Course Offerings Spring 2016

First-year students must take no less than 4 and no more than 5 courses
(not counting co-curricular courses). They must take 2 Foundation Courses,
1 Critical Thinking Seminar, and 1 100-level Major/Minor Course; they can,
if they wish, take a second 100-level Major/Minor Course in another subject.
Second-year students must take no less than 4 and no more than 5
courses (not counting co-curricular courses). They must take unless
otherwise specified by the programme in which they are majoring 1
Foundation Courses and 3 Major/Minor Courses in their declared Major;
they can, if they wish, take another Major/Minor Course in their likely
Minor. Exceptions are Maths Majors and Economics Majors, who must take
2 Foundation Courses and 2 Major/Minor Courses; if they wish, these
students can also take another Major/Minor Course in their likely Minor.

Foundation Courses
FC-001-01 Foundations of Economic Reasoning (Mishra)
FC-001-02 Foundation of Economic Reasoning (Dasgupta)
This course is intended to introduce students to the basic principles of
economic thinking: the functioning of markets, their implications for the
welfare of consumers and producers, the role of the government in
regulating markets, problems such as inflation and unemployment, and the
nature of value.
FC-002-01 Great Books (Mukherjee)
The books in the Great Books course will come from different cultures,
different time periods, different languages, and different subjects. But they
all have something significant to offer us as we think about the world today.
The curriculum and themes will vary between sections, but readings will
include influential books such as the Mahabharata, Don Quixote, Wealth of
Nations, among others.
FC-003-01 Indian Civilizations (Lahiri)
FC-003-02 Indian Civilizations (Lahiri)
This course will introduce students to the multiple elements that make up
Indian Civilizations. It will draw out civilizational elements from prehistory
till the present - through monuments and archaeology, through ideas and
art forms. In the process, the course will explore a varied and rich tapestry
that includes prehistoric rock art, the Harappan Civilization, the ideas of
governance and kingship in Ashokan edicts and in Kalidasa, the archaeology
and architecture of Vijayanagara, and Mughal India and its engagement

with non-Islamic worlds. Indian civilization, as the paper will also

emphasize, is not to be seen merely as part of the dead past but as an
element that continues to be invoked in the present.
FC-004-01 Introduction to Mathematical Thinking (Rajendran)
This course aims to give students an experience of contemporary
Mathematics. You will see that Mathematics is driven by ideas, not by
calculations, it is both beautiful and powerful, and it combines precision
with the greatest creativity. En route you will develop a set of broadly useful
problem solving skills, gain experience in precise thinking and writing, and
encounter some of historys landmark ideas.
FC-005-01 Literature and the World (Dubey)
Literature observes, imagines,
constructs and changes the world. And much the same
way, the world observes, imagines, constructs and changes literature.
This course will follow this rich exchange across texts that have signified
differently at different points and in different places. Thus we will
read The Tempest alongside its many diverse retellings (in different forms
and media); Charlotte Bront's Jane Eyre in conjunction with Jean
Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea; and poems that have interacted similarly, across
distances of time and space.
FC-006-01 Mind and Behaviour (K. Saran)
What kind of creature are you? A human being, no doubt. But what kind of
creature is that? How ought such a creature live? We will critically explore
influential models of human nature in the Indic and Western philosophical
traditions and their implications both for how we ought to live and our place
in the social world. We will also survey key psychological results that
directly bear on those philosophical models. Readings include selections
from the Upanishads, the Pali Canon, Vasisthas Yoga, Plato, Aristotle,
Hume, Freud, Mill, Railton, Santideva, Korsgaard, Foot, Kahneman, Haidt,
Bateson, Milgram, Hobbes, Rawls, and Bilgrami.
FC-007-01 Principles of Science (Normandin)
FC-007-02 Principles of Science (Normandin)
What is science? This apparently simple question will be the starting point
for an exploration of the nature of science in historical, philosophical and
sociological terms. In the process we will also consider how to draw the line
between science and pseudoscience (the demarcation problem) and try to
get to the essence of what defines scientific practice. The topics examined
will address a whole range of contemporary issues in science and even
allow us to speculate on the future of scientific ideas given our current
understandings.
FC-008-01 Social and Political Formations (Khan)

Students will be introduced to the concept of revolution as a political idea.

The course will seek to unpack the political thought and historical context of
revolutions as well as outline their origins, developments and outcomes.
This will help in answering key questions about this often used but widely
misunderstood word. The course will look at various historical and
geographical examples in order to answer the broader questions about the
nature of the links between revolution and civil wars, rebellions and
uprisings.
FC-009-01 Trends in History (Kelly)
This course is an invitation to a journey into the human past of several
millennia. At the heart of this journey lies the question what is history?
This course challenges the notion that history is simply a collection of dates,
facts, and events, or a story of emperors, kings and great men or a linear
tale of human evolution. It introduces the students to a novel way of
thinking about history. Studying history involves imagining lives, selves,
ideas, emotions and actions of people who are not only not us, but are very
different from us, because they are a product of a different time and place.
This course seeks to initiate the students to the art of historical
thinking where they acquire and cultivate empathy and imagination the
core values that empower us to imagine different lives and different worlds.

