South Asia

Please refer to Fall/Winter/Spring/Summer Courses for course offerings.

Home to more than a billion people, South Asia has a rich and complex history, shaped by its myriad languages and cultural and religious traditions. South Asian history has been a robust and dynamic field in the discipline of history over the past fifty years, pioneering far-reaching methods and approaches to the study of colonialism, national identity, and oceanic and transnational histories. As the importance of the region grows in global economy and culture, the South Asia field at UCSD seeks to explore South Asian history and culture in an oceanic and transnational frame, particularly in relation to connections across the Indian Ocean. South Asia courses in the UCSD History Department provide foundational training in the pre-1800 and post-1800 history of South Asia and the Indian Ocean, as well as thematic specialization on global debates on race, colonialism, sovereignty, and cultural and religious identity from a South Asian perspective.

UCSD is also home to the 21st Century India Center at the School of Global Policy, which promotes research and interdisciplinary dialogue on a wide range of topics relating to modern India and South Asia. The South Asian Studies Minor is a minor that allows students to combine coursework in multiple departments to develop an interdisciplinary perspective in the field.