GEA 3194 REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY: SOUTH ASIA
Dr. Rebecca Johns
University of South Florida
Spring 1999
Thursday, 1 - 4:50 pm
Course Objective:
This course is designed to explore the human and physical geography of the South Asian
region, including the countries of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. It is
an introductory course that will survey the historical and physical foundations of the
region, and then explore contemporary issues including economic development,
agricultural innovation, communal conflict, population growth, regional geopolitics,
popular culture, and environmental degradation.
The course format is based on lectures and discussions. Students are expected to
complete the assigned readings, which are either on reserve in the library or will be
distributed in class, prior to the class session in order to facilitate discussion and
understanding.
Grades are based on three exams, two map quizzes, and in-class participation.
Exam #1 50 points
Exam #2 50 points
Exam #3 50 points
Quiz #1 20 points
Quiz #2 20 points
Participation 10 points
Exams will be comprised of short answer and short essay questions.
There will be no make-up exams except under extreme conditions.
There will be no make-up quizzes under any circumstances.
Please become familiar with the classroom guidelines attached at the end of the syllabus,
and with the university’s policies on academic honesty.
Topics: (subject to change)
January 7th: Physical Geography: Defining the Region
January 14th: The People: Language, Religion & Everyday Life
excerpts from the Mahabharata
excerpts from The Cultural Atlas of South Asia
"The Environments of South Asia", B.H. Farmer
January 21st: Early History: from the Indus Civilization to the Mughal Empire
"The Antecedents" and "The Impact of Aryan Culture" in Romila Thapar, A History of
India
Modern History: from the East India Company to Partition and Independence
excerpts from The Cultural Atlas of India
Map Quiz#1: Physical Geography
January 28th: Population Distribution and Rates of Change; Development indicators
Rakku’s Story
February 4th: Exam #1
February 11th: Agricultural Production, the Green Revolution
February 18th: Economic History: From the Planned Economy to Neo-liberalization
The International Monetary Fundamentalism, Jeremy Seabrook
India’s New Economic Policy, JS Uppal, Journal of Economic Development
Feb. 25th and March 4th: Geopolitics: the Non-Aligned Movement; Kashmir; Sri-Lanka;
the nuclear question
India and Pakistan: collision or compromise? Foreign Policy Association
Avoiding War in Kashmir, Sumit Ganguly, Foreign Affairs
March 18th: Internal Politics of India: communalism and regionalism
excerpts from Documenting Communal Violence
excerpts from The Hindu
excerpts from Beyond Darkness
Khaki Shorts, Saffron Flags, Sarkar, Basu, Datta, Sen, Sarkar
Politics of Indian Secularism, Upadhyaya
video: Father, Son, and the Holy War
Map Quiz #2: Political Map of South Asia
March 25th: Exam #2 (AAG)
April 1st and 8th: Forms of Resistance: the Gandhian tradition, women, tribals, Muslims
and out-castes, workers
excerpts from India’s Simmering Revolution
The Enemy Within: India’s Separatist Movements, Vidhyadharan
Films: "The Bandit Queen"/ "From the Burning Embers"
April 15th: Environmental Issues
"The Fight for the Forest", from This Fissured Land, R. Guha
"Chipko: Social History of An Environmental Movement," from The Unquiet Woods,
Ramachandra Guha
"The Environmentalism of the Poor" in Varieties of Environmentalism
April 22nd: Entertainment: Bollywood, Dance, Classical Music, Popular Writers
clips from a Hindi Movie
excerpts from Midnight’s Children
April 29th: Final Exam
Partial Reading List
Colonization of the Indian Economy, 1757-1900, Irfan Habib
Rakku’s Story, Sheila Zurbrigg, pages 19 - 41
Food Business, Multinationals and Labour, Gautum Mody
India’s Democracy in Transition, Francine Frankel
Religious vs. Regional Determinism, Graham Chapman
Politics and Organized Labor in India, E.A. Ramaswamy
India and Pakistan: collision or compromise? Foreign Policy Association
Conflicting Strategic Interests of the United States and India: Evaluating US Arms
Supply to Pakistan, M.J. Vinood, International Studies, 1992
"Avoiding War in Kashmir," Sumit Ganguly, Foreign Affairs
"Chipko: Social History of An Environmental Movement," from The Unquiet Woods,
Ramachandra Guha
"The Fight for the Forest," from This Fissured Land, R. Guha
Excerpts from The Hindu
Globalization and the Indian Trade Union Movement Today, T.A. Francis
"India’s New Economic Policy," JS Uppal, Journal of Economic Development
Indian Women Forge Ahead, Jessie Bl Tellis-Nayak
Beyond Darkness; Some Reflections on Communalism
The International Monetary Fundamentalism, Jeremy Seabrook
Masses, Classes and the State, Rajni Kothari
The Enemy Within: India’s Separatist Movements, Vidhyadharan
Khaki Shorts, Saffron Flags, Sarkar, Basu, Datta, Sen, Sarkar
Politics of Indian Secularism, Upadhyaya
Copyright © 2000 Project South Asia and Rebecca Johns. May be copied for educational
purposes only. Commercial use is prohibited without permission of Rebecca Johns.