Courses for Fall 2019 | South Asia Studies

	Title	Instructor	Time	Description	Fulfills	Registration Notes
BENG 403-680	BEGINNING BENGALI I	BANERJEE, HAIMANTI	TR 0500PM-0700PM	This course introduces students to colloquial Bengali. It gives equal emphasis to each of the four skills, reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Language will be studied in the context of socio-cultural aspects of West Bengal and Bangladesh. Besides lessons from the text, a major portion of the syllabus will be based on topics drawn from films, cultural events, festivals, food, and religion.
GUJR 402-680	BEGINNING GUJARATI I	DESAI, RAKI	MW 0500PM-0700PM	During the first year of Gujarati, major emphasis is placed on acquiring phonetics, grammatical patterns, and basic vocabulary. These goals are accomplished through guided drills and conversations accompanied by formal instruction on Gujarati grammar. From the outset, students are also taught the Gujarati writing system, which is used for all materials. By the end of the first year of instruction, student should be able to carry on coherent conversations on selected topics, read simple texts and compose short pieces in Gujarati.		LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE
GUJR 422-680	INTERMEDIATE GUJARATI I	DESAI, RAKI	MW 0700PM-0830PM	This course is designed as a continuation of beginning Gujarati. The course objectives are to expand the mastery of sentence patterns and augment vocabulary and its usage through intensive grammar and comprehension exercises. A special emphasis will be placed on greater cultural awareness. Upon completion of this course students should be able to interact socially with added confidence and greater expressiveness. Students should also experience a great improvement in their comprehension of spoken and written language. During the second year of Gujarati, students are introduced to progressively more difficult reading selections, along with additional instructions in the formal grammar of the language. To maintain and develop oral and aural command of the language, readings are discussed in Gujarati. To develop their writing abilities, students are also expected to compose short essays on their readings.		PRIOR LANGUAGE EXPERIENCE REQUIRED; LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE; THE FIRST TERM OF A TWO-TERM COURSE
HIND 400-401	BEGINNING HINDI-URDU - Part I	PIEN, JOSHUA	MTWR 1200PM-0100PM	This introductory course core proficiency in Hindi-Urdu up to the intermediate level. It is designed for students with little or no prior exposure to Hindi or Urdu. The course covers all four language skills (speaking, lsitening, reading, and writing) and all three models of communication (interpersonal, presentational, interpretive). Students will develop literacy skills in the primary script of their choice (Hindi or Urdu script). All written materials will be provided in both scripts. All meetings are interactive and students acquire the language by using it in realistic contexts. Culture is embedded in the activities and is also introduced through various authentic materials.
HIND 420-001	INTERMEDIATE HINDI I	PIEN, JOSHUA	TR 1030AM-1200PM	In Intermediate Hindi the student continues to develop the four language skills, with an emphasis on real-life situations--through hearing and practicing conversation on everyday topics, reading a variety of authentic texts ranging from advertisements to short stories, watching segments of current films, and carrying out short research projects using Hindi sources. There is a strong emphasis on vocabulary development and on using contextually appropriate styles of spoken and written Hindi.		LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE
HIND 430-001	Readings in Hindi Literature	PIEN, JOSHUA	MW 0200PM-0330PM	Advanced Hindi aims at systematically developing higher level linguistic functions and cultural nuances. Students learn to describe, narrate and support opinions in informal and formal styles. The objective of the course is to promote a meaningful interaction with written literature and with native speakers in a socially acceptable manner in a variety of simple and complicated situations. A variety of authentic materials are used, such as short stories, plays, newspapers, magazines, videos, television and radio broadcasts, and interviews. Every semester the course materials and foci vary depending on the needs and interests of students in the class.		PRIOR LANGUAGE EXPERIENCE REQUIRED; LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE
HIND 500-001	BEG HIN/URD FOR GRADS	SREENIVASAN, RAMYA	TBA TBA-	Beginning in the fall semester of 2014 Beginning Hindi and Beginning Urdu will be merged into a single course, Beginning Hindi-Urdu. At the beginning level spoken Urdu and Hindi are identical except for a few minor points. The broad outline of the course will thus remain the same as that of the current Beginning Hindi and Urdu courses. Students will learn to communicate with the language in a variety of everyday culturally authentic situations. Additional Urdu and Hindi culture will be integrated through authentic materials such as Bollywood film and music clips, and simple written texts. There will be equal emphasis on both scripts and cultures, and parallel written materials will be provided in both scripts. Students will be expected to develop first-year proficiency in one script of their choice, and will be encouraged to learn both. By merging the two courses students will be exposed to a broader range of linguistic and cultural styles, and students will thus have the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding that more closely resembles that of Hindi and Urdu native speakers. Please direct further inquiries to Josh Pien at jpien@sas.upenn.edu See schedule and classroom for HIND400/401
HIND 520-001	INTERMEDIATE HIND GRADS	SREENIVASAN, RAMYA	TBA TBA-	In Intermediate Hindi the student continues to develop the four language skills, with an emphasis on real-life situations--through hearing and practicing conversation on everyday topics, reading a variety of authentic texts ranging from advertisements to short stories, watching segments of current films, and carrying out short research projects using Hindi sources. There is a strong emphasis on vocabulary development and on using contextually appropriate styles of spoken and written Hindi.
