-0130PM	In this course we will trace the economic development of India from 1947 to the present. Independent India started out as a centrally planned economy in 1949 but in 1991 decided to reduce its public sector and allow, indeed encourage, foreign investors to come in. The Planning Commission of India still exists but has lost much of its power. Many in the U.S. complain of American jobs draining off to India, call centers in India taking care of American customer complaints, American patient histories being documented in India, etc. At the same time, the U.S. government encourages highly trained Indians to be in the U.S. Students are expected to write four one-page response papers and one final paper. Twenty percent of the final grade will be based on class participation, 20 percent on the four response papers and 60 percent on the final paper.			FRESHMAN SEMINAR; FRESHMAN SEMINAR
SAST 104-401	BEGINNING TABLA I	BHATTI, AQEEL	WILLIAMS HALL 812	MW 0500PM-0630PM	An introduction to the tabla, the premier drum of north Indian and Pakistani classical music traditions.	MUSC060401		PERMISSION NEEDED FROM INSTRUCTOR
SAST 104-601	BEGINNING TABLA I	BHATTI, AQEEL		CANCELED	An introduction to the tabla, the premier drum of north Indian and Pakistani classical music traditions.
SAST 106-401	BEGINNING SITAR I	MINER, ALLYN	WILLIAMS HALL 5	TR 0430PM-0600PM	This course is an introduction to the repertoire and performance practices of the North Indian sitar. Fundamentals of sitar technique, composition, and improvisation are presented and practiced in class. Class lectures and discussions, audio and video material, and reading and listening assignments on selected topics supplement practice, to provide an overview of the social and historical context and the formal structures of North Indian music in general. There are no prerequisites for the course, but some experience with instrumental or vocal music is suggested. Each student is expected to put in two hours of individual practice per week, and complete reading, audio, and written assignments. The class gives a group performance at the end of the semester.	MUSC061401		CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS
SAST 108-401	INTERMEDIATE SITAR I	MINER, ALLYN	WILLIAMS HALL 812	MW 0330PM-0500PM	This is a performance course open to students who have completed both semesters of Beginning Sitar, or to others by permission from the instructor. Students will work with right and left-hand techniques, study three ragas in depth, learn the contours of several other ragas, and work with concepts of tala, composition, and improvisation. Assigned readings and listenings will complement the performed material. A group performance will be given at the end of the semester.	MUSC161401		CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS
SAST 124-402	NARRATIVE ACROSS CULTURES	LOOMBA, ANIA	DAVID RITTENHOUSE LAB 2C6	TR 0300PM-0430PM	The purpose of this course is to present a variety of narrative genres and to discuss and illustrate the modes whereby they can be analyzed. We will be looking at shorter types of narrative: short stories, novellas, and fables, and also some extracts from longer works such as autobiographies. While some works will come from the Anglo-American tradition, a larger number will be selected from European and non-Western cultural traditions and from earlier time-periods. The course will thus offer ample opportunity for the exploration of the translation of cultural values in a comparative perspective.	COML125402 ENGL103402 FOLK125402 NELC180402		CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS
SAST 146-401	ISLAM IN MODERN WORLD	ELIAS, JAMAL	JAFFE BUILDING B17	TR 1030AM-1200PM	This course key issues facing Muslims in the modern world with an emphasis on gaining an understanding of how Muslims view themselves and the world in which they live. Beginning with a discussion of the impact of colonialism, we will examine Islamic ideas and trends from the late colonial period until the present. Readings include religious, political and literary writings by important Muslim figures and focus on pressing issues in the Islamic world an beyond: the place of religion in modern national politics; the changing status of women; constructions of sexuality (including masculinity); pressing issues in bioethics; Islam, race and immigration in America; the role of violence; and the manifestations of religion in popular culture.	NELC184401 RELS146401	Hum & Soc Sci Sector (new curriculum only)	HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCE SECTOR
SAST 150-401	Introduction to Indian Philosophy	PATEL, DEVEN	COLLEGE HALL 200	TR 0300PM-0430PM	This course will take the student through the major topics of Indian philosophy by first introducing the fundamental concepts and terms that are necessary for a deeper understanding of themes that pervade the philosophical literature of India -- arguments for and against the existence of God, for example, the ontological status of external objects, the means of valid knowledge, standardsof proof, the discourse on the aims of life. The readings will emphasize classical Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain philosophical articulations (from 700 B.C.Eto 16th century CE) but we will also supplement our study of these materials with contemporary or relatively recent philosophical writings in modern India.	PHIL050401 RELS155401	History & Tradition Sector (all classes)	CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; HISTORY & TRADITION SECTOR; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS
SAST 169-401	MERCHANTS, SAINTS, SLAVES & SOJOURNERS: THE WORLDS OF THE INDIAN OCEAN	PETRIE, IAN	CLAUDIA COHEN HALL 337	MW 0200PM-0330PM	Do oceans serve to divide and demarcate distict cultures and regions? Or do they facilitate exchange, connection and cosmopolitanism? This course willexplore the manner in which the Indian Ocean has played both roles throughout history, and how the nature of those divisions and connections has changed over time from the ancient to the modern world. We will reconstruct the intertwined mercantile, religious and kinship networks that spanned the Indian Ocean world, across the Middle East, East Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia and China, illuminating the histories of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam, while also considering the role of successive imperial political formations, from Rome to Britain. Throughout the semester we will seek to understand the Indian Ocean through the people who lived and worked in its milieu - from consuls and militaty commanders, to traders, brokers, sailers, prisoners and slaves. Course materials will draw on a variety of discuplines (anthroplogy, archaeology, material culture, religious studies) to construct the cultural, economic, and environmental history of the Indian Ocean.	ANTH169401 NELC189401		CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS
SAST 189-401	MUSLIMS IN MODERN INDIA AND PAKISTAN	SEVEA, TERENJIT	COLLEGE HALL 318 COLLEGE HALL 315A	M 0200PM-0330PM W 0200PM-0330PM	This course introduces students to Islam in modern South Asia, with a particular focus on the development of 'new' Muslim religious idioms, orientations, pedagogies and movements in 19th and 20th century South Asia. This course is divided into three parts. In the first part of this course, students are provided with an overview of: Muslim institutions and spaces in pre-colonial South Asia, the historical emergence of South Asia as a prominent global center of Islam, and the development of Urdu as an Islamic idiom. The second and main part of this course introduces students to academic literature concerning sophisticated encounters between the Muslim elite in north India and modern political and technological developments. The intimate interactions of the 'Mullah' and the 'Englishman' from the 19th to 20th century will thus be revealed to students. This part focuses upon, on the one hand, the role of Islam and pious Muslims in the colonial army, and on the other hand, Muslim initiatives to educate an Islamic 'modernism', 'traditionalism', 'fundamentalism' and 'Sufism', and appropriate print technologies for the creation of public spheres. Students will be introduced to historical scholarship revelatory of how these Muslim pedagogies and print initiatives were based upon sophisticated transcultural networks and exchange. In the third part of this course, students will be encouraged to engage with contemporary literature on South Asian Muslim political philosophy and nationalism, and the transcultural intellectual exchanges that produced key Muslim political ideologies.	ANTH189401		CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS
SAST 201-401	CITIES & TEMP OF ANC IND	MEISTER, MICHAEL	JAFFE BUILDING B17	TR 0300PM-0430PM	The wooden architecture of ancient India's cities is represented in relief carvings from Buddhist religious monuments of the early centuries A.D. and replicated in remarkable excavated cave cathedrals. This course will trace that architectural tradition, its transformation into a symbolic vocabulary for a new structure, the Hindu temple, and the development of the temple in India from ca. 500-1500 A.D.	ARTH212401 ARTH612401 SAST501401
SAST 217-401	C.U. IN INDIA TOPICS: GENDER, DEVELOPMENT, AND EMPOWERMENT IN INDIA	ROY, RAILI	WILLIAMS HALL 843	T 0300PM-0430PM	C.U. in India is a hybrid, domestic/overseas course series which provides students with the opportunity to have an applied learning and cultural experience in India. The 2-CU course requires: 1) 15 classroom hours at Penn in the Fall term 2) A 12-Day trip to India with the instructor during the winter break to visit key sites and conduct original research (sites vary) 3) 15 classroom hours at Penn in the Spring term and 4) A research paper, due at the end of the spring term. Course enrollment is restricted to students admitted to the program. For more information, and the program application, go to http://sites.sas.upenn.edu/cuinindia This is a 2-CU yearlong course DEADLINE TO REGISTER IS MARCH 31st	GSWS217401		CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; PERMISSION NEEDED FROM INSTRUCTOR; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS
SAST 217-402	CU IN INDIA TOPICS: GREAT MONUMENTS OF INDIA	SOHONI, PUSHKAR	WILLIAMS HALL 826	M 0330PM-0500PM	C.U. in India is a hybrid, domestic/overseas course series which provides students with the opportunity to have an applied learning and cultural experience in India. The 2-CU course requires: 1) 15 classroom hours at Penn in the Fall term 2) A 12-Day trip to India with the instructor during the winter break to visit key sites and conduct original research (sites vary) 3) 15 classroom hours at Penn in the Spring term and 4) A research paper, due at the end of the spring term. Course enrollment is restricted to students admitted to the program. For more information, and the program application, go to http://sites.sas.upenn.edu/cuinindia This is a 2-CU yearlong course DEADLINE TO REGISTER IS MARCH 31st	SAST517402		CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; PERMISSION NEEDED FROM INSTRUCTOR; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS
SAST 256-401	INTL REL OF SOUTH ASIA			CANCELED	One of the great accidents of history is the Partition of the subcontinent into the two states of India and Pakistan, and the onset of the cold war as a global struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union. The major focus of the course is on the interaction between regional conflicts, the most enduring symbolized by the unresolved dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, and the global strategies of rival great powers which sought to tip the balance of power in their favor by military and ideological influence over the "third world." These conflicts were exacerbated by the Indian leadership's commitment to an independent foreign policy of non-alignment, and its aspirations to leadership of newly independent states in Asia and Middle East, ranged against Pakistan's inability to establish a viable state without exernal support. The resulting alignments and alliances drew the subcontinent into the center of cold war rivalries. The last part of the course focuses on the changing security environment after the cold war, the rise of India and China as competitors for influence; and problems posed by persisting mutual resentment and distrust in India and the United States, despite recognition on both sides of the need to cooperate and avoid China's domination of Asia.			CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS
SAST 260-401	Modern History of Pakistan			CANCELED	This course is designed as an introduction to the contemporary history of Pakistan, with an emphasis on the intertwined history of both countries; their other regional neighbors; and global politics. The course focuses on global trends such as empire, nationalism, the Cold War, superpower competition, and transnational Islamism. At the same time, participants will explore how local people viewed their lives amidst these trends, and how local dynamics on this northwestern fringe of the Subcontinent changed the face of global politics. The readings supplement political and economic history with primary sources drawn from popular poetry, oral narrative, and memoir. Finally, we'll be following current events in the region, and placing them in their sociohistorical context. Therefore, there are two main goals for this course: (1) to introduce the specific history of Afghanistan and Pakistan up to present, and (2) to introduce typologies of social institutions and events, assisting class participants to develop their own frameworks for interpreting current events in the region after the end of the course.			CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; PERMISSION NEEDED FROM INSTRUCTOR; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS
SAST 290-401	SOUTH ASIANS IN THE US	KHAN, FARIHA	JAFFE BUILDING 104	TR 1200PM-0130PM	This course investigates the everyday practices and customs of South Asians in America. Every immigrant group has its own history, customs, beliefs and values, making each unique while simultaneously a part of the "melting pot" or salad bowl" of American society. Yet how do people define themselves and their ethnicities living in a diasporic context? By taking into account the burgeoning South Asian American population as our model, this course will explore the basic themes surrounding the lives that immigrants are living in America, and more specifically the identity which the second generation, born and/or raised in American, is developing. South Asians in the U.S. will be divided thematically covering the topics of ethnicity, marriage, gender, religion, and pop culture. Reading and assignments will discuss a variety of issues and viewpoints that are a part of the fabric of South Asia, but will focus on the interpretation of such expressive culture in the United States.	ASAM160401		CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN US; CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE US