CTS Courses
Critical Thinking Seminars are available only to first-year students. Every
first-year student must sign up for only one CTS.
CT-101-01 Academic Writing (Sharma)
This course teaches you how to develop rhetorically effective universitylevel arguments. You will cultivate critical reading, thinking and writing
skills by closely reading a variety of essays. Your progress through a
carefully sequenced set of writing assignments will be monitored through
multiple rounds of teacher feedback and extensive support for revision.
CT-102-01 Discrete Mathematics (Jhanwar)
This course will introduce and develop proficiency in use of some of the key
mathematical tools and techniques that students will require for a CS major.
The emphasis will be on creative problem solving, rigorous analysis and
reading and writing formal proofs. Topics include discrete probability,
advance counting techniques like recurrence relations and generating
functions, modular arithmetic and finite fields with applications to coding
theory and cryptography, matchings, cuts, flows and connectivity in graphs,
the probabilistic methods and applications of probabilistic techniques in
computer science.

Prerequisites: None (but Introduction to Mathematical Thinking (FC)

strongly advised; please see academic advisor if this requirement is not
met)
CT-105-01 Critical Thinking in Mathematics (Rajendran)
This course aims to make you conversant with the language of mathematics.
This means being able to read and write proofs, which are simply careful
expressions of reasoning. You will learn how to do so while learning actual
mathematics, of course, and the areas we will cover are Introductory Real
Analysis and Number Theory.
Who should sign up: Open to all. If you are considering a major or minor in
Mathematics, we require that you take this course, if you haven't already. If
you don't have +2 math but wish to enroll, speak with the instructor.
CT-107-01 Critical Thinking in Political Science (Staf)
The course will focus on the development of students' ability to think as
social scientists do and have the opportunity to apply this thinking skill to
concrete puzzles or problems from the real world of politics.
CT-110-01 A History of Desire in India (Menon)
This seminar will plot a trajectory of desire in the Indian subcontinent: What
counts as desire? How do we recognise it? What counts as India? And how
do we write a history of desire? Texts will include poetry, novels, films, and
material that the class itself will generate in groups.
CT-111-01 History, Novel and Cinema (Vaidik)
History, Historical Fiction and Historical Cinema are imaginative dialogues
with the past. Each creates, retrieves and invents the past a past that
serendipitously seeps into the present. This course explores the
intersections, dissimilarities and shared aspects of these different narrative
genres that seek to convey the past for the present. The course material is
woven around the conceptual and methodological issues that historians
encounter while crafting their narratives time, spatial imagination,
memory and narrative distance; and the choices that a historian makes
while mapping forgotten pasts, using personal testimonies as historical
evidence, unearthing historical silences and taking ethical positions while
writing histories of violence. Course material is divided into two parts. Part
I consists of a piece of historical writing, a novel and a movie on each
theme. We will read works of history alongside novelists such as Gabriel
Garcia Marquez, Gillian Flynn, Edward Jones, Mahasweta Devi, Rigoberta
Menchu and watch Inception, Rashomon, Hiroshima: My Love, Gangs of
New York, The Reader and Motorcycle Diaries. Part II consists of analysis of
different kinds of sources oral, visual, institutional records and material
objects that historians use to construct the past.
CT-112-01 Environmental History (Rangarajan)

The course opens up themes in Indias rich ecological pasts. Animal-human

relations and water conflicts, ethics and science, landscapes and their
multiple meanings come together in a first look as we ask why we stand
today vis a vis the human environment.
CT-113-01 Analyzing the Media (Navarane)
How have new technologies changed the way in which news is gathered,
processed and disseminated? How much real freedom do reporters and
editorial writers enjoy? When do mere news stories become campaigns?
What is the public interest? With lectures from outstanding speakers from
both within and outside journalism, students will be exposed to a variety of
views and ssues relating to the media. This course teaches students to
critically appraise the media and to understand issues such as media ethics,
law, the principles of journalism or how the media covers subjects as rural
affairs, the environment, poverty, women, the economy, science or politics.
Writing exercised will be based on lectures and class discussions.
CT-114-01 Buddhist Philosophy (Perrett)
An introduction to Indian Buddhist philosophy, including both the early
Buddhist teachings on no-self and ethics, and the later philosophical
articulations of these ideas in Abhidharma, Yogcra and Madhyamaka.
Students will learn how to identify and analyse philosophical arguments,
read texts critically, and write philosophical prose.
CT-115-01 Positive Psychology (Rich)
Positive Psychology is the scientific study of optimal human functioning, and
includes the examination of happiness, subjective well-being, life
satisfaction, and strength of character. Although psychologists have
traditionally focused on fixing what is problematic with people by
understanding the root causes of suffering, positive psychology
concentrates on building what is right in people by scientifically studying
strengths and virtues, such as optimism, resilience and courage. This course
takes an empirical approach to helping individuals use the science of
flourishing to enhance their lives. Topics covered include happiness,
pleasure, positive thinking, values, wisdom, hope, gratitude, kindness,
forgiveness, goal-setting, wellness, the mind-body connection, self-esteem,
leadership, creativity, curiosity, love and positive relationships, and positive
institutions.
CT-116-01 Measurements and Mismeasurements in Psychology
(Chan)
Psychologists are obsessed with measurementsand they should be
because of the empirical nature of scientific psychology. But measuring
psychological constructs is not quite the same as measuring the length of a
table. Does it mean that psychologists should give up measuring
psychological constructs, or should the question be how best can we

