Click here for a message from the director. South Asia, stretching from Afghanistan in the west to Bangladesh in the east, is the most populous and diverse region of the globe. All of the central dilemmas of modern politics, economic development and social change are dramatized across this landscape. The growing interaction of the world community with South Asia requires international affairs practitioners with expertise in the region. The South Asia Studies Program provides a foundation for understanding, through an historical perspective, the political, socioeconomic and international dynamics of this crucial region. An array of interdisciplinary courses addresses South Asia’s growing economic and strategic importance as well as its political history, its complex social structures and the challenges of development. India, arguably the world’s most remarkable democracy, is now also one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. Afghanistan and Pakistan, currently incubators of international terrorism, are enmeshed in efforts to deal with religious extremism. Urgent problems of conflict resolution exist throughout South Asia, including the civil war in Sri Lanka, the Baluchistan insurgency in Pakistan and the Maoist social movement in Nepal. Rapid economic growth is raising serious environmental issues and has challenged the capacity of administrative structures throughout the region. In terms of U.S. foreign policy, Pakistan is a key state in the global “war on terrorism,” and India is rapidly becoming a strategic partner in the Indian Ocean and its littoral. Meanwhile, the aspirations of people living in the region are increasingly impinging on the international domain. The South Asia Studies Program addresses these issues by analyzing the dynamic changes in the landscape of South Asia and by providing opportunities for students interested in international business, diplomacy, development and security policy. Course work on South Asian current and historical issues is supplemented by guest lectures and brown-bag lunches that integrate students with the broader policymaking community and scholars of South Asia. A special effort is made to provide networking opportunities for students to assist with their professional development in the field. Ph.D. Program The South Asia Studies Program accepts Ph.D. students. Typical South Asia Studies Courses - Advanced Seminar on the International Politics of Asia
- Comparative Political and Economic Development in South Asia
- Democracy and Certainty
- Democracy and Its Discontents
- Gender and Development in South Asia
- India: Defense, Security and Weapons of Mass Destruction
- India’s Growth, Globalization and Institutional Development
- International Relations of South Asia
- Modern India I: 1857–1947
- Modern India II: 1947 to the Present
- Political Issues of Development in Pakistan
- Politics of International Economy
- The Politics of Religion in South Asia: Community and Communalism in Sociological Context
- South Asia, al Qaeda and the Rise of International Terrorism
- South Asia: Energy, Environment and Security
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