HIND 530-001	ADV HINDI FOR GRADS	SREENIVASAN, RAMYA	TBA TBA-	Advanced Hindi aims at systematically developing higher level linguistic functions and cultural nuances. Students learn to describe, narrate and support opinions in informal and formal styles. The objective of the course is to promote a meaningful interaction with written literature and with native speakers in a socially acceptable manner in a variety of simple and complicated situations. A variety of authentic materials are used, such as short stories, plays, newspapers, magazines, videos, television and radio broadcasts, and interviews. Every semester the course materials and foci vary depending on the needs and interests of students in the class.
MLYM 408-680	BEGINNING MALAYALAM I	KURICHI, JAMES	TR 0600PM-0800PM	This course is designed to develop skills in reading, writing, and speaking. It will focus on the alphabet, basic vocabulary, nouns (cases, gender and number), verbs and their basic tenses, numerals, rules of joining words, adjectives, adverbs, and sentence structure. Guided conversation will be a part of every class. Students will receive considerable training in speaking and writing their own sentences and paragraphs.		LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE; THE FIRST TERM OF A TWO-TERM COURSE
MLYM 428-680	INTERMEDIATE MALAYALAM I	KURICHI, JAMES	MW 0600PM-0730PM	This course is designed to further the language skills learned in Beginning Malayalam. Direct and indirect speech, passive voice, postpositions, and rules of joining words, will be included. Reading and discussion of texts from current Malayalam literature (essays, narration, short stories, and poems) will be a major portion of the course.		PRIOR LANGUAGE EXPERIENCE REQUIRED; LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE; THE FIRST TERM OF A TWO-TERM COURSE
MLYM 438-680	ADVANCED MALAYALAM	KURICHI, JAMES	MW 0430PM-0600PM	Reading, writing, comprehension, grammer and speaking at the advanced level of Malayam are the objectives of this course.
PUNJ 404-680	BEGINNING PUNJABI I	GAHUNIA, AMRIT	MW 0430PM-0630PM	This course emphasizes speaking and reading skills in Punjabi. Upon completion of this course, students should be able to interact meaningfully and in a socially acceptable manner in a variety of simple situations involving everyday conversational topics. Further, students should be able to read and understand the main idea and most details of simple connected texts. This course will utilize authentic printed, audio, and video materials and will provide opportunities for natural communication both within and outside the classroom.		LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE; THE FIRST TERM OF A TWO-TERM COURSE
PUNJ 424-680	INTERMEDIATE PUNJABI I	GAHUNIA, AMRIT	TR 0430PM-0600PM	This course is designed as a continuation of Beginning Punjabi, but can also be taken by anyone who can demonstrate a similar level in proficiency of the language. The course objectives are to expand the mastery of sentence patterns and augment vocabulary and its usage through intensive grammar review and comprehension exercises. A special emphasis will also be placed on greater cultural awareness. Upon completion of this course students should be able to interact socially with added confidence and greater expressiveness. Students should also experience a great improvement in their comprehension of the spoken and written language.		PRIOR LANGUAGE EXPERIENCE REQUIRED; LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE; THE FIRST TERM OF A TWO-TERM COURSE
PUNJ 434-680	ADVANCED PUNJABI	GAHUNIA, AMRIT	TBA TBA-	The objective of the course is to improve proficiency in speaking, listening, reading and writing. Fall semester: Readings in Punjabi Literature - This course addresses the individual needs of learners. This is a one semester course. The focus of the course will be to study the interpretation of written and oral materials on social, political and contemporary cultural topics from modern literature, literary criticism, poetry and drama. Weekly written compositions and oral presentations will be assigned. Grading will be based on this. Spring semester: Punjabi Popular Culture- This course focuses on different aspects of popular Punjabi culture as they are represented in media - television, internet, magazines, newspapers, film, and music. This course aims at making the best use of class participation to improve all four language skills. This is also a one semester course.