measure them? What sort of mistakes do we make during measurements,

and what sort of consequences do these errors have with regards to our
inferences about other people and indeed about ourselves? The aim of this
course is to nurture a critical eye at the nature of measurement in
psychology and allied disciplines. At the end of the course, students will
appreciate what measurement really is about.
CT-117-01 Economic Anthropology (Chattaraj)
Societies distribute resources and individuals make economic decisions in a
dizzying variety of ways. We will explore a range of economic practices,
from gifting to barter to the creation of "the market" in this course. The
course will involve field research and should be of relevance to students
with interests in economics, business and anthropology and sociology.
CT-118-01 Economic Development and Policy (Sharma)
Why are some countries so poor and others so rich? How do governments
intervene to improve the lives of people, and what sorts of interventions
work? Through this course, you will explore questions of economic
development by engaging with contemporary research on education, health,
gender, poverty and inequality, infrastructure and institutions. You will learn
how to evaluate research claims, as well as engage with academic and
policy discourses.

Major/Minor Courses
Computer Science (Programme Coordinator: Sudheendra Hangal)
First-year students thinking of Majoring in Computer Science must take
both CT-102 (Discrete Mathematics) as their Critical Thinking Seminar and
the gateway course, CS-101 (Introduction to Computer Programming).
First-year students thinking of Minoring in Computer Science should take
CS-101 (Introduction to Computer Programming).
Second-year students who have declared a Major in Computer Science
must take the three 200-level courses: CS-203 (Probability, Statistics, and
Data Science), CS-204 (Computer Architecture), and CS-205 (Scalable
Software Systems). Students Minoring in Computer Science should pick
one of these courses after consulting with the Computer Science
Programme Coordinator, Professor Sudheendra Hangal.
CT-102-01 Discrete Mathematics (Jhanwar)
This course will introduce and develop proficiency in use of some of the key
mathematical tools and techniques that students will require for a CS major.
The emphasis will be on creative problem solving, rigorous analysis and

reading and writing formal proofs. Topics include discrete probability,

advance counting techniques like recurrence relations and generating
functions, modular arithmetic and finite fields with applications to coding
theory and cryptography, matchings, cuts, flows and connectivity in graphs,
the probabilistic methods and applications of probabilistic techniques in
computer science.
Prerequisites: None (but Introduction to Mathematical Thinking (FC)
strongly advised; please see academic advisor if this requirement is not
met)
CS-101-01 Introduction to Computer Programming (staf)
This course is an introduction to Computer Science, with emphasis on
solving problems by writing programs. The focus will be on problem solving,
and not on the syntax of any particular programming language. The course
will introduce program structures (loops, conditionals, functions) and
several data structures for efficient storage of information. The course will
be based on two programming languages: C and Python, and will
incorporate multiple programming assignments.
Prerequisites: None (Non-CS major students are welcome to enroll)
CS-203-01 Probability, Statistics, and Data Science (Jhanwar)
This course integrates the theory and applications of discrete probability,
discrete stochastic processes, and discrete statistical inference in the study
of computer science. With a basic introduction to statistical methods in
machine learning, students will be able to apply their knowledge to realworld problems in data analysis and will do programming assignments to
help them understand the fundamental concepts in the field of data science
and big data.
Prerequisites: Introduction to Mathematical Thinking (FC)
CS-204-01 Computer Architecture (staf)
This course focuses on advanced topics in modern computer architecture,
illustrated by recent case studies of advanced microprocessors. Topics
include fundamentals of quantitative analysis; pipelined, out-of-order, and
speculative execution; superscalar, VLIW and vector processors; embedded
processors; memory hierarchy design; thread-level parallelism;
multiprocessors and multi-core architectures, synchronization and cache
coherence protocols.
Prerequisites: Introduction to Computer Programming (can be waived with
permission of academic advisor)
CS-205-01 Scalable Software Systems (Hangal)
This course covers how scalable software systems and commercial web sites
are built, tested and managed. It will cover advanced topics in programming
languages (including security and concurrency), and expose students to
modern tools for big data processing like map-reduce and databases.

