Core seminar in South Asian Religions that covers religion as conceived, argued, and practiced by members of non-elite communities, in particular communities historically marginalized in Brahminical discourses. Primarily organized around debates in social theory, the reading list builds on some of the landmark works of the Subaltern Studies collective and moves on to consider recent ethnographic work on religious life in Dalit and Adivasi communities. What is a tradition, anyway? What does ?caste? mean? Is ?subaltern? still a useful analytic category?

No Prerequisites

4

Units

Optional

Grading

1, 2, 3

Passtime

Graduate students only

Level Limit

Letters and science

College
William Elison
4.2
15 reviews
RG ST 206L Elison W N Spring 2019 Total: 3
See All
15
4.2
RGST28 . 5 Months Ago

Elison bases his lectures off the readings and he doesn't have a structure with slides. Go to lecture to where he explains concepts. Class was pretty easy and sections were very engaging (w/ TA Emma Hanlon). Everything graded by TA so make sure to participate in class. Thought provoking and very interesting. Hard to fail.

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RGST28 . 7 Months Ago

I thought Gandhi class would be mildly interesting, but upon hearing Elison drone on about god knows what killed any interest I had. Lectures were convoluted and had no direction or structure because he would just say whatever with no slides. So many assigned readings and films that we didn't really need. EASY grading, but so boring.

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RGST28 . 1 Year, 6 Months Ago

Reading is the core of the class. You need to read and stay on top of the readings to do well in the exams. Quizes are open notes and free A. The final exam is graded by your TA. I thought I did pretty good and got an A+ on the final. Midterm I thought I got an A+ and got an A-. So your entire grade is dependent on your TA. William is coated tho.

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RGST28 . 1 Year, 6 Months Ago

i loved this class! one of the easiest GE's that most people don't know about. he makes his lectures interesting, and although not structured, he's very passionate. i barely did any of the assigned readings but as long as you pay attention in class you'll be fine. easily graded midterm, weekly take home quizzes and final on a topic of your choosing

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RGST162J . 3 Years Ago

Prof. Elison is great! His classes are interactive and thought-provoking. There are assigned readings and online quizzes alongside a couple papers, but everything is pretty manageable. Attendance is important, and lectures are discussion-driven and informative. Take his class!

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HIST28 . 3 Years Ago

He is very passionate about the topic so the class is fun. The lectures are kinda confusing sometimes as there are no slides/powerpoints. He kinda just talks and the daily attendance and weekly quizzes are based on lecture information. So take really detailed notes during lectures. Participation during the lectures AND sections is mandatory.

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See all 15 reviews
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