Instructor: Dr. Jeff Chamberlain	Course Requirements
Course Description	WWW Resources
Course Objectives	Grading Scale
Texts/Documents	Tentative Course Schedule

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Course Description:

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Course Objectives:

1. Have an appreciation for the culture, religion and lifestyle of this strange (to western eyes) and wonderful place.
2. Be sensitive and open to diversity and multicultural issues.
3. Be able to give an overview of the persons, movements, events and ideas which characterized the history of India.
4. Be able to explain some of the most important legacies which India has left to the world.
5. Be able to communicate the above using oral (discussion and presentation) and written skills.
6. Be able to locate and use some of the most significant resources available for the study of India on the World Wide Web.
7. Be able to teach a lesson on Indian history and culture.

Text/Documents:

• Khushwant Singh, India: An Introduction. New Delhi: Vision Books, 1990, 1994.

• Khushwant Singh, Train to Pakistan. New York: Grove Press, 1956, 1981.

• Gita Mehta, Snakes and Ladders: Glimpses of Modern India. New York: Anchor Books, 1997.

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Course Requirements:

1. Class Participation.You are expected to attend class, be prepared for it (i.e., read the assigned readings) and participate in discussion. You should be familiar with the texts and other readings. See the Course Schedule for these. You will also be asked to be active in class (in ways such as role playing, debate, etc.), and your eagerness and participation in these activities will account for approximately a half of this grade. If it is evident that people are not reading, quizzes may be added as part of this grade. 20% of the course grade.
2. Group Presentations
• You will be asked to sign up in groups to do research both on the WWW and with printed materials on particular topics during the course (topics may include Ashoka and Buddhism, the Sikhs, the Mughals and their projects, the British conquest of India, the Revolt of 1857, the Afghan Wars, the role of women, issues of caste, and modern progress and challenges.) and present your findings to the class. The presentations should include and will be evaluated on the following elements:
• Visual display (computer presentation software, pictures, diagrams, etc.).  Use WWW links wherever possible.
• Typed bibliography of books, articles and Web pages on the topic. See Paperguide for formatting citations in bibliography.
• Active learning and/or creative teaching techniques. If you are an education major, this is the time to use the techniques you have learned. You also should demonstrate enthusiasm for your subject.
• Knowledgeableness will also be a grading criterion. You are expected to become the class experts on the topic.
Your group will be given both a collective grade and an individual grade. 15% of the course grade.
3. Exams. There will be two examinations: a midterm and a final. The midterm will count as 15% of the course grade. The final will count as 20% of the course grade.
4. Field/Cultural Experience.  You will be expected to complete at least two of the following projects on your own and turn in a 3-4 page paper describing each one. The paper should describe the experience, how it reflected the history and/or culture of India, and how it heightened or deepened your own understanding of Indian society.
• Visit a Hindu, Jain or Sikh temple. There is a Hindu temple in Lemont (630-972-0300--see The Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago), a Sikh temple in Palatine (1280 Winnetka, 847-358-1117, e-mail: SRSNEWS@aol.com), and a Jain temple in Bartlett. Note: if you have been to one of these, you must choose another option.  Do NOT go to the same temple twice.
• Visit a Muslim mosque (e.g. the Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview--847-430-5666). See also Mosques and Prayer Services in the Chicago suburbs.
• Visit the Indian quarter on Devon Ave. in Chicago, go to at least several shops, and dine at an authentic Indian restaurant.
• Correspond with someone in India via e-mail (you can frequently find correspondents through universities, listservs, etc. See, for example, IndiaConnect Penpals). You should ask questions about the culture and perspectives there, and should have at least 10 letters back and forth. All you need to do to report this is to turn in hard copies of the letters (both the ones you write and the ones you receive). If you take this option, you will only have to do one cultural experience (it will count double the others).  Your correspondent must be an Indian living in India, and must be at least 18 years old. Your letters should gather a significant amount of information--they should not be just a few lines about personal matters (it is fine to include personal matters, but your correspondence ought to answer many questions about what it is like to live in India).
• Interview someone from India. You should ask questions about where they are from and what their life was like there. Get as many details as possible.
• Follow the Indian news from newspapers, journals, or online sources (you should read an article or two a week). Many of the websites in the WWW Resources section contain news links, such as The Times of India, Frontline, or India Express.
Each trip/report will be worth 15% of the course grade. The first is due before Spring Break, the second on or before the last day of regular class. You may also do an additional one for extra credit (it will raise your final exam six points).

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WWW Resources: Places to Start

If you find sites that would make good links here, please e-mail me at jchamberlain@stfrancis.edu.

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Tentative Course Schedule

Please note: links are REQUIRED readings. The schedule (AND the links) are subject to change.

Thursday, 13 January: India Intro., pp. 7-17

• Please bring colored pencils or markers to class.
• Maps of India

Tuesday, 18 January: India Intro., 90-92; Snakes and Ladders, xv-xvii, 18-41

• Take the Indus River civilization tour; Note: don't try to print this whole thing out. Print out the first few pages (with key info.) and then just explore the rest.

• Hinduism and its festivals

Tuesday, 1 February: India Intro., pp. 48-59, 92-105;

• Jainism
• Jainworld
• Buddhism

• Ashoka
• The Arthashastra

Tuesday, 8 February: India Intro., pp. 60-69, 106-133

• The Muslim Invasion and its Impact

Tuesday, 15 February: India Intro., pp. 70-88

• Sikhism

Tuesday, 22 February: India Intro., pp. 134-140; First cultural experience due.

Thursday, 24 February: Snakes and Ladders, 124-130; Presentation on Robert Clive and the Coming of the English

Tuesday, 29 February: Midterm exam.

Thursday, 2 March: no class

Tuesday, 7 March: Spring Break--no class

Thursday, 9 March: Spring Break--no class

Tuesday, 14 March: India Intro., pp. 140-149

Thursday, 16 March: Snakes and Ladders, 211-240; Presentation on Afghan Wars

Tuesday, 21 March: India Intro., pp. 150-160

• Struggle for Independence
• Sepoy Rebellion
• SWAMI VIVEKANANDA
• BAL GANGADHAR TILAK
• Sri Aurobindo

Tuesday, 28 March: India Intro., pp. 161-170; Handout from V.S. Naipaul, An Area of Darkness, chap. 3: "The Colonial" (pp. 68-82)

• Questions on Naipaul:
• Who was the "colonial?" Why does Naipaul call him this? What were his complaints about India and why?

• Women & Children in India

Tuesday, 4 April: Snakes and Ladders, 3-17, 133-138

Thursday, 6 April: Train to Pakistan, 1-75

Tuesday, 11 April: India Intro., pp. 171-181; Snakes and Ladders, 139-156

Thursday: 13 April: Train to Pakistan, 77-116; Presentation on Caste

Tuesday, 18 April: India Intro., pp. 182-190

Thursday, 20 April: Snakes and Ladders, 157-175; Train to Pakistan, pp. 117-137.

Tuesday, 25 April: India Intro., pp. 191-206; Second cultural experience due.

1984: Attack on the Golden Temple Complex

Tuesday, 2 May: TBA

Final Exam Period: TBA
 
 

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