Students will perform a large programming project and get the experience
to build high-quality, scalable web services. Students will also develop
advanced proficiency in the Java programming language.
Prerequisites: Introduction to Computer Programming
Creative Writing (Programme Coordinator: Aruni Kashyap)
First-year students and second-year students thinking of Minoring in
Creative Writing should take this course. It can be taken as an elective too.
CW-101-01 Creative Writing Workshop in Fiction and Poetry
(Kashyap)
In this course, students will experiment with two creative genrespoetry
and fictionas a means of developing different imaginative approaches to
experience. The emphasis will be on generating a lot of raw material, and
advancing a chunk of this work toward completion. During the semester, we
will discuss a set of craft elements and students will be expected to apply
those craft elements in their own writing and also while critiquing the work
of their classmates. In short, this course will teach students the basic
techniques of poetry and fiction, how to apply those in their own writing and
how to look at literature from the practitioner's point of view.
Economics (Programme Coordinator: Bhaskar Dutta)
First-year students thinking of Majoring or Minoring in Economics must
take the gateway course, ECO-101 (Maths for Economics).
Second-year students who have declared a Major in Economics or
Economics and Finance must take ECO-205 (Game Theory) and ECO-206
(Econometrics). Students Minoring in Economics should pick one of these
courses after consulting with the Economics Programme Coordinator,
Professor Bhaskar Dutta.
Second-year students who have declared a Major in PPE must take ECO203 (Macroeconomics) and ECO-204 (Microeconomics).
ECO-101-01 Maths for Economics (Dutta)
ECO-101-02 Maths for Economics (Dutta)
ECO-101-03 Maths for Economics (Saha)
This course introduces the students to the mathematical techniques
necessary for the study of economics at the undergraduate level. In
particular, the course will cover univariate and multivariate calculus,
optimization techniques and linear algebra.

ECO-203-01 Macroeconomics (Minor/PPE), (Saha)

In this course, we shall ask questions like how are output and prices
determined in an economy? How do different policies and institutions affect
these two variables? We will analyze the role of government, financial
markets and labor markets in an economy. The objective of the course is to
educate the students on the short run and long run effects of fiscal,
monetary and trade policies. Towards the end, we will spend substantial
time to understand the determinants of long run growth of an economy and
discuss the state of macroeconomics after 2007 crisis.
ECO-204-01 Microeconomics-204-01 (Minor/PPE), (Dasgupta)
Microeconomics studies the decision making mechanism of individual
participants in a market economy. This course is designed to impart an
understanding of the fundamental principles and rationale underlying such
decision making by individuals. Topics include consumer and producer
theory, market structure, welfare economics.This course will provide a nontechnical introduction to micro economics. This course will be available for
non-Economics major students.
ECO-205-01 Game Theory (Lahkar)
ECO-205-02 Game Theory (Lahkar)
Game Theory is the study of strategic interaction in multi-person decision
problems. It is widely used in the study of more advanced topics in
microeconomics. The course will focus on both theory and applications
drawn from economics.
ECO-206-01 Econometrics (Ramaswamy)
ECO-206-02 Econometrics (Ramaswamy)
This course is an introduction to the methods of data analysis commonly
used in economics. Building on the basic concepts of statistical inference,
the course will examine how data can inform economic models,
relationships and public policy analysis.
English (Programme Coordinator: Madhavi Menon)
First-year students thinking of Majoring or Minoring in English must take
the gateway course, ENG-101 (Forms of Literature).
Second-year students who have declared a Major in English or English
and Journalism must take ENG-202 (Literature and Empire, 1660-1947),
ENG-203 (Filmy Desire), and ENG-204 (Indian Literatures in Translation).
Students Minoring in English should pick one of these courses after
consulting with the English Programme Coordinator, Professor Madhavi
Menon.

ENG-101-01 Forms of Literature (Harris)

This gateway course will introduce prospective English Majors and Minors
to different genres of literature the epic, narrative poetry, the novel, the
lyric, drama, the short story and think about how these are not just
aesthetic forms but also diverse ways of thinking, shaped by different
historical, social and economic forces. Texts to be considered:
Gilgamesh, Miltons Paradise Lost, Chaucers Canterbury Tales, Eliots
Waste Land, Rabelaiss Gargantua and Pantagruel, Conrads Heart of
Darkness, Shakespeares Sonnets, Audrey Lordes Collected Poetry,
Aristophanes Lysistrata, Caryl Churchills Top Girls, Hoffmans The
Sandman, and Mantos Collected Stories.
ENG-202-01 Literature and Empire: 1660-1947(Dubey)
The novel, as its name suggests, is an essentially 'new' form a product of
modernity, with its earliest beginnings reaching back to the late
seventeenth century. Is it a pure coincidence that the age of the novel is
also the age of Empire? We will explore that question by looking at a range
of texts: pamphlets, travel narratives, poems, novels, and prose fictions
which help us consider the ways in which the history of the age shapes the
literary developments of the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth
centuries. Our readings will range from Aphra Behns Oronooko to E. M.
Forsters A Passage to India, including voices from within the
Empire. Moving across countries and centuries, this course will study
literary and social formations that continue to affect us to this day.
ENG-203-01 Desiring Film (Menon)
How does desire emerge in film? What is the relation between form and
content, style and substance, texture and text? This class will study films
from different parts of the world by directors like
Hitchcock, Almodovar, Haneke, Campion, and Bhansali, among others in
relation to film, feminist, and queer theory.
ENG-204-01 Indian Literatures in Translation (Kashyap/Sinha)
In this course, students will read English translations of poetry and fiction
written in nine Indian languages. Along with translation theory, the
emphasis will be on understanding each of these literary traditions. Reading
these works in translation will specially offer ways to identify and analyse
authorial choices. The highlight of this course is that the lectures will be
supplemented by a series of talks by the author or translator of the texts
and students will have the rare opportunity to interact with them.
Entrepreneurship (Programme Coordinator: Priyank Narayan)

