N E W**COURSES** Colloquium:
Developmental
Conflicts in South Asia: People, Rivers, and large Dams
112. Human Diversity: A Linguistic Perspective-The diversity and distribution
of human language and its implications for the origin and evolution of
the human species. The origin of existing languages and the people who
speak them. Where did the languages that we currently see in the world
come from and how can this diversity be used to study human prehistory?
Evidence from related fields (archaeology and human genetics). Topics:
the origin of the Indo-European languages, the peopling of the Americas,
and the evidence that all human languages share a common origin.
3 units, Spr (Ruhlen)
165. South Asia: Environment, Development, and Security (also Poli Sci
181R)-Parallel movements and activities in environmental protection, economic
development, and security in India and Pakistan since 1947, focusing on
this decade. Environmental issues: air, water, and land pollution, population
growth, equity issues and the Narmada dam controversy. Development issues:
new programs for economic and energy growth and their environmental consequences.
5 units, Spr (Rosencrantz)
2. Art and Culture in Asia-The religious and philosophical ideas and
social attitudes of India, China, and Japan and how they are expressed
in the architecture, painting, woodblock prints, sculpture, and in such
forms as garden design and urban planning. Discussion sections. GER:3a,4a
(DR:2 or 7)
5 units, Win (Vinograd)
130. Singers of Tales: Ancient and Contemporary Epic in Action-Epics
from four contemporary non-Western cultural areas help to understand the
ways in which this social poetry reflects and molds the thinking of its
audiences and practitioners in many parts of the world today. The content
and varied methods of epic performance in Egypt, among the Nyanga of Africa,
in Central Asia, and in north and central India. Emphasis is ethnographic
and aesthetic: on the epic as crafted, meaning-rich performances, and on
the role of such performances in the everyday life of common people. GER:3a,4a
(DR:2 or 8)
3-4 units, Aut (Martin)
19N. Stanford Introductory Seminar: Horace, Kipling and Imperialism,
Songs, and Law-Preference to freshmen. British thinking about empire in
the 19th century, when admission to the army and the Indian Civil Service
depended heavily on success in examinations in Latin, was influenced by
ideas in prescribed school texts, e.g., the Odes of Horace.
Horatius Flaccus, son of a freedman and on the wrong side at Philippi,
and his admirer Rudyard Kipling, a myopic journalist excluded from athletic
or military pursuits, are unlikely prophets of empire. Kipling refers to
Horace throughout his life as a writer, often parodies him, and was one
of those responsible for the spoof "fifth book of Horace's Odes. The "dialogue"
between the two about defeat, victory, and right conduct is an interesting
literary and historical study. Students explore Horace's Odes (in translation)
and a selection of Kipling's writings in prose and verse. GER:3a (DR:8)
3-4 units, Win (Treggiari)
Cultural and Social Anthropology
75/175. Modern South Asia: History, Society, Cultures-(Same as History
186A.) Surveys S. Asia, concentrating on the period after the 16th century.
The relationship between geography and society. Traditional society, culture,
and politics. Mughal India and its culture. The British Raj. Indian response
and resistance. Independence movements in S. Asia. The multi-ethnic Indian
state. Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal in search of national identities.
Political culture and style. Secularism and communalism. Development and
environment. Inter-regional and international relationships. GER:3b,4a
(DR:2 or 9)
5 units, Win (Mancall, Pandya)
261B. Theories of the Postcolonial-Over the past two decades, post-colonial
criticism has played a significant role in how anthropologists, historians,
and literary critics excavate colonial histories and understand the postcolonial
present. Should we conceive of the postcolonial as a reading strategy that
interrogates colonial forms of knowledge? What does it mean to periodize
the postcolonial? Seminar examines such questions by exploring a series
of themes and theoretical modes: anticolonial and state nationalism, Orientalism
and its critics, third-world feminism, critical historiography, subalterneity,
decolonization and neocolonialism, the postcolonial and the postmodern,
globalization. Readings in theoretical and literary texts.
5 units, Spr (Pandya)
45N. Stanford Introductory Seminar: The Qur'an and its Interpreters-Preference
to freshmen. A historical study of the Qur'an and other allied disciplines.
Themes: the Islamic concept of the Qur'an, thematic and formal aspects
of the Qur'an, modes of interpretation and principles of exegesis, and
medieval and modern controversies regarding its history, formal structure,
authorship, and authority. GER:3a (DR:7)
5 units, Spr (Dallal)
90Q. Stanford Introductory Seminar: Buddhist Political and Social Theory-Preference
to sophomores. Contemporary Buddhist political theory and its historical
and textual roots, emphasizing Tibetan, Thai, and Sri Lankan Buddhism.
