Currently Offered Courses

GEOG352 Urbanization in the Global South Sections

Urbanization in the developing countries of Latin America, Africa, and Asia; the role of cities in the development process and the features and problems of rapid urbanization.

HIST390A Topics in History - TOPICS IN HIST Sections

Small-group instruction in a seminar format on a variety of historical topics. Check with the department for course offerings. This course does not satisfy the History Majors Research Seminar (490) requirement.

ASTU204E Topics in Interdisciplinary Arts Studies - NEPALI Sections

Selected interdisciplinary topics in Arts studies. For upcoming offerings including course descriptions and possible enrolment restrictions, please see section information in the UBC course schedule.

ASTU204F Topics in Interdisciplinary Arts Studies - TIBETAN Sections

Selected interdisciplinary topics in Arts studies. For upcoming offerings including course descriptions and possible enrolment restrictions, please see section information in the UBC course schedule.

PUNJ102 Introductory Punjabi Sections

Spoken and written Punjabi. As of 2011W, credit will be granted for only one of PUNJ 100/101 or PUNJ 102. Students who have taken Punjabi 11 in high school cannot take PUNJ 102 for credit.

ANTH302A Ethnography of South Asia - ETHNOGR STH ASIA Sections

A specialized study of ethnographic and theoretical problems relating to South Asia.

ASIA436 The Partition of India in Film and Narrative Sections

Analysis and critique of how the partition of India is depicted in fictional literary works and feature films.

ASIA100 Introduction to Traditional Asia Sections

A survey of the histories and cultures of Asia before 1600 and the coming of the Europeans. Emphasis will be given to parallel themes in the development of the civilizations of South, Southeast and East Asia.

ASIA208 Cultural Foundations of South Asia Sections

A survey of South Asian cultures, including language and literature, art, religion, polity and society, as they developed in the past and have been transformed in the modern period.

ASIA308 Myth, Ritual and Epic in Ancient India Sections

Myths of creation Gods and goddesses of the Vedic pantheon. Connections with myths in other parts of the world, particularly in the Indo-European tradition. Literary representations of the myths.

ASIA309 South Asian Beyond South Asia Sections

A history of South Asian peoples and communities that emigrated overseas, including Indo-Canadians.

ASIA311 Tibetan Buddhism Sections

Religious terrain of the Tibetan cultural realm, looking at the history and development of Tibetan Buddhism and key ideas of the four main Tibetan Buddhist traditions.

ASIA313 Tibetan and Himalayan Culture and Society Sections

History and culture of the Himalayan regions, including India, China, Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan.

ASIA330 Islam in South Asia Sections

Islam as a transnational phenomenon with specific reference to its South Asian forms.

ASIA333 Contemporary South Asian Gender and Sexuality Studies Sections

Main theories and key concepts with a particular focus on the changing status of women, and gender and sexual minorities.

ASIA338 Modern India: From Conquest to Raj Sections

The history of India from the coming of the Europeans to the rise of the nationalist movement with emphasis on the social and economic impact of British imperialism.

ASIA348 Great Literary Works of Classical India in Translation Sections

Major Sanskrit and Prakrit literary genres as developed in the Brahmanical, Buddhist and Jaina traditions, including folktales of riddle, intrigue, etc. Ramayana, Mahabharata. Polished poems of the urbane. Plays. Learned novels and long poems.

ASIA353 Introduction to Hindi Film Sections

History, aesthetics, politics, and social roles of Bollywood films. Seminar discussions in English; Hindi films with English subtitles.

ASIA365 Punjabi Cinema Sections

Punjabi culture, history, and social values through films. The class includes film viewings and seminar discussions. Films will be screened with English subtitles.

ASIA370 The Sanskrit Cosmopolis: India and the World, 200-1500 CE Sections

Languages, religions, art forms, and political structures of Asian societies shaped by creative encounters with Sanskrit.

ASIA378 Philosophical Wisdom of Early India Sections

Epistemological and ontological thought from the Vedic period to the period of the rise of philosophical schools or systems Philosophy in the Mahabharata, Gita; early Buddhist and Jain views on knowledge and reality; views on language.

ASIA388 Buddhist, Brahamanical and Jain Philosophers in Interaction Sections

Debates on issues of epistemology, language and ontology among the philosophical schools or systems of classical India Nagarjuna, Bhartrhari, Uma-svati, Sankara and others.

ASIA389 Life Writings of South Asian Diasporic Women Sections

Auto/biographies and life writings of South Asian women in the Diaspora. Emphasizes theories of representation, subjectivity, agency, difference, and memory.

ASIA390 History of the Indian Ocean World Sections

Societies and empires shaped by voyages of exploration, religious pilgrimages, trading diasporas and forced migration in the world of the Indian Ocean.

ASIA391 An Introduction to the Indo-Persian Cosmopolis/Knowledge Systems Sections

Cultural interactions between Delhi and the wider Dar al Islam with indigenous groups and local culture from the 13th to the 19th centuries.

ASIA397 The Idea of India Sections

History of cultural ideas that led to Indias transformation from a traditional, colonial society tied to the British empire to a postcolonial, pluralistic, development oriented parliamentary democracy.

