Dr. Rebecca Johns

University of South Florida

Spring 1999

Thursday, 1 - 4:50 pm

This course is designed to explore the human and physical geography of the South Asian region, including the countries of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. It is an introductory course that will survey the historical and physical foundations of the region, and then explore contemporary issues including economic development, agricultural innovation, communal conflict, population growth, regional geopolitics, popular culture, and environmental degradation.

The course format is based on lectures and discussions. Students are expected to complete the assigned readings, which are either on reserve in the library or will be distributed in class, prior to the class session in order to facilitate discussion and understanding.

Grades are based on three exams, two map quizzes, and in-class participation.

Exam #1 50 points

Exam #2 50 points

Exam #3 50 points

Quiz #1 20 points

Quiz #2 20 points

Participation 10 points

Exams will be comprised of short answer and short essay questions.

There will be no make-up exams except under extreme conditions.

There will be no make-up quizzes under any circumstances.

Please become familiar with the classroom guidelines attached at the end of the syllabus, and with the university’s policies on academic honesty.

Topics: (subject to change)

January 7th: Physical Geography: Defining the Region

January 14th: The People: Language, Religion & Everyday Life

excerpts from the Mahabharata

excerpts from The Cultural Atlas of South Asia

"The Environments of South Asia", B.H. Farmer

January 21st: Early History: from the Indus Civilization to the Mughal Empire

"The Antecedents" and "The Impact of Aryan Culture" in Romila Thapar, A History of India

Modern History: from the East India Company to Partition and Independence

excerpts from The Cultural Atlas of India

Map Quiz#1: Physical Geography

January 28th: Population Distribution and Rates of Change; Development indicators

Rakku’s Story

February 4th: Exam #1

February 11th: Agricultural Production, the Green Revolution

February 18th: Economic History: From the Planned Economy to Neo-liberalization

The International Monetary Fundamentalism, Jeremy Seabrook

India’s New Economic Policy, JS Uppal, Journal of Economic Development

Feb. 25^th and March 4th: Geopolitics: the Non-Aligned Movement; Kashmir; Sri-Lanka; the nuclear question

India and Pakistan: collision or compromise? Foreign Policy Association

Avoiding War in Kashmir, Sumit Ganguly, Foreign Affairs

March 18th: Internal Politics of India: communalism and regionalism

excerpts from Documenting Communal Violence

excerpts from The Hindu

excerpts from Beyond Darkness

Khaki Shorts, Saffron Flags, Sarkar, Basu, Datta, Sen, Sarkar

Politics of Indian Secularism, Upadhyaya

video: Father, Son, and the Holy War

Map Quiz #2: Political Map of South Asia

March 25th: Exam #2 (AAG)

April 1st and 8th: Forms of Resistance: the Gandhian tradition, women, tribals, Muslims and out-castes, workers

excerpts from India’s Simmering Revolution

The Enemy Within: India’s Separatist Movements, Vidhyadharan

Films: "The Bandit Queen"/ "From the Burning Embers"

April 15th: Environmental Issues

"The Fight for the Forest", from This Fissured Land, R. Guha

"Chipko: Social History of An Environmental Movement," from The Unquiet Woods, Ramachandra Guha

"The Environmentalism of the Poor" in Varieties of Environmentalism

April 22nd: Entertainment: Bollywood, Dance, Classical Music, Popular Writers

clips from a Hindi Movie

excerpts from Midnight’s Children

April 29^th: Final Exam

Colonization of the Indian Economy, 1757-1900, Irfan Habib

Rakku’s Story, Sheila Zurbrigg, pages 19 - 41

Food Business, Multinationals and Labour, Gautum Mody

India’s Democracy in Transition, Francine Frankel

Religious vs. Regional Determinism, Graham Chapman

Politics and Organized Labor in India, E.A. Ramaswamy

India and Pakistan: collision or compromise? Foreign Policy Association

Conflicting Strategic Interests of the United States and India: Evaluating US Arms Supply to Pakistan, M.J. Vinood, International Studies, 1992

"Avoiding War in Kashmir," Sumit Ganguly, Foreign Affairs

"Chipko: Social History of An Environmental Movement," from The Unquiet Woods, Ramachandra Guha

"The Fight for the Forest," from This Fissured Land, R. Guha

Excerpts from The Hindu

Globalization and the Indian Trade Union Movement Today, T.A. Francis

"India’s New Economic Policy," JS Uppal, Journal of Economic Development

Indian Women Forge Ahead, Jessie Bl Tellis-Nayak

Beyond Darkness; Some Reflections on Communalism

The International Monetary Fundamentalism, Jeremy Seabrook

Masses, Classes and the State, Rajni Kothari

The Enemy Within: India’s Separatist Movements, Vidhyadharan

Khaki Shorts, Saffron Flags, Sarkar, Basu, Datta, Sen, Sarkar

Politics of Indian Secularism, Upadhyaya

Copyright © 2000 Project South Asia and Rebecca Johns.  May be copied for educational purposes only.  Commercial use is prohibited without permission of Rebecca Johns.