Subject Area: Asian Studies
This course can also be studied in the following specialisations: Development Studies; History

This course aims to explore South Asia's present through its past, with special focus on India, reflecting its dominance in the region. The study of India and the controversies surrounding history and historiography in the subcontinent are the special focus of the course. The course in particular makes use of ‘Bollywood’ film, inasmuch as it reflects the social and historical environment in which it is produced and consumed, to illustrate lectures. The course aims to use, and encourage interaction with, recent, interesting and provocative writing, including daily newspapers as a means of understanding contemporary events through an academic lens. Topics include: The British Raj, the nationalist movements, independence of India and the creation of Pakistan, development, democracy and a consideration of India's international relations and rise as a global power. Students who have successfully completed this course will be able to understand and explain India’s prospects and predicaments in the 21st century, and will also develop an understanding of the region in general.