SAST 001-401	INTRO TO MODERN INDIA	ALI, DAUD	TR 0600PM-0730PM	This introductory course will provide an outline of major events and themes in Indian history, from the Mughal Empire in the 16th century to the re-emergence of India as a global player in the 21st century. The course will discuss the following themes: society and economy in Mughal India; global trade between India and the West in the 17th century; the rise of the English East India Company's control over Indian subcontinent in the 18th century; its emergence and transformation of India into a colonial economy; social and religious reform movements in the 19th century; the emergence of elite and popular anti-colonial nationalisms; independence and the partition of the subcontinent; the emergence of the world's largest democracy; the making of an Indian middle class; and the nuclearization of South Asia.	History & Tradition Sector (all classes)	CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; HISTORY & TRADITION SECTOR; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS
SAST 004-401	INDIA'S LITERATURE	GOULDING, GREGORY	MW 0200PM-0330PM	This course introduces students to the extraordinary quality of literary production during the past four millennia of South Asian civilization. We will read texts in translation from all parts of South Asia up to the sixteenth century. We will read selections from hymns, lyric poems, epics, wisdom literature, plays, political works, and religious texts.	Arts & Letters Sector (all classes)	ARTS & LETTERS SECTOR
SAST 008-401	INDIA: CULTURE & SOCIETY	SEVEA, TERENJIT	TR 1200PM-0130PM	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.	Hum & Soc Sci Sector (new curriculum only)	HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCE SECTOR
SAST 050-401	INTRODUCTION TO INDIAN PHILOSOPHY	PATEL, DEVEN	TR 0430PM-0600PM	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, standards of proof, the discourse on the aims of life. The readings will emphasize classical Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain philosophical articulations (from 700 B.C.E to 16th century CE) but we will also supplement our study of these materials with contemporary or relatively recent philosophical writings in modern India.	History & Tradition Sector (all classes)	CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; HISTORY & TRADITION SECTOR; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS
SAST 057-301	PLANNING TO BE OFFSHORE	GANGULEE, SRILATA	TR 1200PM-0130PM	Freshman Seminar. 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 058-401	Doing Research: Qualitative Methods and Research	MITCHELL, LISA	CANCELED	This interdisciplinary course introduces students to qualitative research methods and frameworks in the social sciences and humanities. The goals of the semester will be for each student to develop their own research proposal for a specific project that they could imagine pursuing over the summer or later in their undergraduate career,and to develop a web-based exhibit of one Penn-based research collection of interest. Students will be introduced to a range of textual, archival and media collections and databases available at Penn, with particular attention to South Asia and other specific regions of interest to course participants. The class will visit the Penn Musuem object collections and archives, the Art library, the Kislak Center for Rare Books and Manuscripts, Film Archives, and other special collections on campus, and meet with a representative from the Center for Undergraduate Research Funding (CURF). Students will learn how to frame an effective research question, situate it in relation to existing research, select the most appropriate methods for addressing the question, and develop an effective research plan. Each week students will be introduced to a new set of frameworks for analysis, see specific examples of their application drawn from anthropological, historical, and related scholarship and have opportunities to practice applying and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of specific methodological tools. Students will also have the opportunity to identify sources of funding for summer research projects and prepare applications for these opportunities as part of the course. The course is ideal as an introduction to both the excellent libraries and research collections housed at Penn, and to a wide range of intellectual frameworks for engaging with these collections - a great way to kick off your undergraduate experience at Penn!		CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; FRESHMAN SEMINAR; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS; FRESHMAN SEMINAR
SAST 063-401	East&West:A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Cultural History of the Modern World	CANNON, BRIAN	TR 0300PM-0430PM	Sugar and Spices. Tea and Coffee. Opium and Cocaine. Hop aboard the Indian Ocean dhows, Chinese junks, Dutch schooners, and British and American clipper ships that made possible the rise of global capitalism, new colonial relationships, and the intensified forms of cultural change. How have the desires to possess and consume particular commodities shaped cultures and the course of modern history? This class introduces students to the cultural history of the modern world through an interdisciplinary analysis of connections between East and West, South and North. Following the circulation of commodities and the development of modern capitalism, the course examines the impact of global exchange on interactions and relationships between regions, nations, cultures, and peoples and the influences on cultural practices and meanings. The role of slavery and labor migrations, colonial and imperial relations, and struggles for economic and political independence are also considered. From the role of spices in the formation of European joint stock companies circa 1600 to the contemporary cocaine trade, the course's use of both original primary sources and secondary readings written by historians and anthropologists will enable particular attention to the ways that global trade has impacted social, cultural, and political formations and practices throughout the world.	Hum & Soc Sci Sector (new curriculum only)	HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCE SECTOR
