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Ashoka University’s undergraduate course curriculum is taught across three semesters: Spring, Summer and Monsoon (Fall). Courses are broadly divided into three categories – Foundation Courses (core curriculum), Major & Minor Courses and Co-Curricular Courses.
You may search courses offered at Ashoka here. Please use the drop down menu to choose the specific semester and subject to see the full list of courses under each department. Foundation courses are offered in all semesters and do not have prerequisites. Offerings in other categories differ in each semester. Some higher level major/minor courses may have prerequisites.
To view Summer Semester Courses-2024: Click here
GREAT BOOKS: Course Abstract. Monsoon Semester, 2024
It is a truism that words mean something, and that they count for a great deal in life. However, the relation between thought, reality and time has always been a matter of debate. The Greek word theoria meant contemplation, the act of looking, which later acquired the sense of an intelligible explanation based on observation and reasoning. Historia meant inquiry, the search for knowledge; and it evolved over time to mean investigations and accounts of past events. Philosophia meant the love of wisdom. In contrast, sophistry referred to skilful rhetoric, the art of persuasion.
These words, which relate to human experience in its deepest sense, prompt my choice of great books. As to why this is so should become clear in due course. The books are:
Simon Leys; The Hall of Uselessness: Collected Essays, (2011)
Tibor Szamuely; The Russian Tradition; (1974)
Margaret Chatterjee; Gandhi and the Challenge of Religious Diversity; (2005)
Albert Camus; The Rebel: An Essay on Man in Revolt; (1951)
Mark Lilla; The Reckless Mind: Intellectuals in Politics; (2001)
Stanley Rosen; Nihilism: A Philosophical Essay (1969)
The first three books deal (in part) with history; with what is called tradition; and the treatment of these themes in political writing and fiction. The latter three deal with philosophical issues directly. I will introduce students to these books, and specify certain chapters for required reading. Their scholarship will educate us and prompt us toward further study. Some will illuminate important historical events; others will raise issues common to human experience regardless of time and place.
Dilip Simeon, PhD
Visting Professor, Ashoka University
