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

Courses starts: 16 Jan 2024

Week 0: Course orientation 

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

Digital Certification

To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend and participate in at least 80% of the live sessions on the course and pass your final assignment. 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.

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £257.00
Take this course for CATS points £10.00

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.

Course objectives:

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

Each week's lecture will be followed by an interactive session during which students will have opportunities to engage themselves in discussions and question and answer sessions. Reading lists and material will be provided during the first lecture for all the weeks. In that way the students will have time to organise themselves and go through the resources at their own pace.

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.

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

We will close for enrolments 7 days prior to the start date to allow us to complete the course set up. We will email you at that time (7 days before the course begins) with further information and joining instructions. As always, students will want to check spam and junk folders during this period to ensure that these emails are received.

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £10 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. 

Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

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 at the required standard.

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.

Most of the Department's weekly classes have 10 or 20 CATS points assigned to them. 10 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of ten 2-hour sessions. 20 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of twenty 2-hour sessions. It is expected that, for every 2 hours of tuition you are given, you will engage in eight hours of private study.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support