Modern South Asia
Modern South Asia This course is an introduction to the history of South Asia. We will examine such events as the remarkable rise and fall of the Mughal empire (1526-1700s), the transformation of the once-humble English East India Company into a formidable colonial state (1700s-1858), the emergence of nationalist and anti-imperialist movements led by people such as Mahatma Gandhi and M.A. Jinnah (1858-1947), and the establishment and recent histories of the new nations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Readings will include primary sources, history textbooks, historical novels, and newspaper articles. We will also watch at least one historical film. Pre-1800.
Modern South Asia This course is an introduction to the history of South Asia. We will examine such events as the remarkable rise and fall of the Mughal empire (1526-1700s), the transformation of the once-humble English East India Company into a formidable colonial state (1700s-1858), the emergence of nationalist and anti-imperialist movements led by people such as Mahatma Gandhi and M.A. Jinnah (1858-1947), and the establishment and recent histories of the new nations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Readings will include primary sources, history textbooks, historical novels, an …Read more
I took this class to meet my history requirement and am more than happy with my choice. Professor Barrow is a straightforward lecturer and covers a wide range of material. We focused heavily on India for about 75% of the class, which was interesting, but only touched on other countries in the back third of the semester. Barrow has three exams, all equal in weight, and he provides plenty of time and prep. His class can sometimes get boring because there is no discussion, and it is an hour and 15 minutes of sitting and listening, but the material for the majority of the time is interesting. In the back third of the semester, the lectures do not relate to the final, so I personally found myself not locked into class. Overall, he is a very kind professor, and I would recommend taking his class if you want an interesting history class with light exams.
I took this class to meet my history requirement and am more than happy with my choice. Professor Barrow is a straightforward lecturer and covers a wide range of material. We focused heavily on India for about 75% of the class, which was interesting, but only touched on other countries in the back third of the semester. Barrow has th …Read more
This is an entirely lecture based course with no discussion at all. Readings in the first half of the semester help a lot with the first 2 (in class, bluebook, no notes, etc) exams and then there's one final paper where you can choose the topic and don't have to do all of the readings. Prof Barrow is enthusiastic about the material but lectures can be long and dry if you don't have that much interest in the topic. If you are interested in history it's definitely an interesting course with a lot of material covered.
This is an entirely lecture based course with no discussion at all. Readings in the first half of the semester help a lot with the first 2 (in class, bluebook, no notes, etc) exams and then there's one final paper where you can choose the topic and don't have to do all of the readings. Prof Barrow is enthusiastic about the material b …Read more
The most no-frills lecture course I've taken here. This class had no discussion whatsoever. I thought Barrow was great at lecturing, and he was willing to help with specific questions. There's three major assignments, one or two of which can be essays – this was good for me as someone who prefers taking a test. The structure of the course meant that a lot of readings towards the end of the semester might not factor into your grade at all, since you can choose a paper topic which is unrelated. However, in early to mid semester, readings about the East India Trading Company and Gandhi are quite dense and involve reading whole books. I'd definitely recommend as a less writing-heavy history course.
The most no-frills lecture course I've taken here. This class had no discussion whatsoever. I thought Barrow was great at lecturing, and he was willing to help with specific questions. There's three major assignments, one or two of which can be essays – this was good for me as someone who prefers taking a test. The structure of the c …Read more
Ian barrow was a very good professor, and it was super clear how passionate he was about the subject - lectures were slow but interesting - you can kinda choose what readings to do once he gives the final paper topics, exams were closed book but questions given a week in advance , grading was fair
Modern South Asia was a great class, Professor Barrow is an effective, clear, and fair teacher. I'd love to take another class with him, as he did an excellent job lecturing, providing feedback, and being generally accessible. The only grades in the class are one in-class essay, one research paper, and a second in-class essay or paper, which you can choose. The first two are graded quite easily as the expectation is that this is your first history course at Midd.
Modern South Asia was a great class, Professor Barrow is an effective, clear, and fair teacher. I'd love to take another class with him, as he did an excellent job lecturing, providing feedback, and being generally accessible. The only grades in the class are one in-class essay, one research paper, and a second in-class essay or pa …Read more