SAST 303-401	RASA/RAP/KAMA SUTRA/KANT: RASA TO RAP, KAMA SUTRA TO KANT: S.ASIAN AESTHETICS IN COMP. PERSPECTIVE	WILLIAMS, TYLER	WILLIAMS HALL 320	TR 0900AM-1030AM	This course introduces students to the rich traditions of aesthetic thought in South Asia, a region that includes (among others) the modern-day states of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. By engaging with theories of art, literature and music from the Indic and Indo-Persian traditions, we will attempt to better understand what happens in an aesthetic experience. A central concern will be thinking about how much any aesthetic tradition, be it South Asian or other, is rooted in the particular epistemic and cultural values of the society that produced it; we will therefore explore how ideas from the South Asian tradition can help us to understand not only South Asian material, but art in other societies as well, including our own. Examples and case studies will therefore occasionally be taken from art, performance and literature of the Americas, Europe, Africa and East Asia in addition to South Asia. Class discussion, small group work, and individual presentations will be regular features of the class. Two sessions will include performances by, and discussions with, performing artists including dancers, musicians, and singers. We will also make one visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.	SAST503401
SAST 334-401	SANSKRT,PAKRIT&TAMIL LIT: A SURVEY OF SANSKRIT, PAKRIT,& CLASSICAL TAMIL LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION	PATEL, DEVEN		W 1200PM-0300PM	This course will cover most of the genres of literature in South Asia's classical languages through close readings of selections of primary texts in English translation. Special focus will be given to epics, drama, lyric poetry, satirical works, and religious literature.	SAST534401
SAST 405-680	BEGINNING PASHTU I	ADEEL, UMME	WILLIAMS HALL 421	F 0830AM-1130AM		PERS111680		LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE
SAST 407-680	BEGINNING KANNADA I	SWAMINATHAN, VIJAYALAKSHMI	FISHER-BENNETT HALL 16	M 0500PM-0730PM	This is a systematic introduction to the Kannada language and culture for beginners. The course aims at developing listening and comprehension and a real life interactive speaking ability in a variety of everyday topics. The Kannada script is introduced from the beginning and the language is presented in its socio-cultural context for achieving a meaningful and operational control of the language. Students acquire basic rules for structural and socio-cultural appropriateness. Students learn vocabulary related to a variety of topics during the semester. Class activities include watching videos, role-playing, language games and group work. Evaluation is based on class participation, performance in quizzes and tests and completed assignments.			LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE; THE FIRST TERM OF A TWO-TERM COURSE
SAST 410-680	BEGINNING MARATHI I	RANADE, MILIND	WILLIAMS HALL 203	TR 0600PM-0800PM	The first year course in Marathi begins with learning the Devnagari script which is common for other important languages like Hindi and Nepali. With proper emphasis on grammar, vocabulary, and phonetics, the syllabus will see the student becoming able to speak conversational Marathi, read Marathi data from the Internet, and compose simple short essays on selected topics.			LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE
SAST 411-680	BEGINNING MARATHI II	RANADE, MILIND		CANCELED
SAST 412-680	INTERMEDIATE MARATHI I	RANADE, MILIND	WILLIAMS HALL 438 WILLIAMS HALL 216	M 0300PM-0430PM W 0300PM-0430PM				LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE
SAST 425-680	INTERMEDIATE PASHTU I	ADEEL, UMME		CANCELED		PERS113680		LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE
SAST 427-680	INTERMEDIATE KANNADA I	SWAMINATHAN, VIJAYALAKSHMI	FISHER-BENNETT HALL 141	R 0430PM-0700PM				LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE; THE FIRST TERM OF A TWO-TERM COURSE
SAST 445-680	ADVANCED PASHTO PROSE	ADEEL, UMME		TBA TBA-
SAST 501-401	CITIES & TEMP OF ANC IND	MEISTER, MICHAEL	JAFFE BUILDING B17	TR 0300PM-0430PM	The wooden architecture of ancient India's cities is represented in relief carvings from Buddhist religious monuments of the early centuries A.D. and replicated in remarkable excavated cave cathedrals. This course will trace that architectural tradition, its transformation into a symbolic vocabulary for a new structure, the Hindu temple, and the development of the temple in India from ca. 500-1500 A.D.	ARTH212401 ARTH612401 SAST201401
SAST 503-401	RASA/RAP/KAMA SUTRA/KANT: RASA TO RAP, KAMA SUTRA TO KANT: S.ASIAN AESTHETICS IN COMP. PERSPECTIVE	WILLIAMS, TYLER	WILLIAMS HALL 320	TR 0900AM-1030AM	This course introduces students to the rich traditions of aesthetic thought in South Asia, a region that includes (among others) the modern-day states of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. By engaging with theories of art, literature and music from the Indic and Indo-Persian traditions, we will attempt to better understand what happens in an aesthetic experience. A central concern will be thinking about how much any aesthetic tradition, be it South Asian or other, is rooted in the particular epistemic and cultural values of the society that produced it; we will therefore explore how ideas from the South Asian tradition can help us to understand not only South Asian material, but art in other societies as well, including our own. Examples and case studies will therefore occasionally be taken from art, performance and literature of the Americas, Europe, Africa and East Asia in addition to South Asia. Class discussion, small group work, and individual presentations will be regular features of the class. Two sessions will include performances by, and discussions with, performing artists including dancers, musicians, and singers. We will also make one visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.	SAST303401