SAST 063-402	East&West:A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Cultural History of the Modern World	DASGUPTA, ISHANI	TR 0130PM-0300PM	Sugar and Spices. Tea and Coffee. Opium and Cocaine. Hop aboard the Indian Ocean dhows, Chinese junks, Dutch schooners, and British and American clipper ships that made possible the rise of global capitalism, new colonial relationships, and the intensified forms of cultural change. How have the desires to possess and consume particular commodities shaped cultures and the course of modern history? This class introduces students to the cultural history of the modern world through an interdisciplinary analysis of connections between East and West, South and North. Following the circulation of commodities and the development of modern capitalism, the course examines the impact of global exchange on interactions and relationships between regions, nations, cultures, and peoples and the influences on cultural practices and meanings. The role of slavery and labor migrations, colonial and imperial relations, and struggles for economic and political independence are also considered. From the role of spices in the formation of European joint stock companies circa 1600 to the contemporary cocaine trade, the course's use of both original primary sources and secondary readings written by historians and anthropologists will enable particular attention to the ways that global trade has impacted social, cultural, and political formations and practices throughout the world.	Hum & Soc Sci Sector (new curriculum only)	HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCE SECTOR
SAST 104-401	BEGINNING TABLA I	BHATTI, AQEEL	MW 0500PM-0630PM	An introduction to the tabla, the premier drum of north Indian and Pakistani classical music traditions.
SAST 106-001	BEGINNING SITAR I	GOKHALE, JAGADEESH	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.
SAST 139-401	INTRODUCTION TO ISLAM	AHMED, TANVIR	TR 1030AM-1200PM	This course is an introduction to Islam as a religion as it exists in societies of the past as well as the present. It explores the many ways in which Muslims have interpreted and put into practice the prophetic message of Muhammad through historical and social analyses of varying theological, philosophical, legal, political, mystical and literary writings, as well as through visual art and music. The aim of the course is to develop a framework for explaining the sources and symbols through which specific experiences and understandings have been signified as Islamic, both by Muslims and by other peoples with whom they have come into contact, with particular emphasis given to issues of gender, religious violence and changes in beliefs and behaviors which have special relevance for contemporary society.		CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS
SAST 147-401	LOVE SEX AND DEATH	ELIAS, JAMAL	CANCELED	This course explores the ways in which some of the biggest issues in human life are dealt with across religious traditions. Beginning with important questions of sexual identity, politics, religion and the individual in contemporary life, we will examine questions of eroticism, sex and love as they are reflected in religious literature, art and history. The concept of divine love and religious devotion will be explored in relation to acts of violence, including human sacrifice and self-sacrifice in the form of martyrdom seen in pre-modern concepts of saintly martyrdom and religious chivalry as well as the religious legitimacy of modern self-sacrifice of soldiers in war and terrorist suicides. The course focuses in particular on examples drawn fromChristianity, Hinduism, Islam and Mesoamerican Religion, although discussions of contemporary issues will be conducted with a broader sweep. Important questions considered in this course include: how does the body function as the locus in which religion is enacted? What is the conflic between our agency over our bodies and socioreligious claims over the individual? Is violence an integral part of religion? What are religious understandings of the relationship between love and sex? How can a human being love gods erotically?
SAST 162-001	HISTORY OF SOUTH ASIAN DIASPORA		CANCELED	While Indian influence has been noted in Asia, and parts of the West, the Indian Diaspora over several thousand years has had profound impacts on social, cultural, economic, political, religious, and linguistic norms around the world. This course seeks to highlight the outward migration of Indic peoples and ideas to other parts of the world beginning in the late Vedic era. Key areas of examination include Indic influence on Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa, and British Commonwealth countries after colonialism. In addition to examining primary source texts, students will engage with the works of Diasporic writers and thinkers.
SAST 169-401	WORLDS OF INDIAN OCEAN	PETRIE, IAN	CANCELED	Do oceans serve to divide and demarcate distinct cultures and regions? Or do they facilitate exchange, connection and cosmopolitanism? This course will explore 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 military commanders, to traders, brokers, sailors, prisoners and slaves. Course materials will draw on a variety of disciplines (anthroplogy, archaeology, material culture, religious studies) to construct the cultural, economic, and environmental history of the Indian Ocean.
