The minor in South Asian Studies is designed for students wishing to develop a broad, multi-disciplinary understanding of the cultures of South Asia, focusing on India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka.
South Asia is home to close to 2 billion of the world's 7 billion people. Stretching from Bangladesh in the East to Afghanistan in the West, this region was integrated by the spread of the religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam, regional trade, and the organization of two successive empires, Mughal and then British. Having inspired a body of scholarship which traces the emergence of political systems, economic growth, environmental change, and social organization in the region over millennia, the study of South Asia has become an essential area of academic inquiry at the undergraduate level.
Students interested in this minor must complete a "Declaration of Major/Minor" form, which can be obtained at the One Stop or from the Asian Studies office (Wheatley, 6-037). For more information, students should consult with a faculty member in their area of interest.
Requirements:
Seven course minimum
Only one of these seven courses can be double-counted towards another major or minor.
Only one of the minimum seven courses may be taken pass-fail.
Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 to enroll in the Minor, and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0 across all courses counting toward the Minor.
No more than two courses at the 100-level can count toward the minor, and at least two courses must be at or above the 300-level or above.
No more than three transfer courses may count toward the minor.
Core required course:
HIST/ASIAN 115L, Survey of Contemporary Asia
Choose six additional courses from this list:
ASAMST 226: Becoming South Asian
ASIAN 232L: Asian Religions
ASIAN 357L: Women in South Asian Religions
ECON 336: Economic Development
ECON 337: Emerging Economies in Asia
HIST 364: India Since 1857
HIST 353: Postcolonial India
HIST 456: Faith and Politics in Islam
MDNLNG/ASIAN 488L: The Idea of Asia
PHIL 297: Asian Philosophy
SOC 375L: Indian Cinema
WOST 345: Gender, Religion, and Politics in South Asia
WOST 355L: Gender, Development, and Globalization