SAST 517-402	CU IN INDIA: CU IN INDIA TOPICS: GREAT MONUMENTS OF INDIA	SOHONI, PUSHKAR	WILLIAMS HALL 826	M 0330PM-0500PM	C.U. in India is a hybrid, domestic/overseas course series which provides students with the opportunity to have an applied learning and cultural experience in India. The 2-CU course requires: 1) 15 classroom hours at Penn in the Fall term 2) A 12-Day trip to India with the instrucotrduring the winter break to visit key sites and conduct original research (sites vary) 3) 15 classroom hours at Penn in the Spring term and 4) A research paper, due at the end of the spring term. Course enrollment is restricted to students admitted to the program. For more information, and the program application, go to http://sites.sas.upenn.edu/cuinindia This is a 2-CU yearlong course	SAST217402		CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS
SAST 534-401	SANKRT,PAKRIT& TAMIL LIT: A SURVEY OF SANSKRIT, PAKRIT,& CLASSICAL TAMIL LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION	PATEL, DEVEN		W 1200PM-0300PM	This course will cover most of the genres of literature in South Asia's classical languages through close readings of selections of promary texts in English translation. Special focus will be given to epics, drama, lyric poetry, satirical works, and religious literature.	SAST334401
SAST 549-401	SUFISM	ELIAS, JAMAL	MEYERSON HALL B5	T 0130PM-0430PM	This course is an intensive survey of the rich variety of Islamic intellectual, literary and cultural phenomena subsumed under the term Sufism. Sufi philosophies, liturgical practices, and social organizations have been a major part of the Islamic tradition in all historical periods, and Sufism has also served as a primary muse behind Islamic aesthetic expression in poetry, music, and the visual arts. In this course, we will explore the various significations of Sufism by addressing both the world of ideas and socio-cultural practices. The course is divided into three broad sections: central themes and concepts going back to the earliest individuals who identified themselves as Sufis; Sufi metaphysics and epistemology as exemplified in the work of Ibn al-'Arabi and his school, and literary expressions as exemplified in the epic poem Layla and Majnun by Nizami, The Conference of the Birds by Attar, and in the life and poetry of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi. In studying this material, we will be concerned equally with establishing common patterns and seeing how being a Sufi has meant different things to various people over the course of history.	NELC485401 RELS445401 RELS645401
SAST 560-301	READING PAKISTAN AGAINST THE GRAIN: POLITICS, SOCIETY & CULTURE	TOOR, SAADIA	WILLIAMS HALL 826	R 0300PM-0600PM	This course is designed as an introduction to the contemporary history of Afghanistan and Pakistan, with an emphasis on the intertwined history of both countries; their other regional neighbors; and global politics. The course focuses on global trends such as empire, nationalism, the Cold War, superpower competition, and transnational Islamism. At the same time, participants will explore how local people viewed their lives amidst these trends, and how local dynamics on this northwestern fringe of the Subcontinent changed the face of global politics. The readings supplement political and economic history with primary sources drawn from popular poetry, oral narrative, and memoir. Finally, we'll be following current events in the region, and placing them in their sociohistorical context. Therefore, there are two main goals for this course: (1) to introduce the specific history of Afghanistan and Pakistan up to present, and (2) to introduce typologies of social institutions and events, assisting class participants to develop their own frameworks for interpreting current events in the region after the end of the course.			CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS
SAST 593-301	CASTE & CLASS SOUTH ASIA	SREENIVASAN, RAMYA	MEYERSON HALL B2	W 0200PM-0500PM	This course will explore the histiography and theory of caste and class in South Asia. While we will survey the evidence from the pre-modern period briefly, the primary focus of the course will be on the period between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries. We will examine the degree to which colonial rule triggered particular kinds of class-oriented and caste-oriented 'reform', and the extent to which South Asian actors themselves shaped the nature of such change. The course will also provide an introduction to the work of the Subaltern school historians who have engaged with such questions, and situate them within the wider field of South Asian historiography.