SAST 171-401	DEVOTION'S NEW MARKET: RELIGION, ECONOMICS, AND THE CITY	MOHAMMAD, MAHBOOB	M 0500PM-0800PM	This graduate and undergraduate level course introduces students to the new forms of devotion as circulated in various urban centers in South Asia with a focus on growing market economy and urbanization. This course will particularly discuss case studies of how different modes of Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and other minor religions operate in an urbanized middle-class and educated communities. We will read theoretical and ethnographical works of contemporary research in religious studies and anthropology that deal with the questions of modernity, reformism and economic developmentalism. Throughout the semester, we focus on 1) how does religious forms such as sainthood practices, private and public rituals, narrative modes and everyday life evolve in the background of growing politics of development; 2) we discuss the tensions between classical notions of devotion and their new transformations in the city life, and finally 3) theoretically, we analyze concepts such as reformism, fundamentalism, recent discourses on identity politics and gender implications as connected to urban religious life.
SAST 217-302	CU IN INDIA		CANCELED	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 or South East Asia where students participate in 1) 28 classrom hours in the Fall term 2) a 12-day trip to India or South East Asia with the instructor during the winter break visiting key sites and conducting original research (sites vary) 3) 28 classroom hours at Penn in the Spring term and 4) a research paper, due at the end of the Spring term. Course enrollment is limited 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		PERMISSION NEEDED FROM INSTRUCTOR
SAST 217-401	CU IN INDIA: THE PERFORMING ARTS OF MODERN SOUTH INDIA	SONEJI, DAVESH	MW 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 or South East Asia where students participate in 1) 28 classrom hours in the Fall term 2) a 12-day trip to India or South East Asia with the instructor during the winter break visiting key sites and conducting original research (sites vary) 3) 28 classroom hours at Penn in the Spring term and 4) a research paper, due at the end of the Spring term. Course enrollment is limited 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		PERMISSION NEEDED FROM INSTRUCTOR
SAST 252-401	MUS/REL/RITUAL S&SE ASIA	SYKES, JIM	MW 0200PM-0330PM	What role does music play in articulating religious identities and spaces? What is the importance of ritual musics as they persist and change in the modern world? How does music reflect and articulate religious ways of thinking and acting? In this course, we explore these and other questions about the interrelations between music, religion, and ritual in South and Southeast Asia. Focusing on India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Indonesia, the course emphasizes musics from Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim and Christian traditions; nevertheless, it draws widely to touch upon sacred musics in Pakistan, Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, and among some indigenous peoples in the region. Throughout, we explore ontologies of sound; sonic occurrences in religious structures, public processions, and pilgrimage sites; the construction of religion and ritual as ideas forged through colonial encounter and modern scholarship on religion; the politics of sacred sounds in today's public spaces and contemporary media, such as television and online; and the surprising fluidity between popular and sacred musical genres.
SAST 290-401	SOUTH ASIANS IN THE US	KHAN, FARIHA	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.		CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN US; CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE US
SAST 340-401	Religious Bodies and Sex in South Asia	SEVEA, TERENJIT	R 0300PM-0600PM	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.
SAST 405-680	BEGINNING PASHTU I	MURTAZA, GHULAM	CANCELED	The first semester is focused on mastering the writing system, basic structures, and simple conversation using texts, writing samples, and numerous structure and dialogue drills.We remain within the present and future tenses only, developing vocabulary with lessons and discussions centered around greetings, family, weather, foods, and directions. Students use authentic online and textbook materials.		LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE; THE FIRST TERM OF A TWO-TERM COURSE
SAST 407-680	BEGINNING KANNADA I	SWAMINATHAN, VIJAYALAKSHMI	MW 0400PM-0600PM	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	MW 0300PM-0500PM	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; THE FIRST TERM OF A TWO-TERM COURSE
SAST 412-680	INTERMEDIATE MARATHI I	RANADE, MILIND	MW 0500PM-0630PM	Intermediate Marathi builds up upon the Beginning Level of Marathi. Gaining ability to speak about past and future is the most important skill in the intermediate course. Students learn the grammar, vocabulary, sentence structures to narrate and write in simple language about their experiences, short anecdotes, their observations and opinions and future plans.		PRIOR LANGUAGE EXPERIENCE REQUIRED; LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE; THE FIRST TERM OF A TWO-TERM COURSE
SAST 425-680	INTERMEDIATE PASHTU I	MURTAZA, GHULAM	CANCELED	A more in-depth study of the Pashto language. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening comprehension are all stressed in this more advanced course which also builds on the grammer of beginning level.		PRIOR LANGUAGE EXPERIENCE REQUIRED; LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE; THE FIRST TERM OF A TWO-TERM COURSE
SAST 427-680	INTERMEDIATE KANNADA I	SWAMINATHAN, VIJAYALAKSHMI	MW 0600PM-0730PM	This course continues the study of the Kannada language and culture from where the beigginers II course ended. The course continues developing listening and comprehension and a real life interactive speaking ability in a variety of everyday topics. The Kannada script is learned in its socio-cultural context for achieving a meaningful and operational control of the language. Students acquire 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.		PRIOR LANGUAGE EXPERIENCE REQUIRED; LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE; THE FIRST TERM OF A TWO-TERM COURSE
SAST 517-401	CU IN INDIA: THE PERFORMING ARTS OF MODERN SOUTH INDIA	SONEJI, DAVESH	MW 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 or South East Asia where students participate in 1) 28 classrom hours in the Fall term 2) a 12-day trip to India or South East Asia with the instructor during the winter break visiting key sites and conducting original research (sites vary) 3) 28 classroom hours at Penn in the Spring term and 4) a research paper, due at the end of the Spring term. Course enrollment is limited 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
SAST 552-640	Philosophy East and West: An Introduction to Indian and Chinese Philosophy	PATEL, DEVEN	T 0630PM-0940PM	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, standards of proof, the discourse on the aims of life. The readings will emphasize classical Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain philosophical articulations (from 700 B.C.E. to 16th century CE) but we will also supplement our study of these materials with contemporary or relatively recent philosophical writings in modern India.