First-year students and second-year students thinking of Minoring in

Entrepreneurship, and second-year students who are Majoring in Computer
Science and Entrepreneurship, should take this course. It can be taken as
an elective too.
ENT-102-01, Creative Problem Solving (Narayan/Shastri)
It is often said that Today, thinking is more important than knowing.
Opportunities are what we all look for and their counterpart the problems
are what we need to solve in daily lives. Dynamic environment of twenty
first century requires more creative skills from citizens than just analytical
skills to manage in the ever-changing work environment.
Environmental Studies (Programme Coordinator: Valentina Zuin)
First-year students and second-year students thinking of Minoring in
Environmental Studies should take this course. It can be taken as an
elective too.
ES-102-01 Introduction to Sustainable Development (Zuin)
This course introduces students to the basic tools and concepts of
qualitative social research. We will focus on participant observation,
interviews, focus group discussion, and in-person surveys, as well as gain
practical experience in these data collection methods. Other topics covered
include ethics in research, different philosophies of science, and identifying
research questions. Throughout the course we will be reading examples of
qualitative research conducted in different disciplines in the social sciences
(planning, sociology/anthropology, international development, water and
sanitation policy), as well as readings about research methods.
Finance (Programme Coordinator: Ajit Mishra)
First-year students and second-year students Majoring in Economics
and Finance (or thinking of doing so) should take this course. It can be
taken as an elective too.
FIN-101-01 Introduction to Finance (Mishra)
The aim of this course is to introduce students to a broad range of financial
markets operating in a modern economy and to provide you with a basic
understanding of these markets. At the end of the module, students should
develop a basic awareness of the day-to-day workings of such markets and
an informed understanding of key events, such as the recent financial crisis.
The topics covered include the role and types of various financial markets;
the role and function of financial institutions and their regulation; and the
conduct of monetary policy. Various financial markets such as the bond
markets, government as well as corporate bonds; the money markets; the

stock markets; and the markets for financial futures and options will be
covered. The role of central banks and other regulatory institutions in
ensuing the smooth functioning of these markets will be explored.
History (Programme Coordinator: Aparna Vaidik)
First-year students thinking of Majoring or Minoring in History must take
the gateway course, HIS-101 (European History from Renaissance to
Revolution).
Second-year students who have declared a Major in History, History and
International Relations, or History and Economics must take HIS-201
(Modern India from 1757 to 1857), HIS-202 (Reading Archeologically), and
HIS-203 (Reading Historically). Students Minoring in History should pick
one of these courses after consulting with the History Programme
Coordinator, Professor Aparna Vaidik.
HIS-101-01 European History from Renaissance to Revolution
(Mukherjee)
This course will introduce students to the basic trends of modern European
history from the Renaissance in Italy to the revolution in Russia.
HIS-201-01 Modern India from 1757 to 1857
(Rangarajan/Mukherjee)
This course seeks to discuss some of the broad features of early British rule
from the conquest of Bengal to the revolt of 1857. This will form the first
part of the course. The post 1857 developments will be taught by Professor
Mahesh Rangarajan. The second section of the Modern India course will
take the story forward from the onset of Crown rule in 1858 to the early
phase of the Indian Union till the early 1960s. The consolidation of imperial
rule and the revolts against it each had long term consequences for ruler
and ruled alike in a myriad ways, in socio-political, economic and cultural as
much as strategic terms. Interweaving different strands of life and attention
to regional dimensions can help illumine in many ways the India of today.
Themes include the rise of new business groups, contested identities, the
disparities between and across states and the challenges of crafting
democracy in a climate of Cold War.
HIS-202-01 Reading Archeologically (Kelly)
Archaeology as a discipline is comprised of three things: data, methods of
obtaining that data, and theoretical frameworks and paradigms in which to
interpret and understand the data, in order to create narratives of the past.
In this course we will first explore the fundamental sources of data, along
with the methods archaeologists use to obtain and analyze the data. Using
this basic understanding of the field, we will delve into multiple case studies

