1 Politics 345 South Asian Politics Spring 2019 MWF 12:40-1:40 pm Room Number: 403 Grant Hall Instructor: Dr. Petra Hendrickson Office: 440 Crounse e-mail: petra.hendrickson@centre.edu Office Hours: MW 10:00-11:30 am and by appointment Course Description and Goals This course is designed to introduce you to the countries of South Asia, their political systems, and contemporary and current problems and issues facing the region. The countries under consideration are India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The first part of the semester will provide you with historical background on the region and overviews of the political system in each of these countries. In the second half of the semester, we will focus in greater detail on specific issues relevant to the region, such as nuclear weapons, development, democratization and democratic backsliding, gender, and religion. In exploring these topics, the countries will be used as mini-case studies to shed light on how the topic impacts countries in the region and how those countries are responding to the challenges. Learning Objectives · Provide a historical overview of the region . Describe the political history and current political system in each country · Identify and discuss several challenges and issues currently facing the countries of South Asia and how the countries are responding to these challenges and issues · Independently explore and research topics related to the politics of South Asia Required Texts . Bose, Sugata, and Ayesha Jalal. 2011. Modern South Asia: History, Culture, Political Economy. 3rd ed. New York: Routledge. 978-0-415-77943-2 (indicated with MSA in the course schedule)
2 · Obsert, Robert C., Yogendra K. Malik, Charles H. Kennedy, Ashok Kapur, Mahendra Lawoti, Syedur Rahman, and Ahrar Ahmad. 2014. Government and Politics in South Asia. 7th ed. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. 978-0-8133-4879-7 (indicated with GPSA in the course schedule) . Additional readings for each class period will be posted on Moodle and come from a variety of sources. Attendance I expect students to attend all classes, arrive on time, remain for the entire period, and bring the day's readings with you to class. Unexcused absences (including arriving late, leaving early, or coming unprepared) will affect your overall course grade as follows: 4- 5 unexcused absences will result in a drop of half-unit in your overall grade (i.e., A to A-, B+ to B); 6-7 unexcused absences will result in a drop of one unit in your overall grade (i.e., A to B; C+ to D+); 8 or more absences will result in a grade of U for the course. Note: excused absences include medical excuses, when a student's illness is sufficiently debilitating to warrant absence (usually requiring a health-care provider note), and emergencies, such as a death in the family, serious illness of a family member, court appearances, or hazardous weather that makes attendance impossible. Course Requirements All due dates are also provided - in bolded text - in the course schedule. Unless otherwise specified, all assignments are due in the appropriate dropbox on Moodle by the 11:59 pm on the due