Course Description
For most Canadians, India is associated with great food, high immigration numbers, and, for the initiated, larger-than-life Bollywood movies. Through this course, you will gain deeper insight into the world’s most populous democracy and be better equipped at understanding the reasons behind the headlines about India you see in mainstream Canadian news today. We will cover a diverse array of topics, ranging from a brief history of the Indian subcontinent to a deep dive into the magic of Indian cinema; from understanding India’s current political climate to examining its rich tapestry of diverse cultures; from learning about India’s history of migration in Canada to exploring inequalities in Indian society. Each lecture will emphasize the incredible syncretism and contradictions of the subcontinent. Together, we will nourish our imagination of not one, but many Indias, reminding ourselves that a country is more than a region — it is a dream, an idea, a tapestry. The course will occasionally bring in guest lecturers to enrich your learning experience, and each lecture will end with a handout of a recipe for an Indian dish, so that you may take your own version of India home with you.
Course Director
Shraddha Chatterjee
Shraddha Chatterjee (she/they) is a Student Conduct Officer at Toronto Metropolitan University. They have a PhD in Gender, Feminist & Women’s Studies and a diploma in Asian Studies from York University. Their research examines how LGBTQIA+ activism in India is being shaped by, and is responding to, contemporary forms of authoritarianism and nationalism in South Asia. Their previous writings have been published in various academic journals, and as a single-authored monograph titled Queer Politics in India: Towards Sexual Subaltern Subjects (Routledge, 2018). They have taught undergraduate students in India, Canada, and the US.
Shraddha Chatterjee
Term and Time
Winter 2027 – starting January 8
10:00 am on Fridays
Room A002 in York Hall
Course Outline
Two weeks before the course starts, you can download a printable PDF giving the 10-week detailed course outline.
NOTE: The course outline opens in a new browser tab where you cannot see the LLIR page header and menu. You can download the outline for future reading and printing. When you are finished, return to our website as follows:
— On a large screen, click the X on the right side of the browser tab to close it.
— On a smartphone, click the back button displayed as a back arrowhead ( < ) .
Lecture Notes
Links to resources such as additional reading or play lists are provided here as the Course Director makes them available during the term. Like the course outline, lecture notes open in a new browser tab so that you can download and print them.
Return to the list of Courses for 2026-2027 to check out another course.
Back to the Member Homepage