Certificate of Proficiency

To obtain the certificate of proficiency, undergraduate students must complete the requirements in their major department as well as the following requirements of the program.

At least one history course on South Asia in the Department of History.
At least two courses on South Asia in the Departments of Anthropology, Economics, Politics, or the Woodrow Wilson School.

At least one relevant course on South Asia in the Departments of Comparative Literature or Religion.

The senior requirement may be fulfilled by completion of a thesis with a significant South Asian focus written in the department of concentration. Alternatively, the requirement may be fulfilled by completion of a senior research project in consultation with the director of the Program in South Asian Studies. The use of primary materials in the languages of the region is encouraged in senior essay projects.

Four semesters of Hindi or Urdu or demonstrated proficiency in Hindi or Urdu or other South Asian language through program examination. Courses to fulfill this requirement should be taken while the student is at Princeton. Students may also pursue intensive language study through courses or work abroad.

The Program in South Asian Studies strongly encourages concentrators to take advantage of intensive summer language programs and the numerous opportunities to study or travel in South Asia, including a semester or year abroad. Contact Program Director Isabelle Clark-Deces for more information.

Certificate Courses

The undergraduate courses of interest to certificate students are offered by an array of departments. Some courses, not on the list below, may also qualify for the certificate. Please contact Jayne Bialkowski with any questions.

Course descriptions are available in the current Undergraduate Announcement, which can be found online at the Office of the Registrar.

Academic Year 2013-14

Fall 2013

ANT 339/SAS 217 Peoples and Cultures of South Asia (Isabelle Clark-Deces)

CLA 475/LIN 475 Introduction to Sanskrit

HIN 101/URD 101 Elementary Hindi and Urdu I (Fauzia Farooqui and Robert Phillips)

HIN 105 Intermediate Hindi (Robert Phillips)

HIS 523 Topics in Modern South Asia: Subaltern Studies (Gyan Prakash)

NES 323 Introduction to Early Sufism, ca. AD 800-AD 1200 (Michael Barry)

SAS 330/COM 319/TRA 330/CLA 331 Mahabharata as Literature, Performance, Ideology (Frederick M. Smith)

URD 105 Intermediate Urdu I (Fauzia Farooqui)

Complete List of Certificate Courses

Below is a comprehensive list of courses that fulfill certificate requirement and reflect the breadth of disciplines that correspond with the study of South Asia. Not every course is offered every year; some may be one-time-only offerings.

Anthropology

302 Third World Literature and Culture
321 Ritual, Myth, and Worldview
336 Social Change in Contemporary India
337 Social Change in India
439 Alchemy, Yoga and Tantra: Three Paths to Power in Medieval India.

Comparative Literature

208 Modern South Asian Literatures
336 Indian Texts and Contexts: Ancient to Medieval

Hindi

101 Elementary Hindi-Urdu I
102 Elementary Hindi-Urdu II
105 Intermediate Hindi I
107 Intermediate Hindi II

History

317 The Making of Modern India
332 The Mughals and Their World, 1526–1858 A.D.
417 Gandhi: The Making of the Mahatma

Music

257 Introduction to the Music of India

Near Eastern Studies

319 South Asian Islam, 98–1803 A.D.
340 Muslim South Asia

Politics

351 Politics in the Developing Countries
361 Political Economy of East Asia
378 Politics in India
393 Asia in World Affairs

Religion

210 Religions of India
323 Buddhist Philosophy in India and Tibet
324 Mind and Meditation
586 Religious Authority in Modern Islam

Urdu

101 Elementary Hindi-Urdu I
102 Elementary Hindi-Urdu II
105 Intermediate Urdu I
107 Intermediate Urdu II

Woodrow Wilson School

478 Special Topics in Public Affairs: Indian Economic Development
485 Special Topics in Public Affairs: Society and Politics in Pakistan
591H Policy Workshop: Improving Health Services in Himachal Pradesh