How do you imagine a country that has more than twenty official languages, at least seven major religions, and over a billion people? From Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of India as a civilization of peace, to contemporary Bollywood’s staging of India as a contentious democracy, we’ll explore how activists, authors, and filmmakers have helped us to understand the world’s second-largest country.
We’ll read fiction and non-fiction by authors like Mulk Raj Anand, Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Salman Rushdie, Bapsi Sidhwa, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Arundhati Roy. We will also watch influential Bollywood movies like Mother India (1957), Lagaan (2002), and Newton (2017).
Course Requirements:
Evaluation: two papers and one in-class presentation
Intended Audience:
Online-only students are welcome!
Class Format:
Exams: N/A
Lectures: Synchronous and Online
Class Discussions: Synchronous and Online/In-Person