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Cultural Heritage of India

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Course Type Course Code No. Of Credits
Foundation Core HRM2AM105 for MAHM & HRM2CP105 for MCPHM 4

Course Coordinator:  Dr. Shalini Awasthi

Email of Course Coordinator: sawasthi@aud.ac.in

Prerequisites: None

Aim:

This course is an introduction and understanding into the characteristics of culture which is all pervasive, ingrained in the literary texts, social practices, traditions and philosophy. Culture has reflections in political ideas and institutions, and, in educational practices too. These myriad       dimensions of Indian culture and its heritage are the theme which underlines all the modules of this Course, and is an introduction to the myriad elements which make up the Indian Knowledge Systems and their incorporation and reflections in contemporary times.       

Course Outcome:  Upon completion of the course, the student, especially in the context of India, will be able to:

  • Understand the multi-dimensional components that constitute Indian culture.
  • Appreciate that culture is ever evolving, as it assimilates new thought processes.  
  • Acquire the ability to perceive culture is the product of a specific time-place-environmental continuum.
  • The realization that culture is reflected all around us-in daily lives, personality, socio-political-legal-educational and philosophical frameworks.  

Module I: A general introduction into the characteristics of Culture and its influences on heritage.

An introduction into the characteristics that make up culture, by corelating with thematic evolutionary traditions of the sruti and smriti literary texts. A second approach   of perceiving culture is through the folklore, which will be dealt approached through the different perspectives, and contextualized with Indian practices of Parampara, and a few sacred trees of India  

Module II:   Social organization and systems   

 The working of any society is based on the symbiotic correlation between the organizational principles and the norms which are created/generated to ensure the continuity of the civilizational and societal practices. The foundational basis of the social practices of Indian culture are attempted to be traced to the ideas of dharma, varna, asrama, rina, purushartha, dana, samskaras and tirtha and tirthayatras.

Module III: Symbolic Communication through theology, rituals and philosophy  

Societies are distinguished on the basis of the theology, rituals and philosophical ideas that are dominant in a specific historical timeline. The religious   practices and philosophies   are sought to be studied in the historical periods from the vedic origins, tracing the evolutionary curve into the intellectual reasonings of the sixth century CE to emergence of vaisnavism and saivism till the bhakti and sufi movement.  

Module IV: Evolution of political ideas and institutions

The cultural traits are reflected into political thought. This module traces the germinal ideas of political thought and philosophy from the earliest times, in Indian texts  to the discourse on the monarchical  state elucidated in the saptanga theory of State .

Module V: Roots of learning

This section focuses on the roots of learning as they emerged in India, following the transitional phases, leading to the promulgation of English education in India. This module will incorporate, an introduction to  the science of ayurveda, as  a form of learning.    

Readings

  • Chatterji, SK et al. (Ed) The Cultural Heritage of India Vol.I.1937 Reprint 1993.  The Ramakrishna Mission. Institute of Culture. Calcutta.
  •                    Editors’ Preface pp. xxxvii-xiv
  • Majumdar, A K. 1990. Concise History of Ancient India Vol.  I & II.  Munshiram Mahoharlal
  • Saraswati, Baidyanath. Ed. 2001. The Nature of Living Tradition: The Distinctive Features of Indian Parampara. IGNCA and DK Printworld.
  • Gupta , Shakti. 2001 Third edition. Plant myths and Traditions in India. Munshiram Manoharlal.
  • Thapar, Romila 2018. Indian Cultures as Heritage: Contemporary Pasts. Aleph. 
    • Cultures as Heritage pp. 20-37
    • Heritage the Contemporary Past pp. 37- 58
  • Gokulsing , K Moti and Dissanayake , Wimal (ed.) 2011. Popular Culture in a Globalised India. Routledge.   
    • Angma Dey Jhala From zenana to cinema: the impact of royal aesthetics on Bollywood cinema pp139-153.
  • Kane, P V.1968 Third Edition 1997. History of Dharmasastras Vol. II Pt. 1 and Vol. II Pt. 2. Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute.
  •  Prabhu, P H. 1940 Sixth Reprint 1979. Hindu Social Organisation: A Study in Socio-Psychological and Ideological Foundations. Popular Prakashan.
  • Thapar, Romila 1999. Cultural Pasts: Essays in Early Indian History. Oxford University Press. Dana and Dakshina as forms of Exchange pp521-535.
  • Gupta, Dipankar (Ed.)1998 Fifth Impression. Social Stratification. Oxford University Press. M N Srinivas Varna and Caste pp28-34.
  • Basham A L 1954. Wonder That was India. Sidgwick and Jackson. Religions pp.252-345.
  • Embree, Ainsle T. 1992. Edited and Revised. Sources of Indian Tradition Vol. One: From the Beginning to 1800 . Penguin Books.
  • Bhattacharji , Sukumari. 1970. Indian Edition 1978. The Indian Theogony: A Comparative Study of Indian Mythology from the Vedas to the Puranas. Firma KLM.
  • Rizvi, SAA. 1987 Ninth Impression. The Wonder That Was India. Vol. II. Rupa &Co.  Religion pp.231-276. 
  • Sharma, R S .2015. Aspects of Political Ideas and Institutions in Ancient India. Motilal Banarasi Dass.
  • Bandhopadyaya, NC .1938. Development of Hindu Polity and Political Theories. Munshiram Manoharlal.
  • Majumdar, A K. 1990. Concise History of Ancient India Vol. II. Political Theory Administration and Economic Life. Munshiram Mahoharlal.
  • Mookerji, R K. 1947Reprint 1958. Ancient Indian Education: Brahmanical and Buddhist. Motilal Banarasidass.
  • Naik, J P and Syed Nurullah. 1943. History of Education in India: During the British Period. Macmillan and Co. 
  • Zastoupil, Lynn and Matrin Moir (eds).1992. The Great Indian Education Debate: Documents Relating to the Anglicist and Orientalist Controversy. Curzon Press.
  • Vishwanathan, Gauri. I992. Masks of Conquest. Columbia University Press.  
  • Altekar A S. 1944.Education in Ancient India. Nand Kishore and Brothers

Note: The Reading Lists will be supplemented by titles during lectures, and, study material provided from time to time as additional material. 

Details with Weightage for Evaluation:

  • Assignment 1: Assessment of thematic understanding/conceptual clarity/report-writing/ chapter-analysis/book review etc.: 30%
  • Presentation: 20%
  • Semester End Evaluation: 50%

 

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