Bollywood: Seeing South Asia Through Cinema

Catalog description

This course is an introductory survey of Hindi cinema that examines movies of post-independent India. It aims to provide students insight into the historical contexts in which Hindi cinema developed, exposing them to a handful of key themes related to Indian society and culture. Relevant themes include nation building, social class, family dynamics, caste, gender and sexuality, marriage customs, and the role of India and Indian diasporas in the world today. Students will examine both cinema and scholarly articles related to the themes of the course to better understand the lived experiences of people and deepen their understanding of the dynamic social and political cultures of modern India. The question of how certain cultural traits compare to the cinematic culture of Hollywood and the West, and why they might differ in such ways will serve as an abiding question throughout the course. Following a two-week segment, the course first raises the question as to what makes these films quintessentially "Bollywood" by introducing students to the history, traditions, and aesthetic traits of Hindi cinema. Over the semester, students will watch a minimum of six movies that deal with particular social and political themes; actively participate in discussions; and take a quiz on each movie. Students will give one presentation and write three response papers of 3 to 5 pages each instead of midterm and final exams. At the end of the semester, they will submit a creative project on a particular social theme that reflects their knowledge and critical thinking about both the Bollywood genre and the society it reflects. Background knowledge in South Asian cinema or Hindi is not a requirement to take this course as all films will have English subtitles.