This course will explore evolving attitudes toward ideas of “the Orient,” as represented in the works of E.M. Forster, Salman Rushdie, Bharati Mukherjee, and Jhumpa Lahiri. 

• From the West’s “invention” of the East (Forster), to a postcolonial counternarrative (Rushdie), to assimilationist views of immigration (Mukherjee), to the embrace of a hybrid identity (Lahiri), we will explore encounters between eastern and western cultures, encounters which often involve violence—and which are often left ambiguous, indeterminate, and unresolved. 
• Forster, a Briton, will introduce us to the conventional representation of “orientalism,” while Rushdie, Mukherjee and Lahiri, all of whom have immigrated to the United States in recent years, will offer their own negotiations of their multicultural experiences. 

Students will keep a daily reading journal (50% of the course grade) and will write a final, critical/interpretive essay (50% of the course grade).  Required texts:  Forster, A Passage to India; Rushdie, Haroun and the Sea of Stories; Mukherjee, The Middleman and Other Stories; and Lahiri, The Namesake.

IN 350/ EN 331: Introduction to Indian Popular Cinema: Nation(s), Culture(s), and Gender(s) (Dr. Purna Banerjee) 

This course will use one medium of visual representation—cinema—to explore the portrayal of the diversity inherent in the Indian concept of nation, culture, and gender. Students will be introduced to and will inquire into the world’s largest film industry.

• Together we shall raise questions about the interplay and contradictions that exist between reality, images, and representations of the Indian people and the country. It is highly recommended that students taking this course have a global interest and/or awareness; however, no specialized knowledge of the subject will be necessary.

• Students would be encouraged to embrace, celebrate, and critique cultural differences. The most rewarding aspect of this course is when students can also critically identify sparks of commonalities in the midst of difference. After all, it is often people’s humanity that defines them even while and especially when they resist stereotypical definitions.  

In this course we will cover key Hindi filmmakers, genres, and films. Not only will the representations of the Indian nations/people/cultures will be interrogated, but also its Diaspora will be recognized and critiqued. We will examine another culture through its cinema, involving close textual and cultural analysis. Students will become more adept at reading film closely, sharpening their eye for visual and narrative details. Students will treat films as their primary texts and will develop their skills in analyzing film by making historical, cultural, political, and aesthetic arguments.

See the 2007 course description for comparable details.