including Ancient Egypt, pre-colonial Hawaii, the Missisippians of North

America, the Aztec of Central America and others, in order to examine and
critique the multiple theoretical frames that have been and can be used to
interpret the past through archaeology.
HIS-203-01 Reading History (Vaidik)
This is a course in Philosophy of History the philosophical bases for
historical study, and Historiography a review of the development of
historical knowledge and the historical profession. It examines the different
ways in which different schools of history have made sense of their
discipline and of human past from eighteenth century to the present. The
course begins with examining the Whig and the Positivist school of
historical writing and traces the history of history-writing to the Marxist,
Annales, New Historicist, Structuralists, post-structuralists, down to
Narrativists, Subaltern Studies, Postcolonial and Postmodern writings. This
course aims to familiarize the students with the essentials of the discipline
of history.
International Relations (Programme Coordinator: Srinath Raghavan)
First-year students and second-year students thinking of Minoring in
International Relations, or Majoring in History and International Relations,
should take this course. It can be taken as an elective too.
IR-102-01 Conflict and Cooperation in International Politics
(Srinath)
This course explores the sources of conflict and drivers of cooperation in
international politics. Using a range of theoretical approaches and historical
case studies, it aims to prepare students to analyse and make sense of the
most important issues in contemporary international relations: security and
economy, humanitarian crises and global commons, terrorism and nuclear
proliferation.
Mathematics (Programme Coordinator: Maya Saran)
First-year students thinking of Majoring or Minoring in Mathematics must
take the gateway course, MAT-101 (Linear Algebra).
Second-year students who have declared a Major in Mathematics must
take MAT-202 (Algebra II) and MAT-203 (Multivariable Calculus). Students
Minoring in Mathematics should pick one of these courses after consulting
with the Mathematics Programme Coordinator, Professor Maya Saran.
MAT-101-01 Linear Algebra (Kothari)

Concepts and applications of linear algebra. Systems of linear equations,

matrices, determinants. Abstract vector spaces, basis, dimension, linear
transformations. Eigenvalue problem
MAT-202-01 Algebra II (Kothari)
A second course in abstract algebra. Will cover topics ranging from
advanced group theory, to the theory of rings and modules.
(for math majors in the second year -- also open to others. Algebra I is
a prerequisite.)
MAT-203-01 Multivariable Calculus and Differential Equations (M.
Saran)
The theory of functions of a complex variable; topics include Cauchys
theorem, the residue theorem, the maximum modulus theorem, Laurent
series, the fundamental theorem of algebra. Topology of metric spaces,
completeness, compactness, connectedness. Introduction to general
topological spaces.
(for math majors in the second year -- also open to others. Real Analysis is
a prerequisite.)
Media Studies (Programme Coordinator: Vaiju Naravane)
First-year students thinking of Majoring in English and Journalism or
Minoring in Media Studies should take MS-101 (Media Studies: Principles
of Journalism). This course can be taken as an elective too.
Second-year students Majoring in English and Journalism should take
MS-201 (Reporting in Writing for Print, Broadcast and the Web).
MS-101-01 Media Studies: Principles of Journalism (Staf)
The course will lay the accent on the fundamentals of journalism (accuracy,
newsworthiness, deadlines, objectivity), basic reporting techniques and
newswriting skills. It will examine the history and heritage of journalism
both in India and the West, the role of the press in gathering and
distributing information in the public interest and the Laws governing the
media. It will also provide basic skills in writing for radio, television and the
web.
MS-201-01 Reporting in Writing for Print, Broadcast and the Web
(Naravane)
Students will learn the foundations of journalism and the craft's main
components reporting, writing and broadcasting the news. They will learn
to cover and write stories, analyses and editorial pieces keeping in mind the
tenets of accuracy and objectivity. The course is designed to be a rigorous
and challenging experience. There will be a lot of writing in the classroom

and the aim is to improve the way students listen, think, write and
communicate with regular news games keeping students up-to-date with the
news. This course serves as a foundation for a skills-based curriculum for
those wishing to study journalism towards a professional end.
Performing Arts (Programme Coordinator: Justin McCarthy)
First-year students and second-year students Minoring in Performing
Arts (or thinking of doing so) should take this course. It can be taken as an
elective too.
PA-102-01 Developing Performance Skills (McCarthy/Johar)
Honing the body as an instrument of expressive communication, the course
will result in a series of performance experiences. Each class will be divided
into two sections, the first half comprising of a consistent training that will
be devised from yoga and bharatanatyam; and the second focusing on a
variety of performance aspects: a) physicality (strength, energy, mobility,
agility, anatomy and definition), b) expression (gaze, gesture, posture,
stance, voice, word, sound, image), c) design (position, level, alignment,
diretion, profile, light, shape and colour), and d) experience (awareness,
feeling, sensitivity, absorption)
Philosophy (Programme Coordinator: Kranti Saran)
First-year students thinking of Majoring or Minoring in Philosophy must
take the gateway course, PHI-101 (Introduction to Philosophy).
Second-year students who have declared a Major in Philosophy must take
PHI-201 (Metaphysics), PHI-202 (Philosophy of Language), and PHI-203
(Themes in Indian Philosophy). Students Minoring in Philosophy or
Majoring in PPE should pick one of these courses after consulting with the
Philosophy Programme Coordinator, Professor Kranti Saran.
PHI-101-01 Introduction to Philosophy (K. Saran)
Introduction to Philosophy will explore a range of fundamental questions
such as: Who am I? What can I know? What exists? Are there any absolute
truths or are all truths relative? We will investigate these questions using
the resources available in both Indian and Western philosophy. We will focus
on developing a critical understanding of the answers proposed to these
questions, and evaluate the reasoning behind those answers.
PHI-201-01 Metaphysics (Dixon)
This course will survey a number of important issues in contemporary
analytic metaphysics. These will include, but are not limited to, ontology

