The B.A. major in India studies equips students to understand and become engaged with the cultures and civilizations that have developed on the Indian subcontinent from ancient times to the present. The program offers courses that investigate the culture, literature, arts, philosophy, and sociopolitical and historical dimensions of India. The curriculum allows students to pursue interdisciplinary study and critical analysis of this complex and exciting region. The primary focus of the program is on present-day or modern India, but in order to understand modern India, it is important to have some basic knowledge about the great periods in the history of India that have shaped modern Indian social reality. This approach requires a sophisticated understanding of the country's highly developed arts, music, literature, drama, philosophy, religions, and social and political structures. In addition to providing an overall, comprehensive education about Indian civilizations, the program allows for more specialized work in (a) literary and performance studies, (b) philosophical and religious studies, and (c) social, political, and historical studies. The India Studies Program also offers beginning and intermediate-level courses in several Indian languages. All students in the program are encouraged to take language classes, as well as to consider study abroad in India.