SAST 571-401	DEVOTION'S NEW MARKET: RELIGION, ECONOMICS, AND THE CITY	MOHAMMAD, MAHBOOB	M 0500PM-0800PM	This graduate and undergraduate level course introduces students to the new forms of devotion as circulated in various urban centers in South Asia with a focus on growing market economy and urbanization. This course will particularly discuss case studies of how different modes of Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and other minor religions operate in an urbanized middle-class and educated communities. We will read theoretical and ethnographical works of contemporary research in religious studies and anthropology that deal with the questions of modernity, reformism and economic developmentalism. Throughout the semester, we focus on 1) how does religious forms such as sainthood practices, private and public rituals, narrative modes and everyday life evolve in the background of growing politics of development; 2) we discuss the tensions between classical notions of devotion and their new transformations in the city life, and finally 3) theoretically, we analyze concepts such as reformism, fundamentalism, recent discourses on identity politics and gender implications as connected to urban religious life.
SAST 627-401	SOUTH ASIAN LITERATURE AS COMPARATIVE LITERATURE	GOULDING, GREGORY	T 0300PM-0600PM	This course takes up the question of reading South Asian Literature both as a collection of diverse literary cultures, as well as the basis for a methodology of reading that takes language, region, and history into account. It takes as a starting point recent work that foregrounds the importance of South Asian language literatures, and their complex inteactions, to an understanding of South Asian literary history, as well as critiques of the concept of world literature that question its underlying assumptions and frequent reliance on cosmopolitan languages such as English. In what ways can we describe the many complex interactions between literary cultures in SOuth Asia, rooted in specific historical contexts, reading practices, and cultural expectations, while maintaing attention to language and literary form? How, in turn, can we begin to think of these literatures in interation with larger conversations in the world? With these considerations in mind, we will examine works of criticism dealing with both modern and pre-modern literatures, primarily but not exclusively focused on South Asia. Topics will include the concept of the cosmopolis in literary and cultural history, the role of translation, the transformations of literature under colonialism, and twentieth centure literary movements such as realism and Dalit literature. Readings may include works by Erich Auerbach, Frederic Jameson, Aijaz Ahmad, Gayatri Spivak, Aamir Mufti, Sheldon Pollack, David Shulman, Yigal Bronner, Shamshur Rahman Faruqi, Francesca Orsini, Subramanian Shankar, Sharankumar Kimbale, and Torlae Jatin Gajarawala. We will also examine selected works, in English and in translation, as case studies for discussion. This course is intended both for students who intend to specialize in the study of South Asia, as well as for those who focus on questions of comparative literature more broadly.
SAST 640-401	RELIGIOUS BODIES AND SEX IN SOUTH ASIA	SEVEA, TERENJIT	R 0300PM-0600PM	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.
SAST 645-401	RELIGION IN MODERN SOUTH ASIA	SONEJI, DAVESH	F 0200PM-0500PM
SAST 686-401	HISTORY OF ISLAM IN ASIA	ROBB, MEGAN	M 1000AM-0100PM	This class is designed to structure reflection on Islam and Islamic culture in South Asia-- Indonesia, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. Contrary to the popular perception that the Middle East defines Islam, Asian countries not only host the most Muslims in the world but have been the source of some of Islam's most important social and reform movements in the last three hundred years. This class looks at the history of Muslim societies across Asia not just as a religious community but also as a social and cultural bloc (a distinctive part of what Marshall Hodgson called the 'Islamicate' world, but also an area that challenges some of Hodgson's assumptions about the Islamicate world). This course allows for the study of the Muslim world between the years1700 to present. The class will allow students to compare and contrast Muslim societies over the last three centuries, examine points of confluence for geographically- or culturally- distinct Muslim peoples in the last three centuries, and in their writing assignments focus on the history of one society in a wider Islamicate context. In the process students will gain a more nuanced awareness of how Islam has made an impact in Asian countries, and how Asian countries have in turn impacted Islam.
