Travel back thousands of years to uncover the mysteries of South Asia’s ancient empires. From the ingenious urban planning of the Indus Valley to the soaring temples of the Maurya and Gupta dynasties, this course reveals how age-old stories, art, and rituals continue to shape everything from cuisine to clothing across India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and beyond. Guided by Dr Nazrul Islam — a distinguished historian and sociologist who has taught across Asia, Europe, and Australia — you’ll gain a rich appreciation of how a civilisation’s heartbeat still echoes in modern life.

DELIVERY MODE

• Hybrid (F2F & Online simultaneously)

COURSE OUTLINE

• Ancient South Asian history: Indus civilisation to Aryan invasion, Maurya to Gupta empire
• South Asian history during the medieval time: Delhi Sultanates to the Mughal empire
• Modern South Asia; The European invasion, colonisation and decolonisation
• Vedas, epic poetry (Mahābhārata and Rāmāyana), etc. and their legacy in modern times;
• South Asian society and culture, with consideration of various aspects of material life (cuisine, traditional dressing habits, etc.)

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Analyse the historical roots and cultural integrity of the South Asian civilisation.
2. Distinguish the diversity with unity among different nation states in South Asia.
3. Apply interdisciplinary methods to the study of South Asian civilisation through such subjects as history, literature, culture, etc. their major social, economic, political and cultural manifestations.