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South Asian Studies

Undergraduate

One of four interdisciplinary majors offered by the Asian Studies Program, South Asian studies allows students to specialize in the history, languages, cultures, and politics of South Asia. Our students are expected to incorporate the humanities and the social sciences fully into their studies with classes at Mount Holyoke and the other colleges in the Five College Consortium.

Program Overview

On campus, our students experience regional culture at many levels, including language tables and clubs, guest lectures, performing and visual arts, film, festivals, and regional cuisine. These activities are often initiated by and benefit greatly from the diverse student population of Mount Holyoke and particularly the large numbers of students from Asian countries or with an Asian background.

Most of our students spend a semester or a summer in one of the many Mount Holyoke College-approved South Asian study abroad programs.

South Asian studies majors graduate to pursue graduate study and careers in fields as varied as education, business, NGOs, journalism, the arts, and government service.

Community Voices

Spotlight on South Asian Studies students and alums

Anna Lee White

Fulbright award aids Mount Holyoke alum with Ph.D. dissertation

Anna Lee White ’15

Anna Lee White ’15

Experiences of Tibetans in New York Compared with India

Anna Lee White ’15

From Asian Studies major to leading scholar and activist in India

Yaaminey Mubayi ’90 Historian and Cultural Heritage Specialist

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Courses and Requirements

Learning Goals

By majoring in South Asian Studies, students should:

  • Develop knowledge of the history of premodern and modern South Asia. 
  • Develop knowledge of the arts, literature, religions, and philosophies of South Asia. 
  • Develop knowledge of the geography, politics, economics, and societies of South Asia. 

Requirements for the Major

A minimum of 40 credits:

One course (4 credits) in modern South Asian history, for example:4
HIST-124
History of Modern South Asia, 1700 to the Present
One course (4 credits) on pre-modern and/or early modern South Asia (c. 3000 BCE to 1700 CE)4
8 elective courses (32 credits): 132
Two (8 credits) must be from Group One: Humanities (history, religion, philosophy, literature, language, the arts, and interdisciplinary courses in these areas) 2
One (4 credits) must be from Group Two: Social Science (anthropology, economics, geography, international relations, linguistics, politics, sociology, and interdisciplinary courses in these areas)
At least three courses (12 credits) must be at the 300 level. One of the three 300-level courses must be a non-language and non-independent study course. 23
Total Credits40
1

A full list of the approved courses for the major appears at the end of the South Asian Studies Courses section.

2

In order to count toward the major, studio art or performance courses must be supplemented with analytical written work.

3

A course that is taught outside of Mount Holyoke College must be approved by the chair of the Asian Studies program to count as a 300-level course.

Additional Specifications

  • Any course that devotes 50 percent or more of its substance to South Asian countries, peoples, or issues may count toward the major.
  • Majors are strongly encouraged, but not required, to pursue study of a South Asian classical or modern language through the Five College Mentored Language Program, summer study, or study abroad. Students may count up to 4 credits toward the major for studying a South Asian language through the Five College Mentored Language Program.
  • One course (4 credits) on South Asian diasporas may count toward the major.
  • Students who declare a South Asian studies major automatically fulfill the College's "outside the major" requirement.

Courses Counting toward the Major

Most South Asian studies courses at Mount Holyoke are listed below, but students should also consult the catalog entries or websites of other departments, including art history, history, international relations, politics, and religion. South Asian Studies majors should also plan to use the rich resources of the Five College Consortium in selecting their courses (listings are available through the Five College Class Schedule or individual college websites).

Please consult the chair of the Asian studies program for guidelines regarding Asian languages not taught in the Five Colleges.

Art History
ARTH-290BCIssues in Art History: 'Bollywood: A Cinema of Interruptions'4
Film, Media, Theater
FMT-230BCIntermediate Courses in History and Theory: 'Bollywood: A Cinema of Interruptions'4
History
HIST-124History of Modern South Asia, 1700 to the Present4
HIST-222Muslim Politics in Modern South Asia4
HIST-239ENTopics in Asian History: 'Empire, Nation, and the Making of Tribes in South Asia'4
HIST-301CSColloquium: 'Capitalism in South Asia'4
Religion
RELIG-163Introduction to Buddhism4
RELIG-225EBTopics in Religion: 'Eco-Buddhism'4
RELIG-225FFTopics in Religion: 'Buddhism in Fiction and Film'4
RELIG-241Women and Gender in Buddhism4
RELIG-267Buddhist Ethics4
RELIG-311Love, Madness, Discipline: the Sufi Path In Islam4

Contact us

Department of Asian Studies

The Department of Asian Students helps students explore the rich and extremely diverse cultures of Asia, home to some 60 percent of humanity.

Denise Falk

Denise Falk

  • Academic Department Coordinator

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