Ancient India: From Indus Valley to Rise of Buddhism



Overview

South Asia includes the countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan; stretching between the mighty Himalayas in the north to the waters of the Indian Ocean in the south, this huge landmass is home to an ancient and diverse group of cultures.

With very different landscapes, cultures, languages, scripts, musical traditions, dance forms, and distinctive artistic heritages, this region presents an incredible complexity that has attracted people’s interest from time immemorial. During the third millennium B.C., spacious cities, displaying advanced town planning, were built along the plains of the Indus River. The great cities of the Indus Valley flourished for more than a thousand years. Between 1800 and 1200 B.C. Indo-European people known as the Aryans settled in the region and formed the basis of the Vedic civilisations which eventually formed the basis of what Hinduism is today. This is also the birthplace of another major world religion that arose during the sixth and fifth centuries B.C. Propounded by Prince Siddhartha, Buddhism was a path of moderation that was open to all.

This course has been designed to incorporate all these important periods of South Asia to develop historical consciousness about the ancient Indian civilization in the minds of the students and to impart knowledge about the region’s complex historical traditions.

Programme details

Course starts: 14 Jan 2025

First live webinar:  21 Jan 2025, 10:30-11:30 (UK time)

Week 1: South Asia: The Land, People and Culture

Week 2: What was South Asia like before the birth of Indus Valley (3rd Millennium BCE)?

Week 3: Indus Valley Civilisation: Formative Years (c. 3000-2500 BCE)

Week 4: Indus Valley Civilisation: The Urban Phase (c. 2500-1900 BCE)

Week 5: Indus Valley Civilisation: The Later Years (c. 1900-1500 BCE)

Week 6: 'Collapse' vs 'Resilience and Adaptation': Recent Views on Indus Civilisation

Week 7: The Vedic Age: South Asia's 'Heroic' Age (c. 1500-1100 BCE)

Week 8: Later Vedic Age: The Glory Continues? (c. 1500-500 BCE)

Week 9: The Rise of Protestant Religions: Siddhartha's journey into the 'Buddha' (c. 500 BCE)

Week 10: From Indus Valley to Buddhism: Lasting Impact on South Asia's Art, Architecture and Culture

Certification

Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points 

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee for each course you enrol on. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. If you do not register when you enrol, you have up until the course start date to register and pay the £30 fee. 

See more information on CATS point

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework, but only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education, you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee. 

 

Digital credentials

All students who pass their final assignment, whether registered for credit or not, will be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so. 

Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. 

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £285.00
Take this course for CATS points £30.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Sayantani Neogi

Dr Sayantani Neogi conducts research to understand the relationship between people and their environments in the past, and currently works for the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa project (https://eamena.org/). Prior to joining this project, Dr Neogi worked briefly at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich following the completion of her PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2013.

Course aims

To provide the learners an overall idea about the narrative history and archaeology of Ancient South Asia.

Each week's topic will be explored through case studies and themes take from the historical and current state of research. The students will be recommended further reading material to supplement their ideas. It is expected that by the end of the course the learners will have a robust introductory knowledge of the ancient past of South Asia.

Teaching methods

Learning takes place on a weekly schedule. At the start of each weekly unit, students are provided with learning materials on our online platform, including one hour of pre-recorded video, often supplemented by guided readings and educational resources. These learning materials prepare students for a one-hour live webinar with an expert tutor at the end of each weekly unit which they attend in small groups. Webinars are held on Microsoft Teams, and provide the opportunity for students to respond to discussion prompts and ask questions. The blend of weekly learning materials that can be worked through flexibly, together with a live meeting with a tutor and their peers, maximise learning and engagement through interaction in a friendly, supportive environment.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

  • have knowledge of the broad chronological development in terms of political, social, economic and cultural changes that took place in South Asia between the 3rd millennium and 5th century BCE;
  • possess some critical awareness of the evidence used to reconstruct the archaeology and history of South Asia in this period;
  • be able to articulate their knowledge, critical awareness and creativity through a written essay.

Assessment methods

Summative assessment in this course is recommended by Option B, which consists of a 1500-word essay submitted at the end of term based on questions provided by the tutor. A 500-word formative assessment will also be set half-way through term.

Assessment by Option A (a portfolio of work) may be possible, but this will require discussion with your tutor.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work the required standard.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

 

Application

On the start date of the course we will email your joining instructions. As always, students will want to check spam and junk folders during this period to ensure that these emails are received. We aim to send all joining emails by midday (UK time).

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment Form (Word) or Enrolment Form (Pdf)

 

Level and demands

Students do not need any previous experience to join this course. It is, however, expected that they have an interest in the region and are willing to gather knowledge from the topics covered. 

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

 

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support