This course will provide a wide-ranging introduction to the literatures of South Asia from roughly 1500 to the present, as well as an exploration of their histories and impact on South Asian society today. How are literary movements and individual works - along with the attitudes towards religion, society, and culture associated with them - still influential in literature, film, and popular culture? How have writers across time and language engaged with questions of caste, gender, and identity? We will read from the rich archive of South Asian writing in translation - from languages that include Braj, Urdu, Bangla, and Tamil - to consider how these literatures depict their own society while continuing to resonate across time and space. Topics of dicussion will include the Bhakti poetries of personal devotion, the literature of Dalits - formerly referred to as the Untouchables - and the ways in which literature addresses contemporary political and social problems. Students will leave this course with a sense of the contours of the literatures of South Asia as well as ways of exploring the role of these literatures in the larger world. No prior knowledge of South Asia is required; this course fulfills the cross-cultural analysis requirement.

This course will introduce students to an exciting topic at the intersection of literature and cultural representation, taught by a young scholar at the cutting edge of the field. Requirements will include a number of oral presentations, and students will learn how to communicate clearly, thoughtfully and effectively on complex material.

This course will introduce students to an exciting topic at the intersection of literature and cultural representation taught by young scholars at the cutting edge of the field. Requirements will include a number of oral presentations, and students will learn how to communicate clearly, thoughtfully and effectively on complex material.