Professor Chester
Hellems 225
Office Hours: T 1:30-2:30, W 1-2, and by appointment
chester@colorado.edu
IAFS 4500: International Affairs in Post-Cold War South Asia
<www.colorado.edu/history/chester/IAFS4500.htm>
This course examines a range of post-Cold War challenges in the context of South Asia. Beginning with the legacies of imperialism, we will discuss the Kashmir problem, nuclear proliferation, communalism, environmental issues, Afghanistan, and society and culture. This syllabus is subject to change as current events dictate.
This is an advanced seminar, and students are expected to read thoroughly and thoughtfully. The weekly reading load will often reach 120 pages. Course requirements include a policy paper, a discussion presentation, a research presentation, and a final policy paper. Please note that only paper copies, not electronic submissions, will be accepted for written assignments.
required reading:
Available at bookstore:
Sumit Ganguly, South Asia (New York: New York UP, 2006)
Ramachandra Guha, India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy (New York: Ecco, 2007)
Ahmed Rashid, Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil, and Fundamentalism in Central Asia (New Haven: Yale UP, 2000)
Arundhati Roy, The Cost of Living (New York: Modern Library, 1999)
Ramesh Thakur and Oddny Wiggen, South Asia in the World: Problem-Solving Perspectives on Security, Sustainable Development, and Good Governance (Tokyo: United Nations UP, 2004)
Available on course website:
Sumit Ganguly, “The Crisis of Indian Secularism,” Journal of Democracy 14.4 (2003) 11-25
Human Rights Watch, “‘We Have No Orders to Save You’: State Participation and Complicity in Communal Violence in Gujarat” 14:3 (Apr 2002)
assignments:
Seminar Participation
In order to succeed in this course, you must do the readings each week before we meet and come to class prepared to join actively in seminar discussion.
Policy Paper—Feb 4
In 5-7 pages, offer a policy-oriented analysis (that is, a report making policy recommendations) based on your research on a current issue in South Asian affairs.
Book Review—Feb 25
Write a scholarly review of a book of your choosing.
Discussion Presentation—Weeks 5-10
Students will lead class discussions in small groups. Email discussion questions to the class list by Tuesday noon the week of your presentation.
Individual Research Meeting—Apr 1, 8
Students will meet with me during weeks twelve and thirteen to discuss their research progress.
Research Briefing—Apr 15, 22
Students will brief the class during weeks fourteen and fifteen on their developing research papers.
Final Policy Paper (15-20 pages)—Due Apr 29
Design your own paper topic, in consultation with me, on a subject you did not explore in your first policy paper.
Coming to my office hours (listed above) is the best way to get immediate feedback. Email should be reserved for questions I can answer in a sentence or two. I aim to reply to emails within 72 hours (excluding weekends).
religious obligations and class conflicts
If you have a conflict with exams, assignments, or class meetings because of religious obligations, please let me know at least two weeks in advance. We will work together to arrange appropriate accommodations.
disability services
If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to me a letter from Disability Services as soon as possible so that your needs can be addressed. You can reach Disability Services at (303) 492-8671, at Willard 322, or through their website <www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices>; they determine accommodations based on documented disabilities.
plagiarism and the honor code
Plagiarism will not be tolerated. As a violation of the CU Honor Code and the university’s policy on Academic Integrity, it is punishable by dismissal from the university. We will discuss proper citation in class, but you are responsible for familiarizing yourself with the meanings of plagiarism; “Sources: Their Use and Acknowledgement,” published by Dartmouth College, is an excellent resource, available online at <www.dartmouth.edu/~sources>.
A key element of the university Honor Code is that CU students will not plagiarize (that is, use the words and thoughts of others as their own). As part of the effort to control plagiarism and to ensure that submitted works from students are fully their own, the university has subscribed to TurnItIn.com. As the Honor Code website notes, “This service allows faculty to submit sentences, paragraphs, or entire term/research papers or other scholarly works to the TurnItIn.com website for review. After the service scans more than 1.5 billion pages on the Internet, the faculty member will receive a report including the percentage of the material that has been identified as drawn from other sources, the degree of similarity in the matching material, and live hyperlinks to the original source material so that each faculty member can determine for themselves whether plagiarism has indeed occurred.” The electronic files submitted will then become part of the TurnItIn “closed database.” According to the Honor Code website, “This procedure not only ensures that multiple submissions of the same material can be detected, regardless of the passage of time or the location of the submission, but protects the integrity of each student's scholarly efforts. No additional access to, use, or publication of the material in this paper bank is made by TurnItIn.com.”
It is my intention to submit all student papers to TurnItIn.com, to give a grade of F in the course to any student in violation of the CU Honor Code, and to refer incidents of plagiarism to the Honor Code Council. Note that you cannot submit the same paper for two different classes without the express permission of both instructors.
If you have any questions about this procedure or about any matter regarding proper citation and the Honor Code, ask me.
classroom behavior
In this class, we will all treat each other with respect. Civil discussion of differing viewpoints is an essential part of the study of international affairs. Appropriate classroom behavior includes arriving on time and remaining for the entire class; let me know before class if you will need to leave early. Do not eat, sleep, read the newspaper, email, instant/text message, play games, have private conversations, etc. during class. Turn cell phones off.
discrimination and sexual harassment
The
University of Colorado at Boulder policy on Discrimination and Harassment
(http://www.colorado.edu/policies/discrimination.html), the University of
Colorado policy on Sexual Harassment, and the University of Colorado policy on
Amorous Relationships apply to all students, staff and faculty. Any student,
staff or faculty member who believes s/he has been the subject of discrimination
or harassment based upon race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability,
religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status should contact the
Office of Discrimination and Harassment (ODH) at 303-492-2127 or the Office of
Judicial Affairs at 303-492-5550. Information about the ODH and the campus
resources available to assist individuals regarding discrimination or harassment
can be obtained at <http://www.colorado.edu/odh>.
course outline
Week One (Jan 14): Introduction and Historical Context
Week Two (Jan 21): Post-Colonial States
Guha 1-18, 597-681
Week Three (Jan 28): Post Cold-War South Asia
Guha 682-763
Week Four (Feb 4): Nuclear Weapons and Security
Current event analysis due at the beginning of class
Thakur and Wiggen 37-66
Ganguly 1-48
Week Five (Feb 11): Conflict and Violence
Ganguly 58-103
Week Six (Feb 18): Communalism and Fundamentalism
HRW, “We Have No Orders to Save You”
Ganguly, “Crisis of Indian Secularism”
Week seven (Feb 25): Natural Resources and Environmental Issues
Book review due at the beginning of class
Roy 7-126
Week eight (Mar 4): Afghanistan I
Rashid 1-104
Week nine (Mar 11): Afghanistan II
Rashid 105-216
Ganguly 104-124
Week ten (Mar 18): Society and Culture I
After confirming your choice with me, read a South Asian novel of your choosing
Week eleven: Spring Break
Week twelve (Apr 1): Research Meetings
Individual research meetings (no reading, no class; work on your final paper)
Week thirteen (Apr 8) Research Meetings
Individual research meetings (no reading, no class; work on your final paper)
Week fourteen (Apr 15): Research Briefings
No reading; prepare your research briefing.
Week fifteen (Apr 22): Research Briefings
No reading; revise your final paper.
Week sixteen (Apr 29): Conclusions
Final paper due at the beginning of class.