Topics: society and polity in Buddhist thought, Buddhist spiritual practice
as social and political practice, sovereignty, the individual and society,
Buddhist economic theory and practice, Buddhism and the state, Buddhist
political and social theory in practice, differences between Vajrayana
(Tibetan) and Theravada (S. E. Asian) Buddhist social theory. GER:3b,4a
(DR:9 or 2)
5 units, Spr (Mancall)
185. Introduction to Islamic Civilization-Introduction to the societies
and cultures in which Islam has been the dominant religious tradition,
focusing on the Middle East. Topics: the faith of Islam; the career of
the prophet Muhammad; Islamic political theory; Islamic law, philosophy,
and science; relations among Islam, Christianity, and Judaism; modern
currents in Islam. GER:3a,4a (DR:2 or 7)
5 units, Aut (Dallal)
186A.. Modern South Asia: History, Society, Cultures-(Same as History
186A.) Surveys S. Asia, concentrating on the period after the 16th century.
The relationship between geography and society. Traditional society, culture,
and politics. Mughal India and its culture. The British Raj. Indian response
and resistance. Independence movements in S. Asia. The multi-ethnic Indian
state. Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal in search of national identities.
Political culture and style. Secularism and communalism. Development and
environment. Inter-regional and international relationships. GER:3b,4a
(DR:2 or 9)
5 units, Win (Mancall, Pandya)
201. Undergraduate Colloquium: Varieties of Islamic Revival since 1870-Revivalist
and modernist thought and movements in the Islamic world in their evolving
sociopolitical contexts (imperialism at its height and in decline; independence
in Cold War conditions; globalization).
Variants from across the Islamic world, Arab and non-Arab, and impulses
from within Islamic traditions and outside pressures. The conceptual focus
is on Islam and the state.
5 units, Spr (Simons)
203. Undergraduate Colloquium: India, Pakistan, and U.S. Policy since
the Cold War-Case study of issue and policy formation in a major world
region in post-Cold War circumstances. The interplay of internal and external
pressures: economic crisis and liberalization as key foreign partners fade
at Cold War's end; democratic experiment in Pakistan, Congress decay and
the rise of the BJP in India; arms control progress and the 1998 nuclear
explosions; shifting configurations (involving the U.S.) since then. Instructor
draws on his experience as U.S. ambassador to Pakistan 1996-1998.
5 units, Spr (Simons)
289. Undergraduate Colloquium: Islamic Reform on the Eve of Modernity-(Same
as 389). An examination of the main Islamic movements and the major themes
addressed by Muslim thinkers in the early modern period. Emphasis is on
Islamic networks and regional movements, questions of continuity in the
Islamic intellectual traditions, and European influence on Islamic reformative
thought. (WIM)
5 units, Win (Dallal)
290. Undergraduate Colloquium: Science in the Islamic World-The origins,
development, and cultural significance of science in the Islamic World.
Emphasis is on the world view and achievements of individual scientists,
issues of progress and decline, and the special role of science in an Islamic
religious and political context.
5 units, Aut (Dallal)
118. Human Diversity: A Linguistic Perspective-The diversity and distribution
of human language and its implications for the origin and evolution of
the human species. The origin of existing languages and the people who
speak them. Where did the languages that we currently see in the world
come from and how can this diversity be used to study human prehistory?
Evidence from related fields (archaeology and human genetics). Topics:
the origin of the Indo-European languages, the peopling of the Americas,
and the evidence that all human languages share a common origin. GER:4a
(DR:2)
3 units, Spr (Ruhlen)
137. South Asia: Environment, Development, and Security-Parallel movements
and activities in these three areas in India and Pakistan since independence
in 1947, with emphasis on developments since 1991. The environment: air,
water, agrochemical pollution, and population growth, and attempts to limit
them. New programs for economic and energy growth and their environmental
consequences. The nuclear arms competition between the two countries and
its potential to destabilize the region.
5 units, Spr (Rosencranz)
(Oxford)
141V. European Imperialism and the Third World, 1870-1970- (Same as
History 141V, Political Science 148X.) European imperialism from its zenith
in the late 19th century to the era of decolonization after WW II. The
effects of western imperialism in different parts of the Third World. The
legacy of imperialism and decolonization to the modern world. GER:3b (DR:9)
5 units, Spr (Darwin)
Language Center
152A,B,C. Beginning Hindi
152A. 3 units, Aut (Singh)
152B. 3 units, Win (Singh)
152C. 3 units, Spr (Singh)
153A,B,C. Intermediate Hindi
153A. 3 units, Aut (Staff)
153B. 3 units, Win (Staff)
153C. 3 units, Spr (Staff)
154A,B,C. Beginning Gujarati
154A. 3 units, Aut (Ranchod)
154B. 3 units, Win (Ranchod)
154C. 3 units, Spr (Ranchod)
159A,B,C. Beginning Punjabi
159A. 3 units, Aut (Dhillon)
159B. 3 units, Win (Dhillon)
159C. 3 units, Spr (Dhillon)
162A,B,C. Beginning Tamil
162A. 3 units, Aut (Staff)
162B. 3 units, Win (Staff)
162C. 3 units, Spr (Staff)
183A,B,C. Beginning Sanskrit
183A. 3 units, Aut (Staff)
183B. 3 units, Win (Staff)
183C. 3 units, Spr (Staff)
202. The Works of Panini-Panani's grammar of Sanskrit and the Indian
linguistic tradition. Emphasis is on aspects of current theoretical interest.
