Liberal Studies (LBST) 2102

Global and Intercultural Connections

Spring 2005

MWF 1:00-1:50; MWF 2:00-2:50

Instructor: Michael P. Korvink

Room: Denny 202

Office: Barnard 209

Office Hours: MWF 11:00-12:00

Email: mpkorvin@email.uncc.edu

Phone: Ext. 4603

Course website: www.religiousstudies.uncc.edu/mpkorvin

Course Description:

All sections of LBST 2102 examine two or more cultures in their own contexts and in the contexts of the global conditions and influences that impact all major world cultures today.  Particular attention is given to an analysis of the complex nature of globalization and to a consideration of both its positive and its negative impacts.  This is a required course in the University’s General Education Program because the UNC Charlotte faculty think it is crucial that all liberally educated people have a global and multicultural understanding of the world.

This section of LBST 2102 examines the peoples and cultures of South Asia with a particular emphasis on the relationship of religion and politics.  There are three sections to the course.  First, is an introduction to the major religions of South Asia which, for this class, include Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism.  The next section deals with the impact of Globalization on caste and gender in South Asia.  Finally, using knowledge from the previous two sections, the politics of South Asia are discussed.  Special attention is given to modern disputes such as Kashmir, Ayodhya and nuclear proliferation.  Students are given three tests corresponding to the three sections of the course.

Grading:

Test 1 (20%): South Asian Religions

Test 2 (20%): South Asian Religions Continued  

Test 3 (20%): Gender and Caste in South Asia

Test 4 (20%): The South Asian Political Arena

Reading Test (15%): The Mango Season

Participation (5%)

Required Texts:

Fisher, Mary Pat. Living Religions: Eastern Traditions. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2003.

Hardgrave, Robert L. and Stanley A. Kochanek. India: Government and Politics in a Developing Nation.  Fort Worth: Harcourt College Publishers, 2000.

Malladi, Amulya. The Mango Season. Balantine Books, 2003.

LBST 2102 Coursepack (Available at Gray’s Bookstore)

Assigned Readings in the Coursepack:

Beteille, Andre. “Caste and Family: In Representations of Indian Society.” Anthropology Today. 8.1 (1992): 13-18.

Bajpai, K. Shankar. “Untangling India and Pakistan.” Foreign Affairs. 82.3 (2003): 112-126.

Bernbeck, Reinhard and Susan Pollock. “Ayodhya, Archaeology, and Identity.” Current Anthropology. 37.1 (1996): S138-S142.

Curran, Jean A. “The RSS: Militant Hinduism.” Far Eastern Survey. 19.10 (1950): 93-98.

Ganguly, Sumit. “The Crisis of Indian Secularism.” Journal of Democracy. 14.4 (2003) 11-25.

Mian, Zia. “Renouncing the Nuclear Option.” In Pakistan and the Bomb, eds. Samina Ahmed and David Cortright, 47-68, Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1998.

Munshi, Shoma. “Marvellous Me: The Beauty Industry and the Construction of the ‘Modern’ Indian Woman.” In Images of the ‘Modern Woman’ in Asia Global Media, Local Meanings, ed. Shoma Munshi, 78-93.  Curzon Press, 2001.

Ralston, Helen. "'Arranged', 'Semi-Arranged', and 'Love' Marriages Among South Asian Immigrant Women in the Diaspora and Their Non-Migrant Sisters in India and Fiji: A Comparative Study." The International Journal of Sociology of the Family. 27. 2 (1997): 43-68.

Stone, Linda and Caroline James. “Dowry, Bride-Burning, and Female Power in India.” Women’s Studies International Forum. 18.2 (1995): 125-134.

Tinker, Jerry M.  “The Political Power of Non-Violent Resistance: The Gandhian Technique.” The Western Political Quarterly. 24.4 (1971): 775-788.

Attendance:

While being in class does not guarantee credit for participation, the absence in class does guarantee the loss of credit for participation.  Each absence will count 1% point off you final grade up to 5%.  After five there is no additional penalty; however, due to the weight that the lectures carry on tests, it is unlikely that a student with more than five absences will do well in the course.  

Makeup Tests:

It is required that you be present on test days.  In the case of an emergency, determined as such by the instructor, the student may opt to take an essay makeup test.  Essay tests require the student to synthesize information to a greater extent than the objective tests.

Participation:

Participation will awarded based on the students engagement in class discussions, being present at the beginning of class and a general involvement in the course.

Academic Integrity
Students have the responsibility to know and to observe the requirement of the UNC Charlotte Code of Student Academic Integrity. This code forbids cheating, fabrication or falsification of information, multiple submissions of academic work, plagiarism, abuse of academic materials, and complicity in academic dishonesty. Any special requirements or permission regarding academic integrity in this course include a judgment that the student’s work is free from academic dishonesty of any type; and grades in this course therefore should be and will be adversely affected by academic dishonesty. Students who violate the code can be expelled from UNC Charlotte. The normal penalty for a first offense is zero credit on the work involving dishonesty and further substantial reduction of the course grade. In almost all cases the course grade is reduced to F. Copies of the code can be obtained from the Dean of Students Office. Standards of academic integrity will be enforced in this course. Students are expected to report cases of academic dishonesty to the course instructor.

Personal Integrity
All of us in the Department of Religious Studies are committed to the right of faculty and students to be free from violations of their personal integrity, including freedom from sexual and racial harassment related to sexual orientation or religious preference. If you believe you are the target of such violations of personal integrity by a member of this department or by a fellow student in a religious studies class (or this liberal studies class), we strongly encourage you to pursue the remedies for such harassment provided in University policies and procedures. In addition, we encourage you to discuss the matter with the department chair or any other member of this department so that the chair can actively discourage incidents and patterns of harassment.