(the study of what exists), the existence and natures of abstract objects (like
numbers) and material objects (like quarks, tables, and planets), the nature
of space and time, the nature of persisting objects, and the debate about
free will.
PHI-202-01 Philosophy of Language (Dixon)
This course will consist of a survey of the philosophy of language. We will
begin with Gottlob Frege and Bertrand Russell, whose work on the theory of
reference of proper names around the turn of the last century marks the
beginning of the philosophy of language as a well-defined field. We will
then move on to later work which focuses on the natures of meaning and
truth. We will end by considering various accounts of pragmatics, which
seek to explain how we are able to use phrases to mean things they do not
mean under ordinary circumstances.
PHI-203-01 Themes in Indian Philosophy (Perrett)
A survey of some key themes in classical Indian philosophy: value,
knowledge, reasoning, word, world, self and ultimates. Students will both
encounter something of the wide range of classical Indian philosophical
concerns, and also learn to address the argumentative details of the Indian
debates on these topics.
Political Science (Programme Coordinator: Malvika Maheshwari)
First-year students thinking of Majoring or Minoring in Political Science
must take the gateway course, POL-101 (Introduction to Political Theory).
Second-year students who have declared a Major in Political Science must
take POL-202 (Political Thought in the Age of Nationalism), POL-203
(Critical Themes in Politics: Power, Gender and Feminist Theory), and POL204 (Conflict and Cooperation in International Politics). Students Minoring
in Political Science or Majoring in PPE should pick one of these courses
after consulting with the Political Science Coordinator, Professor Malvika
Maheshwari.
POL-101-0 Introduction to Political Theory (Maheshwari)
The course is an introduction to the theories born out of an engagement
with Indian and Western social and political practices. Texts are organized
around concepts, ideologies and political arguments like liberty and
equality, liberalism and nationalism, affirmative action and freedom of
speech among others. This introductory course embeds Indian cases into
theoretical discussions and invites students to explore these through
current contexts.
POL-202-01 Political Thought in the Age of Nationalism (Khan)

This course will seek to explore notions of the state, nation, citizenship and
other related concepts as they took root in 18th and 19th century Europe. It
will then trace how these movements and ideas travelled to and took root in
South Asia as well as in parts of the Middle East. This will allow students to
not only understand the origins of today's 'dominant form of political
representation'- the nation state-but will also give them an understanding of
various nationalist and anti-colonial movements in the 19th century.
Amongst others the works of Herder, Mazzini, de Tocqueville, Jamalludin
Afghani, Tagore, Iqbal and Gandhi will be engaged with.
POL-203-01 Critical Themes in Politics: Power, Gender and Feminist
Thought (Maheshwari)
The course will explore questions of power and its engagement with ideas of
sex and gender. The course asks questions like: How do feminists talk about
women? What is the relevance of feminist theory to policy issues? What
have been some of the most relevant theoretical interventions in the
subject? Within these larger issues, the course will examine the
interrelations of caste, gender, sexuality and class and also specific
questions pertaining to power like pornography, disability and violence
among others.
POL-204-01/IR-102-01 Conflict and Cooperation in International
Politics (Srinath)
This course explores the sources of conflict and drivers of cooperation in
international politics. Using a range of theoretical approaches and historical
case studies, it aims to prepare students to analyse and make sense of the
most important issues in contemporary international relations: security and
economy, humanitarian crises and global commons, terrorism and nuclear
proliferation.
Psychology (Programme Coordinator: Kai Qin Chan)
First-year students thinking of Majoring or Minoring in Psychology must
take the gateway course, PSY-101 (Introduction to Psychology).
Second-year students who have declared a Major in Psychology or who
are thinking of Minoring in Psychology should pick their courses only after
consulting with the Psychology Programme Coordinator, Professor Kai Qin
Chan. By the end of the fourth semester, it is expected that Psychology
Majors will have taken at least 6 Psychology Major courses.
PSY-101-01 Introduction to Psychology (Maganti)
This introductory course provides a broad overview of the science of
behaviour and mental processes. The scientific study of human behavior
explores a range of topics like perception, learning, memory, emotion,

