The author Salman Rushdie's post-colonial essay, "Midnight's Children," highlights a different perspective on the problems created by the colonial power where place and displacement are central themes and migration is a painful but emancipating process; both are expressed through the life of the writer, Salman Rushdie. The primary aim of…

This document discusses how insights and knowledge gained from the author's stay in India have been applied to developing a course plan for a "World Literature I" course. Following a brief introduction, the document describes using "The Bhagavadgita" and "Hindu Myths," points out some of the general questions which…

Two epic poems from India, "The Mahabharata" and "The Ramayana" have endured for more than 2,000 years as important parts of Indian culture, and the study of these epics can yield insights into Indian life and religion. This paper contains a list of the major characters and an explanation of the major themes in both books. The…

Believed to have been written about the 4th century B.C., the "Ramayana" is one of the oldest epic poems in world literature. This exercise, which takes seven or eight days to complete, is intended to acquaint Westerners with the "Ramayana" in an informal format that may spark a desire to read further in the epic and to become…

This curriculum guide is designed to assist teachers in developing a world literature course exploring the modern literature of four cultures: North America, Latin America, the Middle East, and India. The course begins with the study of North America, the language, history, culture and religion and the literature resulting from those factors. By…

This curriculum guide was developed to assist high school students in understanding the contributions of Tagore and Ray in the literature and film of India. The film "Rabindranath Tagore" by Satyajit Ray illustrates the life, times, and works of Tagore in Calcutta. Vignettes of Tagore's life are enacted, incorporating actual photographs…

This paper describes a unit in a high school world literature course which focuses on non-Western literature. The novel on India to be included is "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya. The 13-day unit includes worksheets and focus questions for research. Additional novels are suggested with a rationale presented as to why the…

This lecture is accompanied by slides of India. The lecture is used an introduction to the first of the three videotapes of Peter Brook's "Mahabharata," providing students with preliminary background on Hinduism and on the Hindu epic. The objective is also to have students think about the basic values of ancient and modern Hindus. (EH)

For the past 2000 years the Ramayana has been among the most important literary and oral texts of South Asia. This epic poem provides insights into many aspects of Indian culture and continues to influence the politics, religion, and art of modern India. This booklet contains material designed to provide an entry into the study of this tradition.…

This lesson is designed to expose high school students to contemporary Indian authors who write in English and to explore some of their common experiences, themes, and sensibilities as found in their works. While designed for use with a 12th grade literature class, the lesson can also be adapted for use as a single unit in a world literature…

This paper explores the representation of the human body through the literature and art of early India. From its beginning, Indian art has employed an uninterrupted iconic mode of representation that focuses on an anthropomorphic mimesis to describe desire, devotion, and ascetic denial. The paper focuses on the earliest such representations of the…

This unit is intended for secondary students in American literature, Asian history, U.S. history, or a world cultures class. Special emphasis is placed on the literary contributions of four individuals: Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Dalai Lama. The sections appear in chronological order and contain…

This interdisciplinary unit focuses on the Indian epic, "The Ramayana," and explores Indian mythology, art forms, and storytelling methods. The unit is designed for middle school students but could be adapted to other levels. This unit could be incorporated with a study of India's land, history and geography. An overview of Indian…

This syllabus describes a college course developed to address South Asian literature and culture with a focus on India. Suggestions for student readings and discussion, oral communication, listening, writing, and field trips are included. The empires of South Asia, its religions, social stratification, parallels of history and religion with the…

This unit, intended for high school use, examines the role of women in India as portrayed in selected literature. The books used include: (1) "Women in India: Two Perspectives" (Doranne Jacobson; Susan S. Wadley); (2) "Through Indian Eyes, Volume l. The Wheel of Life" (Donald J. Johnson, Ed.; Jean E. Johnson, Ed.); (3)…