SAST 622-401	WHAT IS PROPERTY? PERSPECTIVES FROM THE HISTORICAL WORLDS OF SOUTH ASIA	CHAUDHRY, FAISAL	CASTER BUILDING A8	M 0200PM-0500PM M 0200PM-0500PM	What is property? Considered in the context of the contemporary societies of the developing world - with their bursting populations, pervasive land hunger, and ongoing tug of war between the urban and the agrarian - the answer may seem to go without saying. The question's extreme simplicity of form, however, should not conceal the great complexity it harbors, especially when examined relative toto the histories of the non-West. Is there a difference between property and the right to property? Are rights, themselves, inherently proprietary? What is the relationship between the logic of property and the logic of commodification? Is property simply the reality of control over things in the world or is it a system for representing how control over such things in the world is organized, parsed, and reckoned with? Is there something inherently Eurocentric about calling al such conceptual systems by the name of 'property'? In this course we will consider historical scholarship on the control and disposition of landed wealth in South and neighboring regions/borderlands with which its history has been significantly tied in the period from early modernity to the era of national independence. In so doing, we will also ground the historical works we examine in a consideration of varied theoretical perspectives on the nature of property drawn from law, economics, philosophy, and social theory.	HIST622401
SAST 640-401	RELIGIOUS BODIES AND SEX IN SOUTH ASIA	SEVEA, TERENJIT	WILLIAMS HALL 826	T 0430PM-0730PM	This graduate-level course introduces students to the writings of key religious scholars in modern South Asia who associated the regeneration of Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism with the cultivation of bodies and sexual practices. Particular attention will be paid towards religious texts produced in modern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh pertaining to sexual bodies, excercises and health; celibacy; body-building; the transmission of sexual knowledge; and the political roles of the 'Hindu', 'Muslim' and 'Sikh' body. In this course, students will be encouraged to engage a range of sources including religio-sexual manuals, autobiographies, novels, speeches, pamphlets, official records, recipes and films. Moreover, students will be introduced to the academic literature on South Asian religious scholars and 'sex gurus' in South and Southeast Asia; religious sexuality in South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe; and, the transcultural literary networks that led to the production of religio-sexual texts in modern South Asia.	RELS670401
SAST 674-401	SOUTHEAST ASIAN MANUSCRIPT TRADITIONS	MCDANIEL, JUSTIN	VAN PELT LIBRARY 526	T 0900AM-1200PM	This is an advanced PhD seminar in which the students will need advanced proficiency in Pali and at least one Southeast Asian Language (Burmese, Thai, Khmer, Lao, Leu, Khoen, Shan, and/or Lanna). Original manuscripts from Penn's collection of Southeast Asian religious, medical, botanical, historical, art, and literary archives will be examined and discussed.	EALC705401 RELS773401
SAST 769-401	FEMINIST THEORY: POSTCOLONIAL FEMINISMS	LOOMBA, ANIA	FISHER-BENNETT HALL 138	M 0300PM-0600PM	Specific topic varies. Dissent is a key word in our world today--from the Arab Spring to the American Fall, we have seen expressions of political disobedience and protest around the world. It is more urgent than ever to consider what dissent might mean, what shapes it has taken historically, what connection might exist between it and literature, and what futures are possible. We will read key critical and theoretical work alongside some powerful, tender and controversial writings and films (largely but not exclusively produced in the postcolonial world), to inquire into the politics and poetics of governance and dissent. Students are invited to make connections with other historical and geographical contexts, and explore the different forms of dissent individual, collective, urban, rural, nationalist, pan-nationalist, religious, marxist, or feminist, to name but a few. We will pay special attention to different performances of dissent at a popular, mass or individual level. We will think about the social and cultural channels attention to different performances of dissent at a popular, mass or See the English Department's website at www.english.upenn.edu for a complete description of the current offerings. Students are invited to make connections with other historical and geographical contexts,as we explore the different forms of dissent- individual,collective, urban, rural, nationalist, pan-nationalist, religious, marxist, or feminist, to name but a few. We will pay special attention to different performances of dissent at a popular, mass, or individual level. We will think about the social and cultural channels through which dissent is expressed, spread or quelled, how it might morph, or become obsolete, or give rise to new forms of disobedience.	COML769401 ENGL769401 GSWS769401 NELC783401