cognition, personality, and motivation to describe how people think and

behave. From classical to contemporary approaches within the field, you
will learn about how psychologists ask and answer questions about human
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This basic knowledge will help you
understand why this youngest and specialized discipline of psychology is
unique and different from other sciences. The course is a stepping stone to
sharpen your abilities to think critically about the science of behaviour.
PSY-203-01 Developmental Psychology (Maganti)
It is always interesting to examine questions like what is development, does
development entail change, is change continuous or discontinuous, what are
the environmental and organic factors that engender change from
conception to adulthood. The critical aspect is to understand the origins of
novelty, variability, complexity, and context specifically to demonstrate
that behaviour and development are dynamic at various levels of
explanation. Drawing inferences from classical to contemporary approaches
this course seeks to provide a scientific understanding for studying human
development. The essence is to examine if the endpoints of human
development are complex and unique for humans. Empirical data from
infants, children, and adults will be examined to explain the developmental
processes.
PSY-204-01 Statistics and Research Methods II (Chan)
How would you go about to find out whether women talk more than men,
whether Indians are more interdependent than Americans, or whether
nutrition improves IQ? Quantitative data is merely a bunch of structured
numbers; they cannot be interpreted meaningfully until one can understand
and appreciate how the data came about. In this course, we focus on
methodological issues in sampling, designing experiments, correlation
studies, and ethics. The aim is to develop an eye for sound methodology, so
that they can better evaluate other scientists research, as well as their
own. This course is intended for students who already know the basics of
statistical analyses.
PSY-205-01 Clinical Psychology (Rich)
This course focuses on understanding the phenomenology (description),
etiology (causes), and treatment of abnormal behavior. Major psychological
syndromes will be discussed along with the current APA classification
system (DSM-5) and other classification systems. Genetic, biological, social,
and psychological parameters implicated in the etiology of these syndromes
will be introduced.
PSY-399-01 Independent Study (Chan, Maganti, Rich)
The Independent Study in Psychology provides the opportunity for students
to gain valuable research experience under the supervision of an
experienced faculty. The student should design the ISM in consultation with
the faculty in order to determine the assignments, tasks, grading criteria,

and research involvement required for this course. The student is required
to deliver a research report or reflection paper outlining what he or she has
learnt or achieved throughout the process. Please approach the faculty
whom you are interested to work with before signing up for the module.
Prerequisites: PSY101, PSY102, any other prerequisites by the supervisor.
Student limit: Max 5 per faculty member.
Sociology-Anthropology (Programme Coordinator: Ravindran
Sriramachandran)
First-year students thinking of Majoring or Minoring in SociologyAnthropology must take the gateway course, SOC-101 (Introduction to
Anthropology).
Second-year students who have declared a Major in SociologyAnthropology must take SOC-201 (Ethnic Politics in the Developing World)
and SOC-202 (Field Research Methodologies). They can also take either
SOC-101 (Introduction to Anthropology) or SOC-399 (Independent Study:
Genealogies of the Contemporary). Students Minoring in SociologyAnthropology should pick one of these courses after consulting with the
Sociology-Anthropology Programme Coordinator, Professor Ravindran
Sriramachandran.
SOC-101-01 Introduction to Anthropology (Sriramachandran)
This course is an introduction to the cross-cultural study of human society
and culture. We will analyze how culture helps categorize, encode and
define the world in which people live. We will examine the patterning of
human society and thought and the nature of personhood, exchange and
commodification. The course begins with an examination of these key
concepts in the context of the ethnographic method. It then explores how
the discipline of anthropology, especially its cultural and social approach to
human life, emerged in response to the world historical events of modernity
and colonialism.
SOC-201-01 Ethnic Politics in the Developing World
(Sriramachandran)
This class examines the historical origins and contemporary dynamics of
ethnic politics in the developing world. We will do a survey of different
theoretical approaches to the study of ethnic conflict, as well as the impact
of colonialism on ethnic identities, and the legacy of decolonization on
nationalist movements in the developing world. We will further examine a
number of post-independence challenges faced by multiethnic states
through the use of case studies.
SOC-202-01 Field Research Methodologies (Zuin)

This course introduces students to the basic tools and concepts of

qualitative social research. We will focus on participant observation,
interviews, focus group discussion, surveys and document analysis
(including visual documents). Throughout the course we will be reading
examples of qualitative research conducted in different disciplines in the
social sciences (planning, sociology/anthropology, international
development), as well as readings about research methods.
SOC-399-01 Independent Study: Genealogies of the Contemporary
(Sriramachandran)
An independent study open only to second-year Sociology-Anthropology
Majors. For more information, please see Professor Ravindran
Sriramachandran.
Visual Arts (Programme Coordinatory: Anunaya Chaubey)
First-year students and second-year students Minoring in Visual Arts
(or thinking of doing so) should take this course. It can be taken as an
elective too.
VA-102-01 Art: Theory and Practice (Chaubey)
This course invites students, both first and second year, to reflect on art as a
mode of critical thinking. It does so through a mixture of theory and
practice, exposing students to a variety of writings about art as well as
giving them practical experience in a variety of forms of artistic expression.