ASIA398 Narrative Literature in Premodern India Sections

Stories of gods, goddesses and religious heroes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas, Avadanas and in classical poetry and drama.

ASIA399 Films of the South Asian Diaspora Sections

Contemporary films of the South Asian Diaspora, with a focus on Canada, US, and UK. Emphasizes theories of representation, visual and cultural analysis.

ASIA428 Mughal India Sections

History of the politics, economy, society, and culture of South Asia from the Great Mughals to the British conquest.

ASIA433 The Cinematic Lives of Muslims in South Asia Sections

Depictions of Muslims in South Asian cinema, with a particular focus on the Hindi film industry.

ASIA436 The Partition of India in Film and Narrative Sections

Analysis and critique of how the partition of India is depicted in fictional literary works and feature films.

ASIA448 Narrative and Performance in South Asia Sections

Key theoretical issues in the production and enactment of folk narratives in traditional and modern South Asian cultures. Intended for advanced undergraduates in Asian folklore studies. Credit will be granted for only one of ASIA 448 or ASIA 547.

ASIA474 From the Chronicle to the Archive: Cultures of History in South Asia Sections

Examines how South Asian pasts have been memorialized in writing, from medieval chronicles to the development of history as a modern academic discipline in the nineteenth century. Credit cannot be granted for both ASIA 474 and ASIA 574.

ASIA488 Religion, Society and State in Modern India Sections

History of secular and religious discourse in post-independent India. Partition, state policy of secularism, religious mobilization among Hindus and Muslims, communal violence and religious radicalism.

ASIA561A Problems of Modernization in Eastern and Southern Asia - MODERN S&E ASIA Sections

ASIA561B Problems of Modernization in Eastern and Southern Asia - MODERN S&E ASIA Sections

GEOG352 Urbanization in the Global South Sections

Urbanization in the developing countries of Latin America, Africa, and Asia; the role of cities in the development process and the features and problems of rapid urbanization.

GEOG380 Geography of Asia Sections

A comparative regional analysis stressing the historical development and changing cultural, economic, and political patterns of the area. Special reference to India, Indonesia, China, and Japan.

HIST273 History of India Sections

Societies, cultures, and politics of the Indian subcontinent from its ancient civilizations to the formation of the modern nation-states of South Asia.

HIST385 India from Raj to Republic Sections

Exploration of the rise of the East India Company as territorial power, the formation of a colonial society in India, competing responses to British rule, the struggle for independence, and the legacies of partition.

ASTU400F Interdisciplinary Studies in Arts - AYUR AND MNTL IL Sections

For upper-division students in the Faculty of Arts. Topics announced annually.

HINU102 Introductory Hindi-Urdu Sections

Spoken and written Hindi and Urdu. As of 2011W, credit will be granted for only one of HINU 100/101 or HINU 102.

HINU200 Intermediate Hindi-Urdu Sections

Conversation and grammar; an introduction to Hindi literature; an introduction to the Urdu script. As of 2011W, credit will be granted for only one of HINU 201/202 or HINU 200.

PUNJ102 Introductory Punjabi Sections

Spoken and written Punjabi. As of 2011W, credit will be granted for only one of PUNJ 100/101 or PUNJ 102. Students who have taken Punjabi 11 in high school cannot take PUNJ 102 for credit.

PUNJ200 Intermediate Punjabi Sections

Study of the grammar and introduction to Punjabi literature. As of 2011W, credit will be granted for only one of PUNJ 201/202 or PUNJ 200.

PUNJ300 Advanced Punjabi Sections

Advanced grammar and conversation. Major genres of Punjabi literature. As of 2011W, credit will be granted for only one of PUNJ 301/302 or PUNJ 300.

PUNJ402 Early Modern Punjabi Literature Sections

Emphasis is on reading and written expression. Analytical writing in English and Punjabi required.

PUNJ403 Modern Punjabi Literature Sections

Popular and literary works in modern Punjabi, with a focus on short stories and poetry. Emphasis on reading, writing, and vocabulary development.

SANS300 Introductory Sanskrit Sections

Basic vocabulary and most important grammatical features of classical Sanskrit. Useful to students of South Asian history, culture, languages, philosophies, and religions, and of linguistics and classics. Credit will be granted for only one of SANS 300 or SANS 102 or both SANS 100, SANS 101 or both SANS 301, SANS 302.

SANS400 Intermediate Sanskrit Sections

Advanced grammar and selected readings. Credit will be granted for only one of SANS 400 or SANS 200 or both SANS 201, SANS 202 or both SANS 401, SANS 402.

TIBT100 Introduction to Tibetan I Sections

Concepts, grammar, syntax of spoken and written Tibetan for beginners. Also covers aspects of Tibetan worldview.

TIBT101 Introduction to Tibetan II Sections

Focus on grammar, syntax, and structures to improve comprehension and communication skills. Also covers aspects of Tibetan worldview.

SPPH381B Selected Topics - GENDER & HEALTH Sections

By seminar and directed readings, certain topics of current interest are explored in depth.

GPP564 Security Challenges for Asian States and People Sections

Asian state policies on security threats that impact their national and human security including: civil-military relations, intrastate conflict, transnational crime, spread of disease, and environmental and natural disasters, geo-political power shift, defence modernization, resurgent nationalism, and historical legacies.