Instructions: Write 5 short essays on the topics and questions provided below. Each essay should be roughly 2 pages in length, typed and double spaced. There is no requirement for citations or footnotes unless your essays rely on internet or secondary sources, and should be clear and precise.

1.     What is the relationship between Edward Said’s view of “Orientalism” and what Celine Ramirez (in her interview with Celine Shimizu) calls the “fetishization of Asian Women”? Use at least one example outside of these texts to illustrate the relationship between Orientalism and the fetishization of Asian women.

2.     Write a short essay on the Mahabharata by incorporating either the Katha Upanishad or the Bhagavad Gita (or both). The essay should include a brief overview of the Mahabharata and an explanation of how the Katha Upanishad and/or the Bhagavad Gita relates to the text.

3.     Give a brief summary of the narrative plot of Monkey and explain how the story relates to any of the Buddhist texts we studied for the class. Include at least one point about Monkey and Buddhism that Professor Brad Park mentioned during his class visit.

4.     Write a short, critical review of Professor Nadeem Zaman’s book In the Time of Others. Include a brief overview of the novel’s plot, the historical context in which the story takes place, and at least one point the author discussed with us in class about his novel.

5.     Using key points from both the podcast, "India, Modi, and the rise of Hindu Nationalism," and Professor Sahar Shafqat’s class lecture, write a short essay on Hindu religious nationalism.