rbarua@yorku.ca

This course charts key developments in the history of the Indian subcontinent across the 18^th and 19^th centuries. Broadly organized chronologically, the course will analyze some of the major political, economic, social and cultural transformations during this period. It follows the disintegration of the Mughal Empire, the establishment of East India Company rule and the eventual consolidation of British colonial control. Some of the themes covered in this course include, shifts in administrative and revenue structures; production of colonial knowledge; anti-colonial uprisings; and social reform and gender politics.

*TENTATIVE*

Barbara D. Metcalf, and Thomas R. Metcalf. A concise history of modern India, 3^rd edition, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006).

Digital copies available at Scott Library

*TENTATIVE Grade Breakdown*

Class Participation and Attendance: 20%

Quiz: 10%

Written assignment: 10%

Midterm: 20%

Group presentations: 10%

Final Essay Assignment: 30%

This is a weekly, in-person class. Each session will consist of a lecture, class discussion and smaller group activities. Students are expected to come to class with the assigned readings completed and prepared to engage in class discussions. A trip to the Royal Ontario Museum is tentatively planned for this course.

Upon completion of the course students will:

• Develop an understanding of the chronology, key developments, actors and concepts in 18^th and 19^th century South Asian history and society.
• Learn how to critically assess secondary literature.
• Learn how to read and interpret primary sources
• Gain skills in communicating their viewpoints effectively in class presentations and discussions
• Gain skills in scholarly writing and in developing coherent lines of argument.