Course Homepage

This course focuses on the study of Mahatma Gandhi’s life and philosophy.  The class will try to explore the man behind the legend, as well as explore his philosophy of ahimsa – non-violence.  We will try to determine if Gandhi’s philosophy is relevant to our world and time, by analyzing his influence on movements like: the Civil Rights movement, the anti-apartheid struggle, the environmental movement, and past as well as current anti-war movements.  The goal is to develop a sophisticated understanding of the life and works of Mahatma Gandhi and try and utilize any insight gained, toward practical ends.

The course follows a discussion format.  We have plenty of materials to discuss.  Traditional course materials like readings will be supplemented by movies, songs, cartoons, websites and several other unconventional course materials/activities like cotton weaving sessions, skits, and workshops on how to organize for civil disobedience interspersed throughout the semester.  Most textual resources are available online, so no purchases are necessary.

Course details

Instructor: Mumukshu Patel

Semester: Spring 2004

Course #: SPCL 091P 018

Faculty Advisor: Prof. Yasmin Saikia

Time & Place: Wednesday, 6-7:30 pm; Graham Memorial 0035

(Note: Most resources on this page, and other sections of this website, are linked to two sites: www.gandhiserve.com and www.mahatma.org.in I, like many others, am grateful for their excellent services.

I am grateful to the C-START committee for allowing me to teach this course and to Yasmin for her invaluable assistance. Discussions with, and support from, several others contributed to the development of the course; and I thank them all. Without student participation, the class would have been a pointless exercise; I remain indebted to class participants – auditors included – for making the course a memorable and educative experience.)