SKRT 460-001	SANSKRIT 1ST YEAR PART I		MWF 1100AM-1200PM	During the first semester of beginning Sanskrit, students will be introduced to the script, phonetics, and grammar of the Sanskrit language. By the end of the semester they will be able to begin to read Sanskrit texts and compose Sanskrit sentences in addition to carrying out simple conversation. They will build the requisite skills to read, by the second semester, simple inscriptions and sections from texts like the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Bhagavad Gita, Pancatantra, and Yoga Sutra. Students will also be introduced to many features of Sanskrit culture.		LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE
SKRT 470-001	SANSKRIT 2ND YEAR PART I		MF 0200PM-0330PM	This course will lead students to consolidate their knowledge of Sanskrit grammar and increase their familiarity with Sanskrit literature of all kinds, including epic, literary, philosophical, and narrative genres of texts. It will also introduce students to the study and reading of inscriptional materials.		LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE
SKRT 480-301	READINGS IN SANKRIT LIT		MF 0330PM-0500PM	This course is for advanced students of Sanskrit. Designed as a seminar, the course aims to take students through the primary and secondary sources of Sanskrit literary and phlosophical production. Each semester will focus on a different genre: epic, belles-lettres, lyric poetry, drama, philosophy, shastra, advanced grammar, history, poetics, and epigraphy. We will focus on original sources, secondary scholarship, and theoretical approaches toward the translation and study of Sanskrit texts.
TAML 406-680	BEGINNING TAMIL I	RENGANATHAN, VASU	MW 0500PM-0700PM	This course introduces students to colloquial Tamil and formal written Tamil. A balance between production skills, namely writing and speaking, and comprehension skills, namely reading and listening, will be maintained throughout the course. Reading materials will introduce students to customs and habits of the Tamil speakers in Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Singapore. Lessons in the class will be based on a set of Tamil learning lessons and videos made available at http://www.southasia.upenn.edu/tamil and the book by the Instructor titled "Tamil Language in Context", information available at http://www.thetamillanguage.com. By the end of the semester, students will have a working knowledge in reading Tamil text with a basic skill to write and speak the language at ACTFL's Beginner mid level.		LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE
TAML 426-680	INTERMEDIATE TAMIL I	RENGANATHAN, VASU	TR 0500PM-0630PM	This course develops the skills obtained either from the Beginning Tamil course or from students' prior exposure to Tamil by some other means. Basic knowledge of Tamil script, reading and writing in Tamil is required to take this course. Heavy emphasis will be made on using the language in actual environments both in spoken medium and in written medium. Multimedia materials such as audio and video facilities from the book and the website Tamil Language in Context (http://www.southasia.upenn.edu/tamil) will be used extensively to provide students an exposure to the Tamil culture and customs as followed in Tamilnadu, India. Besides improving their speech and writing, students will also be introduced gradually to Tamil literature, which has two thousand years of literary history. The learning process in this course will be facilitated by the lessons and videos as provided in the website and the book. By the end of this course, students will have ACTFL's intermediate mid level proficiency in Tamil.		PRIOR LANGUAGE EXPERIENCE REQUIRED; LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE; THE FIRST TERM OF A TWO-TERM COURSE
TAML 446-680	ADVANCED TAMIL	RENGANATHAN, VASU	TR 0630PM-0800PM	This course is a continuation of the Advance Tamil Course I and its primary focus is to concentrate particularly on any one of the genres of the Tamil language namely Sangam, medieval or modern Tamil, which span a vast variety of texts from Aham, Puram, religious poems along with a whole array of Tamil inscriptions. The familiarity from Advanced Tamil I course will be adequately used to master in any aspect of these three genres of the Tamil language. Based on the general interests of the students who are enrolled in this course specific variety of the text to concentrate upon will be selected. In the past, we have read poems from the Sangam genre Purananuru, Ahananuru, Silappatikaram, Manimekalai etc., along with the parallel religious poems from Tirumurai, Nalayira Divyaprabandam and so on. We have also read as part of this course texts from Islam literature, Tamil inscriptions and other related kinds. Text from the instructors book (to be published), "Ilakkiyap payaNangkaL" will be used to give a birds eye view to students about Tamil literature and the transitions that took place from Sangam, medieval and modern period. This course will train students to have a near-native proficiency in Tamil along with a professional skill in any particular variety of the Tamil language.		PRIOR LANGUAGE EXPERIENCE REQUIRED; LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE; ONE TERM COURSE
