Framing Tamil Worlds: Histories, Cultures and Identities

4 credits · Undergraduate

Tamil is a Dravidian language that is spoken by approximately 77 million speakers around the world. Used as an official language in Sri Lanka and Singapore, Tamil’s classical status makes it an exciting language through which diverse modes of ethnic and linguistic belonging can be studied in South Asia. This course is meant to study global Tamil societies through the interdisciplinary lenses of literary and cultural studies; knowledge of the Tamil language is not required. This course will introduce students to the histories, growth and formation of Tamil societies within different national contexts such as India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar and diasporic spaces.