Introduction to Indian Popular Culture: "Acche Di Aane Wale Hain (Good Days Are Coming): Discontent and its Civilization in India" 21G.011 Spring 2016 Instructor: Arundhati Tuli Banerjee Office: W98-448, 14N-421 Phone: 617-715-5355 Email: tuli@mit.edu Office Hours: Tuesday & Thursday: 8.00-9.00 A.M. & by appt. Description: This subject aims to provide an overview of Indian popular culture over the last four decades, through a variety of material such as film, advertising, and digital and print media. This term we shall focus on Hindi cinema from the period 2013-2016, a span of time that witnesses the political campaign for Narendra Modi and his political platform, the discontent of the public with the incumbent Congress government until 2014, Modi's election as Prime Minister, and the public's response to the transition between the UPA and the BJP government in India. Through a study of select films from Bollywood and through a selection of short stories, newspaper articles, blogs, advertisements and cartoons from India; the subject focuses on the collective aspiration and skepticism of a nation, undergoing a dynamic economic, political and cultural shift. We discuss the role of the changing socio-political milieu, address the controversial issues around "Swacch Bharat" (Clean India), corruption and intolerance, and analyze some of the new genre films and reconstructed "masala" melodramatic films. Films shown include Ship of Theseus, Angry Indian Goddesses, Bajirao Mastani, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, and Dhoom 3; television news hour debates with anchor Arnab Goswami, and readings include works by Shobha De and William Dalrymple. The class is discussion-based and pays particular attention to multiple perspectives. Class taught in English. All texts, all visual materials shown would be subtitled in English. Purpose : This class is for students at all levels. Whereas those who have had no prior experience of Indian popular culture will get an exposure to a new world-view, those who have already been exposed to it will find and articulate new ways of approaching and interpreting the culture. It is also aimed to serve as a preparatory course for students planning to travel to India on the MIT India program. No prerequisites. 1
Course Requirements: Course Requirements 1. You are expected to attend all classes, as class discussion is crucial. Any unexcused absence will automatically lower your grade. 2. The class will be divided into small groups. Each group will be responsible for "teaching" one class: that is to say, they will (with the help of the instructor, if needed) choose topics to present to the class and lead the discussions. The group will meet to discuss a teaching plan, and prepare "thought questions" on the assigned reading and visual material the course will cover. This will count as your "oral presentation" and will be graded by the instructor based on your individual and group effort. 3. You will be required to write three papers of 6-7 pages each. The days when they are due are marked clearly on the calendar. The essays will be corrected, discussed with you and handed back quickly and you will have a week from then to hand in your final version. Unless arranged with the instructor ahead of time, late submissions will be penalized with a lowered grade. 4. In addition, you will write a couple of paragraphs every week in response to the film you have seen or the text you have read and you will email it to your instructor before coming to class. These will be your first reactions to the text, and the writing can be relatively informal. These "responses" will not be graded; these are aimed to assist you in organizing your thoughts for the class discussion to follow. 5. You will be expected to come to class fully prepared to discuss that week's material: that is, you will have read the day's assigned text, and/or seen the assigned visual material before coming to class. Assignments are posted very clearly in the syllabus. Any change in the syllabus during the course of the semester will be duly announced in class. If you are absent that day, it is your responsibility to make sure you are aware of what you need to prepare. 6. All readings and selections from cartoons, newspapers and magazines and other visual material will be photocopied and supplied by the instructor to the class. You will be expected to pay for all the photocopying expenses. 7. The films for this course will be available at the film library, 14N-428. Short excerpts from other visual and audio material will be presented in class. 2
Please note: Essays submitted late without prior permission from the instructor will be penalized by one full letter grade. Acceptance of late papers will remain subject to instructor's discretion. Always keep a printed copy of your essay. If at any point, you should feel the need for further discussion to clarify any issue, the instructor will meet with you outside class. Grading The final grade will be determined using the following percentages: ACTIVITIES PERCENTAGE S Attendance and Punctuality 20% Class Discussion and Oral Presentation 30% III Papers 50% 3
SYLLABUS Dates Feb 3 Topics Introduction In class screening of film clips Introduction to subject, and framing the plan Key Assignments Feb 10 Politics and Film: A platform for Critque and Commentary Film: Satyagraha (2013) Readings: Columns from the Economist and New york Times, and select writing from M.K. Gandhi Feb 17 Gender and Class controversies Film: Talwar (2015) Select Readings from Times of India, Hindustan Times and Indian Express. Special commentaries by Shobha De. Feb 24 The Realm of Possibilities Film: Kya Dilli Kya Lahore (2014) Readings: "The Supremacy of Hindi Cinema" by Yves Thoraval, "Inventing Bombay Cinema" by Vijay Mishra ***Paper I due 4
March 2 Identity, Morality and Ethics Film: Ship of Theseus (2013) Select Readings from Amartya Sen Selection from "Ethical Life in Modern India" - Pandian and Ali (2010) March 9 March 16 Irony or Discontent? The extra-judicial and Narratives of "Encounters" Film: Angry Indian Goddesses (2015) Readings from Yaraana Reading: "Cinema and Society in India" Gokulsing and Dissananayake ***Revised version of Paper I due. Film: Ab Tak Chappan 2 (2015) Readings on a few select case studies: Veerappan, and Encounter Specialist Pradeep Sharma March 23 March 30 Spring Vacation Clean India, Swacch Bharat and skeptcism In-class presentation on Indian Advertising and cartoons ***Paper II due April 6 History Revisited and National Pride Film: Bajirao Mastani (2015) Reading : Excerpts from The Cinematic Imagination (Jyokita Virdi, 2003) and Cinematic Imagination: Indian Popular Films as Social History (Jyotika Virdi, 2003)and Bollywood's India Hindi Cinema as a Guide to Contemporary India (Rachel Dwyer, 2014) 5
April 13 April 20 Plus ca Change Plus c'est la meme chose Media, New Trends and and Going Global Film: Dilwale (2015) Readings: Excerpts from Hindustan Times, Indian Express, Times of India ***Revised version of Paper II due Saare Jahaan se Menhga (2013) Reading: Cartoons and Excerpts from Indian print media April 27 May 4 May 11 Expectation and Skepticism: The Intolerance Debate Additional Speaker: TBD Coming Full Circle-- Escapism and Fantasy: Swashbuckling Glamor and Pop Romanticism Conclusion and Wrap-up discussion: Where Next? Select clips from Bollywood, Televsion debates with Arnab Goswami and Readings from Jagdhish Bhagwati and Amartya Sen Film: Dhoom 3 (2013) Reading: The Melodramatic Public: Film Form and Spectatorship in Indian Cinema (Ravi Vasudevan, 2011) ***Paper 3 due 6