This survey course introduces students to the history of the Indian subcontinent (a part of the world we today call South Asia) from roughly 5000 years ago to the present.  Home to over one-fifth of the world’s population, South Asia includes modern-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal.  The primary purpose of this course is to provide a broad narrative introduction to the long sweep of history over several thousand years that enables students to form a comprehensive conception of the various facets of Indian or, South Asian civilization in a historical context.  The organization is based on political history, but the emphasis will not simply be on politics.  Wherever possible, we will also explore how particular material forms (such as paintings, sculpture, architecture, maps, textiles, and miscellaneous printed matter) came into being and how they provide insight into the social, political, economic, cultural, and religious histories of India.