Political battles over the soul of modern India are fought, in part, through the imagination. This course explores India's vibrant modern traditions of Bollywood film, new fiction, and emerging creative industries to understand changing visions of the world's largest democracy. Film, writing, and new media reveal a space where right-wing Hindu activism meets global neoliberal norms, where "new women" and "angry young men" critique longstanding social roles and gender inequalities, and where India defines a place for itself as a rising force in a globalising world. As the course explores how the Indian state has mobilized culture as part of its bid to become a global power, it investigates how battles fought through and over the imagination reveal underlying anxieties and aspirations for the economic and political future of India.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Demonstrate the ability to critique historical and current events and developments that have shaped relationships between culture and power in India;
- Integrate a range of theoretical frameworks to analyse contemporary systems of popular culture and creative industries in India;
- Evaluate how global events and developments in popular culture and creative industries have affected India;
- Design independent evidence-based research projects using analytical, practice-based, and/or creative methods.
- Communicate ideas, both in writing and orally, in forms that justify research methods and theoretical frameworks.
Indicative Assessment
- 1. Seminar Participation with 4 x 500-word blog posts (40) [LO 1,2,3,5]
- 2. Critical-Creative Project (20) [LO 1,2,4,5]
- 3. Research Essay OR Documentary Design (3500 words) (40) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
The total workload for this course is 130 hours, including in class time and independent study.Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Prescribed Texts
Reading materials will be available on Wattle.Preliminary Reading
Mulk Raj Anand, UntouchableR.K. Narayan, The Ramayana
A.K. Ramanujan, 300 Ramayanas (selections)
Ulka Anjaria, ed, A History of the Indian Novel in English (selections)
Awaara, dir. Raj Kapoor (1951)
Vijay Mishra, Bollywood Cinema: Temples of Desire (selections)
Nina Paley, Sita Sings the Blues
Sholay, dir. G.P. Sippy (1975)
Anita Desai, Clear Light of Day
Fire, dir. Deepa Mehta (1996)
Naisargi N. Dave, Queer Activism in India: A Story in the Anthropology of Ethics (Durham: Duke University Press, 2012) (selections).
Ruth Vanita, ed., Queering India: Same-Sex Love and Eroticism in Indian Culture and Society (New York: Routledge, 2002) (selections).
Shruti Saxena, Stilettos in the Boardroom (New Delhi: Zubaan, 2009).
Sanja Srivastava, Passionate Modernity: Sexuality, Class and Consumption in India (New Delhi: Routledge, 2007) (selections).
Court (2014), dir. Chaitanya Tamhane
Vishwaroopam (2013), dir. Kamal Haasan
So Heddan, So Hoddan (2011), dir. Anajali Monteiro and K.P. Jayashankar
Assumed Knowledge
Some prior study of India and/or cultural studies is desirable, but not required.Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2019 | $3360 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2019 | $5160 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9470 | 22 Jul 2019 | 29 Jul 2019 | 31 Aug 2019 | 25 Oct 2019 | In Person | View |