4 units, Win (Kiparsky)
235S. Seminar: Security in South Asia after the Cold War-The historical
and current security problems of India and Pakistan. Topics: internal security
concerns, Cold War relationships, nuclear weapons policies, arms control,
and military doctrines.
5 units, Spr (Cheema)
3N. Stanford Introductory Seminar: In Search of a Religion-Preference
to freshmen. The problems of research in the humanities: one scholar's
struggle (mine) to come to terms with the fact that he cannot find the
object (religion, i.e., Indian Buddhism) that he is supposed to be studying.
Religious people say or write things, they do things, and they make things.
What they say often does not correspond with what they do; it is not clear
which actually represents what is called "religion." Focus is on the problem
of recovering "Indian Buddhism" but is applicable to the histories of any
religion. Readings: Buddhist literary sources, art, historical and archeological
sources, and modern attempts to impose sense on them. GER:3a (DR:8)
3 units, Aut (Schopen)
4N. Stanford Introductory Seminar: The Creation of Woman-Eve, Pandora,
and their Interpreters-Eve and Pandora in diverse cultural settings and
religious traditions. The biblical story of human creation and its Greek
equivalent, the myth of the creation of Pandora (by Hesiod and in later
Roman literature); contemporary commentaries. The ways the master stories
of Eve and Pandora have been used, interpreted, retold, and readapted.
Readings: the New Testament, early rabbinic commentaries, the Qur'an, Kabbalah,
Milton, and contemporary interpretations by Jewish and Christian feminists,
placed in historical and intellectual context. The ideas about gender and
women's roles that they reflect and attempt to influence. GER:3a (DR:8)
3 units, Win (Fonrobert)
12. Religions of India-The history of religious traditions in the Indian
subcontinent (including indigenous or "tribal" religions, Hinduism, Buddhism,
Jainism, Islam, Sikhism, and Christianity), representative texts and practices,
and some issues of religious identity and conflict in modern India. GER:3a,4a
(DR:2 or 8)
4 units, Win (Hess)
14. Introduction to Buddhism-The development of the complex clusters
of rituals, practices, and world-views called "Buddhism." Focus is on these
clusters as they emerged and were constructed in India. The fate of radical
religious ideals in conventional worlds. GER:3a,4a (DR:2 or 8)
4 units, Aut (Schopen)
151. Indian Religious Poetry-Between the 7th and 17th centuries, splendid
devotional poets flourished in vernacular languages throughout India, associated
with a movement called bhakti, the fervent devotion to a personal God.
The major bhakti poets in translation; the skills needed to read the poetry;
representations of God (Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, Rama, Kali, Allah, the
no-form God); sectarian formations and histories started by saint-poets;
the performance of the poetry as song and dance.
GER:3a (DR:8)
5 units, Spr (Hess)
112. Women and Islam: Evolving Identities in a Changing World-The prevailing
essentialized views of Islam and Muslim women, the origins of these views,
and their continuing impact on contemporary popular discourse. Some of
the challenges currently facing Muslim women around the world. Emphasis
is on women living in Muslim societies of sub-Saharan Africa, S.E. Europe,
Central Asia, the Sub-Continent, and S.E. Asia. The position of women in
Muslim minority communities of Western Europe, the U.S., and China. Issues:
gender and nationalism; women in development; the role of education; the
changing political, cultural, and religious significance of the veil; challenges
faced by Muslim women refugees, and those who have survived outbreaks of
mass violence. GER:3a,4c (DR:8?)
4 units, Aut (Armijo-Hussein)
129. Muhammad and Qur'an-Muhammad as the Prophet and the Qur'an as the
primary scripture of Muslims form the core of Muslim religious thought.
The multiple ways in which the Islamic tradition understands the prophet
and revelation from the formative period to modern times. The biography
of Muhammad and themes from the Qur'an. GER:3a (DR:8)
4 units, Win (Moosa)
121. Peoples of the Book: Prophecy and Martyrdom in Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam-How each of these Abrahamic traditions conceived of the prophet
and the martyr, and what functions these figures play within the three
religions, e.g., in their distinctive theologies and rituals. Comparative
study of a select number of texts (and artistic representations). GER:3a
(DR:8)
5 units, Win (Gregg, Moosa)
350. Origins of the Mahayana-Models and theories of the origin and early
history of the Mahayana in India. Critical readings of the scholarship
produced over the last 100 years.
4 units, Spr (Schopen)