South Asian Studies Minor
The minor in South Asian Studies is an interdisciplinary undergraduate minor requiring 15 units of coursework providing students with a foundational understanding of the history, cultures, religions, and politics of South Asia (including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) and the region’s large global diasporas.
The minor asks students consider important questions about the study of South Asia. How does one trace the origins of a community? Why origins at all? How does one write about the encounter between traditions? How does one translate practices across time periods? What changes did colonialism bring in relation to labor, caste, race, gender, and sexuality? How did alternative imaginaries continue to persist? How do we proceed with a critique of colonialism without producing a pristine or romanticized indigenous past often marked by violence? How does South Asia continue to proliferate across the globe, producing national brands and implementing forms of hierarchy—such as caste—elsewhere?
Co-directors:
- Dr. Rajbir Judge (Rajbir.Judge@csulb.edu)
- Dr. Kavitha Koshy (Kavitha.Koshy@csulb.edu)
Course Options for Fall 2023
- HIND 101: Fundamentals of Hindi-Urdu Language and Culture I – M/W 5-6:50pm – Online
- AMST 325: Beauty Matters: Culture, Politics, and Labor
- R/ST 331: Islamic Religion and Culture, A Journey Through Islam
- R/ST 337: Muslim Mystics: Music, Poetry
- WGSS 339 – I/ST 339: Transnational Feminisms
- R/ST 351: Hinduism
- R/ST 352: Religions of India
- HIST 418: Central Asia and Afghanistan
- ENGL 460: Anglophone Postcolonial Literature
Advising
- Contact: Dr. Yousef Baker; Dr. Kavitha Koshy
- Email: yousef.baker@csulb.edu; kavitha.koshy@csulb.edu
- Link to schedule appointments: https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/YousefBakerBookingCalendar@csulb.onmicrosoft.com/bookings/s/9ftmTnbnbU6f8TeVTfNRXg2
Affiliated Faculty
- Sabrina Alimahomed-Wilson, Professor, Department of Sociology
- Azza Basarudin, Assistant Professor, Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality
- Kendall Brown, Professor, School of Art
- Barbara Grossman-Thompson, Associate Professor, Department of International Studies
- Brad Hawkins, Lecturer Emeritus, Department of Religious Studies
- Ali Igmen, Professor, Department of History
- Rajbir Singh Judge, Assistant Professor, Department of History
- Tim Keirn, Lecturer, Department of History
- Kavitha Koshy, Lecturer, Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
- Unna Lassiter, Lecturer, Department of Geography
- Nandini Mahtani, Lecturer, Department of Religious Studies
- Norbert Schurer, Professor, Department of English
- Sophea Seng, Assistant Professor, Department of Asian and Asian American Studies
- Preeti Sharma, Assistant Professor, Department of American Studies
- Luke Wagner, Lecturer, Department of International Studies
- Kimberly Walters, Associate Professor, Department of International Studies
Degree requirements: Students are awarded a Minor in South Asian Studies upon completing 15 units of accepted coursework as laid out below:
All students take:
- A/ST / I/ST 327: South Asian Studies: Contexts and Challenges (3 units)
Option 1: In addition to A/ST / I/ST 327, take 12 units from the following:
- AH 466: Buddhist Art of India and S.E. Asia (3 units)
- AH 467: Hindu and Islamic Art of India (3 units)
- AMST 325: Beauty Matters: Culture, Politics and Labor (3 units)
- C/LA 496A: Western Encounters with India (3 units)
- ENGL 460: Anglophone Postcolonial Literature (3 units)
- GEOG 314: South Asia (3 units)
- HIST 385: India and South Asia (3 units)
- HIST 418: Central Asia and Afghanistan (3 units)
- HIST 440: The Silk Roads (3 units)
- HIST 442: The Indian Ocean in World History (3 units)
- PHIL 307: Philosophies of India (3 units)
- R/ST 201: Introductions to Religions of Asia (3 units)
- R/ST 331: A Journey Through Islam (3 units)
- R/ST 337: Muslim Mystics: Music, Poetry, and Dance (3 units)
- R/ST 350A: Elementary Sanskrit I (3 units)
- R/ST 350B: Elementary Sanskrit II (3 units)
- R/ST 351: Hinduism (3 units)
- R/ST 352: Religions of India (3 units)
- WGSS 401: Bodies and Borders (3 units)
- University-level coursework in South Asian languages (Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Nepali, Panjabi, Sanskrit, Sinhala, Telugu, Tamil, Urdu, etc.) (3-8 units allowed)
Option 2: In addition to A/ST / I/ST 327, take 9 units from the course list above as well as 3 units of internship credits from below. To count towards the minor, these units must be taken in combination with an internship located in South Asia.:
- I/ST 491: Intercultural Competency (1 unit)
- I/ST 492: Intl Studies Internship (2 units)
OR
- CBA 493: Business Internship (1-3 units)
OR
- C/LA 492: Internship in Liberal Arts (3 units)