SAST Proseminar: History, Methods, and Theories of South Asian Studies

Catalog description

This course aims to provide students with the methodological tools and disciplinary perspectives necessary for the contemporary study of South Asia, while situating that study in the larger history of Area Studies as an interdisciplinary field of study. The course will include both in-depth discussion of the theory and history of Area Studies in the United States and the relation of area-specific study to nineteenth-century fields of philology and orientalism, as well as orientations and case studies in the major fields associated with South Asian Studies. Alongside these thematic concerns, studies will practice skills necessary for further study, including working with sources and archives, field-standard citation practices, and developing familiarity with new methodologies in the digital humanities. Relatedly, this course will deal with the major genres of academic writing associated with South Asian studies, including both departmental milestones such as the proposal and the dissertation, as well as journal articles and grant applications. The course will culminate in a student project which will work with one of these genres to present their own research interests. Completion of this course will prepare students to engage in the diverse conversations that make up contemporary South Asian Studies.