Course Details
Understanding India
4 Jun 2014
Personal Interest
Culture
Victoria University Community Continuing Education
This course is only offered in Wellington
More Than 1 Week
5 weeks, Wed 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
5 weeks, Wed 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
$140.00
Early Bird Discount available until 2 weeks prior to the course start date $126.00 incl GST
Early Bird Discount available until 2 weeks prior to the course start date $126.00 incl GST
Overview:
India can appear fascinating, charming, colourful, exuberant, baffling, perplexing, contradictory and infuriating. This course seeks to understand modern India, the world’s second most populous nation. Topics covered include Indian history, religion, people, society, geography, environment, economics and politics.
Target audience:
This course is for people interested in history, religion and spiritual values, culture, politics and economics, and who wish to gain a better understanding of India.
No special expertise is required as the course material is designed to be accessible to everyone.
Learning objectives:
By the end of this course, participants will have:
•gained an understanding of, and new perspectives on, India’s history
•gained an insight into India’s religious and spiritual heritage and its ongoing relevance to Indian daily life
•considered the environmental challenges facing India, especially climate change, water and food security
•considered the social challenges facing India, especially poverty, inequality, health and education
•considered whether India will emerge as a global economic superpower and its role in a globalised world.
Course outline:
The course covers the following topics:
Lecture 1: Indian History
•The ancient Vedic civilisation
•Buddhist and Hindu states
•Invaders – Greeks, Huns, Muslims and Europeans
•The Mughal Empire
•The British Raj
•Gandhi and the independence movement
•Post-independent India: the Nehru Era: 1947–91
Lecture 2: India’s Religious and Spiritual Traditions
•The impact of religion on architecture, literature, art and music
•Veda and Vedic literature, science and philosophy
•Hinduism
•Buddhism
•Christianity in India – from St Thomas to the evangelists
•Islam in India – from Sufi poets to jihadi fundamentalists
•The Sikhs
•Contemporary religion in India – daily rituals, gurus and pilgrimages, the sacred in daily life
Lecture 3: The Indian Landscape
•India’s sacred landscape
•Geography, environment and natural resources
•The impact of global warming on India
•Managing natural resources – water security
•Agriculture and food security
•Energy security
•Environmental sustainability
•Infrastructure
Lecture 4: The People of India – Population, Education and Society
•The languages of India
•Ethnic diversity
•Indian communities, castes and tribes
•Case studies of Indian communities
•Migration and the role of non-resident Indians
•Health and education
•Crime and corruption
•National and social cohesion
Lecture 5: India’s Economy – An Emerging Economic Superpower?
•Economic development since independence
•Indian politics and economics
•India in a globalised world
•Entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation
•Indian business behaviour
•Case studies: Tata and ICICI
•Conclusion
•Discussion
Course format:
These two-hour lectures are held every Wednesday evening over five weeks. Sessions involve lecture presentations and time for discussion and questions. There is a short break half-way through each session, and you are welcome to bring refreshments if you wish.
India can appear fascinating, charming, colourful, exuberant, baffling, perplexing, contradictory and infuriating. This course seeks to understand modern India, the world’s second most populous nation. Topics covered include Indian history, religion, people, society, geography, environment, economics and politics.
Target audience:
This course is for people interested in history, religion and spiritual values, culture, politics and economics, and who wish to gain a better understanding of India.
No special expertise is required as the course material is designed to be accessible to everyone.
Learning objectives:
By the end of this course, participants will have:
•gained an understanding of, and new perspectives on, India’s history
•gained an insight into India’s religious and spiritual heritage and its ongoing relevance to Indian daily life
•considered the environmental challenges facing India, especially climate change, water and food security
•considered the social challenges facing India, especially poverty, inequality, health and education
•considered whether India will emerge as a global economic superpower and its role in a globalised world.
Course outline:
The course covers the following topics:
Lecture 1: Indian History
•The ancient Vedic civilisation
•Buddhist and Hindu states
•Invaders – Greeks, Huns, Muslims and Europeans
•The Mughal Empire
•The British Raj
•Gandhi and the independence movement
•Post-independent India: the Nehru Era: 1947–91
Lecture 2: India’s Religious and Spiritual Traditions
•The impact of religion on architecture, literature, art and music
•Veda and Vedic literature, science and philosophy
•Hinduism
•Buddhism
•Christianity in India – from St Thomas to the evangelists
•Islam in India – from Sufi poets to jihadi fundamentalists
•The Sikhs
•Contemporary religion in India – daily rituals, gurus and pilgrimages, the sacred in daily life
Lecture 3: The Indian Landscape
•India’s sacred landscape
•Geography, environment and natural resources
•The impact of global warming on India
•Managing natural resources – water security
•Agriculture and food security
•Energy security
•Environmental sustainability
•Infrastructure
Lecture 4: The People of India – Population, Education and Society
•The languages of India
•Ethnic diversity
•Indian communities, castes and tribes
•Case studies of Indian communities
•Migration and the role of non-resident Indians
•Health and education
•Crime and corruption
•National and social cohesion
Lecture 5: India’s Economy – An Emerging Economic Superpower?
•Economic development since independence
•Indian politics and economics
•India in a globalised world
•Entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation
•Indian business behaviour
•Case studies: Tata and ICICI
•Conclusion
•Discussion
Course format:
These two-hour lectures are held every Wednesday evening over five weeks. Sessions involve lecture presentations and time for discussion and questions. There is a short break half-way through each session, and you are welcome to bring refreshments if you wish.
Teacher:
Michael Thomson graduated in politics and economics from Victoria University. He recently retired from a career in the non-profit sector. He has lived and worked in several regions including India, Europe, Australia, Taiwan and South-East Asia. For many years, he was a member of a Vedic monastic community in the Indian Himalayas and elsewhere. He has worked in education, government, international aid and development. He is interested in history, politics, economics and religion, and has studied the global economy, contemporary India and China, Asian history, ancient Vedic literature, consciousness-based approaches to addressing contemporary issues, and the international narcotics trade.
Michael Thomson graduated in politics and economics from Victoria University. He recently retired from a career in the non-profit sector. He has lived and worked in several regions including India, Europe, Australia, Taiwan and South-East Asia. For many years, he was a member of a Vedic monastic community in the Indian Himalayas and elsewhere. He has worked in education, government, international aid and development. He is interested in history, politics, economics and religion, and has studied the global economy, contemporary India and China, Asian history, ancient Vedic literature, consciousness-based approaches to addressing contemporary issues, and the international narcotics trade.