HIST 1190

FWS: Gandhi and the Politics of Non-Violence

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2014-2015.

This course will examine the writings of Mohandas K. Gandhi, a leader of the nonviolent movement against British colonialism in India.  In particular, students will consider whether Gandhi's philosophies of self-reliance, moral discipline, civil disobedience, nonviolent protest, and vegetarianism are applicable to living in the modern world.  We will read some of Gandhi's well-known criticisms of modernity, including Hind Swaraj and My Experiments with Truth, and address the sources, impact and legacy of Gandhi's ideas, including the relationship between Gandhian non-violence and the American civil rights movement. Written assignments will involve close readings of Gandhi's work with an eye toward engaging whether his ideas translate to being a modern and morally responsible individual in the early twenty-first century.

When Offered Spring.

Satisfies Requirement First-Year Writing Seminar.

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