Winter 2010 Course Offerings
ENGLISH:
384-Studies in South Asian Diaspora Literature
Prerequisite(s): Any two 200-level English courses
This course is an intensive study of South Asian diaspora literature (e.g. from Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom), with a specific thematic focus that varies according to instructor preference. Course materials will primarily consist of fiction, poetry, and/or essays, but may additionally involve critical theory and criticism on the subject under consideration.
FILM:
220- India on Film
Prerequisite(s): 18 credits at the first- or second-year level
This course examines the culture and history of modern India through its films, ranging from the classic art films of Satyajit Ray to contemporary Bollywood hits. Discussion will focus on the role of film in creating a national consciousness and in preserving the cultural identity of Indians living abroad. In examining the conventions of Indian film--its heroes and heroines, its songs, dances, and plots--we will consider how they reflect changing attitudes toward gender, caste, class, and religion.
HISTORY:
264- History of India: Akbar to Independence
Prerequisite(s): None
This course examines the main themes that shaped the Indian sub-continent and its evolution from the Mughal Empire to independence. Beginning with the historiography of South Asia in both the imperial and post-imperial eras, the course will explore the Mughal Empire, the Company Raj and imperial rule with reference to Indian society, the impact of the Rebellion and rise of nationalism leading to independence. Finally, History 264 will study the impact of India on Britain and the Indian diaspora on the world. In addition, the course is to explore the craft of historical research, analysis, and writing.
364-Indian Social History
Prerequisite(s): Nine credits of lower-level history or 45 university-level credits. Familiarity with the basic skills of historical inquiry is expected.
This course will examine the forces shaping the emergence of modern Indian society from the 17th century to the 1980s. Issues such as imperialism, nationalism, urbanization, and industrialization will be explored with reference to their impact on ethnicity, caste, class, and gender in Indian society to recent times.
465-British India
Prerequisite(s): HIST 264, six additional credits of lower-level history, and one 300-level history course.
This course will explore the rise of the British presence in India and the emergence of a distinct Anglo-Indian society from the 18th century to Indian independence. The impact of Anglo-British society on Britain as well as India will be considered. Issues such as imperialism, racism, gender, and class in the context of a hybrid colonial–metropolitan society will receive special consideration.
INDO CANADIAN STUDIES:
390-Canada-India Field Studies
Prerequisite(s): INCS 392 or permission of instructor
This course will involve field study in India and explore the historical and social relationships between Canada and India, in particular between the Punjab region of India and British Columbia. The course is organized around a study tour to Chandigarh, capital city of Punjab, to engage in a cross-cultural study of institutional and social/family networks in the city. This course will identify services and institutional programs in social services and policing in India and compare services offered in B.C. and the Punjab.
PUNJABI:
101-Introduction to Punjabi I
Prerequisite(s): None
Students who have little or no previous knowledge of Punjabi (Gurmukhi) script will learn to read and write at the basic level. They will use the communicative approach to develop the ability to speak, comprehend, read, and write Punjabi while exploring the Punjabi culture.
Note: Any student with Grade 12 Punjabi or equivalent is not permitted to register in this introductory course. This course is not suitable for students with knowledge of spoken Punjabi.
210-Intermediate Punjabi I
Prerequisite(s): Familiarity with spoken modern Punjabi language is essential for success in this course.
This course is an introduction to Punjabi (Gurmukhi) script and enhances previous knowledge of modern Punjabi language. It deals with the important grammatical features of Standard Punjabi and its syntax and morphology. The course is restricted to students with familiarity with spoken contemporary Punjabi, but no or little knowledge of reading and writing Gurmukhi Script.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Diasporizing Punjab, Disorienting Bhangra Conference-May 2010
The Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies - along with partners the Department of Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia and the Vancouver International Celebration of Bhangra - will be hosting a number of national and international scholars of the Punjabi diaspora for an evening of public paper presentations in May 2010.
A century ago, Sikh migrants built the oldest extant gurdwara in British Columbia, Abbotsford’s Khalsa Diwan Society, and since then, Punjabis have migrated to Canada in the hundreds of thousands. They are increasingly prominent in business, politics and the media; and their foodstuffs, clothing, performative cultures and religious sites have become part of the mainstream in many Canadian cities. Diasporizing Punjab, Disorienting Bhangra will contribute to an intellectual and theoretical understanding of the contemporary Punjabi diaspora experience. Bringing together scholars across such diverse fields as anthropology, geography, history, literary criticism, religious studies, sociology, and women’s studies, the event will focus on some of the historical trajectories, cultural contours, and modes of commemorative, artistic, and popular cultural expression that characterize transnational Punjabi life.
The evening of public talks, themed Diasporizing Punjab and scheduled for May 6 at UFV, will be held in conjunction with a series of academic workshops designed to promote research and facilitate collaborations among the scholarly participants. A second evening of public paper presentations, themed Disorienting Bhangra, will be held at the University of British Columbia on May 7. Speakers at these events will include Dr. Rajinder Dudrah of the University of Manchester, Dr. Van Dusenbery of Hamline University, Dr. Doris Jakobsh of the University of Waterloo, Dr. Inderpal Grewal of Yale University, Dr. Virinder Kalra of the University of Manchester, Dr. Michael Nijhawan of York University, Dr. Anjali Gera Roy of Indian Institute of Technology (Kharagpur) and Dr. Margaret Walton-Roberts of Wilfred Laurier University. This initiative is funded in part by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, awarded to Dr. Nicola Mooney, a faculty associate of CICS who teaches in UFV’s Department of Social, Cultural, and Media Studies. The event is being organized by Dr. Mooney along with Satwinder Kaur Bains, Director of CICS, and Dr. Anne Murphy, Chair in Punjabi Language, Literature and Sikh Studies and Assistant Professor of Asian Studies at UBC.
**Exact dates and times to be announced**
2006/07 Annual Report
Read a summary of our activities over our first year of operations.
India Study Tour
Check out our gallery of photos taken during the recent study tour to India.