TELU 409-001	BEGINNING TELUGU I	MOHAMMAD, MAHBOOB	MTWR 1200PM-0100PM MTWR 1200PM-0100PM	This course introduces students to the basic Telugu language skills, with an emphasis on practice for listening comprehension, and speaking Telugu. Combined with exposure to Andhra culture, the classroom and online work in this course will enable interested students to pursue further language study in Telugu at the intermediate level, to carry out field research in Andhra Pradesh, or to prepare them to advanced work in Telugu Studies. An introduction to Telugu like this will also be useful for students who just want to acquire basic Telugu language skills for learning a new language or being able to communicate with Telugu speaking family and friends or to enjoy Telugu music and films.		LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE
TELU 429-001	INTERMEDIATE TELUGU I	MOHAMMAD, MAHBOOB	MW 0200PM-0330PM	This course is designed to expand the students' basic language skills in Telugu in order to allow them to function adequately in a Telugu-speaking environment, to immerse themselves in the rich Andhra culture, and to accomplish a more advanced competency in an interesting foreign language. This course is also aimed at students planning to conduct scholarly research in Telugu history, literature or society, or humanities or social science fieldwork in Telugu speaking areas.		PRIOR LANGUAGE EXPERIENCE REQUIRED; PENN LANGUAGE CENTER PERMISSION NEEDED; LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE; THE FIRST TERM OF A TWO-TERM COURSE
URDU 401-401	BEGINNING HINDI-URDU - PART I	PIEN, JOSHUA	MTWR 1200PM-0100PM	This introductory course core proficiency in Hindi-Urdu up to the intermediate level. It is designed for students with little or no prior exposure to Hindi or Urdu. The course covers all four language skills (speaking, lsitening, reading, and writing) and all three models of communication (interpersonal, presentational, interpretive). Students will develop literacy skills in the primary script of their choice (Hindi or Urdu script). All written materials will be provided in both scripts. All meetings are interactive and students acquire the language by using it in realistic contexts. Culture is embedded in the activities and is also introduced through various authentic materials.
URDU 421-401	INTERMEDIATE URDU I	MENAI, MUSTAFA	TR 1030AM-1200PM	This course allows students to continue improving their Urdu proficiency while also gaining a broad foundational understanding of Urdu society and culture throughout South Asia. The course provides students the tols needed to handle a variety of authentic written and spoken Urdu sources including film, music, media reports, folk tales, and simple literature. Student will also continue to increase their speaking and writing proficiency to be able to discuss a broad range of concrete, real-world topics. The course is designed for students with one year previous Urdu or Hindi study or the equivalent proficiency. Students with speaking ability in Urdu or Hindi but without reading/writing skills are encouraged to contact the instructor for placement.		LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE
URDU 431-401	ADVANCED URDU	MENAI, MUSTAFA	TR 0130PM-0300PM	This course is designed to give in-depth exposure to some of the finest works of classical and modern Urdu prose and poetry along with the historical and socio-political trends they represent. Figures covered range from Ghalib (b.1797) to Faiz, Fehmida Riaz, and post 9/11 Urdu prose and poetry. The course is open to both undergraduates and graduate students, subject to having intermediate level proficiency. The course is repeatable, and hte content changes every semester. Multi-media content such as music, videos, blogs etc. will be actively incorporated. Every effort will be made to accommidate individual interests. Students are encouraged to contact the instructor with any questions, or if they are unsure about eligibility.		CROSS CULTURAL ANALYSIS; CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS; LANGUAGE SKILLS COURSE
URDU 452-301	URDU POETRY IN TRANSLATION: SUFISM	MENAI, MUSTAFA	TR 1200PM-0130PM	This course will look at Urdu-Hindi expressions of resistance to militant fundamentalism trends, as well as literature resisting the influence of liberal progressive thought. Through comparisons of these divergent trends, we will explore the real inersections, comfortable comprises and contradictions that are internalized by people on the ground in developing societies. The historical and linguistic roots of resistance poetry will be studied, contrasting South Asian Urdu-Hindi poetry and prose (original and translated) with resistance movements from other parts of the world. This course provides students with the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of Urdu culture, literature, and society while expanding and refining their Urdu language skills. We will explore various social, political, and cultural issues through authentic sources such as journalism and media, prose literature and poetry, and film and music. The course is designed to be flexible to address students' needs and interests. It targets students with two years of Urdu study or the equivalent proficiency.