One of the most authentic depictions of South Asian history. I am a Poli Sci & IDS major so History isn't my strongest suit, but I loved this class and found it very easy to follow despite not having a history background. Professor is incredibly funny and his lectures are fun and engaging. Would love to take a class with him again before graduating.

I am a grad student who attended this class on the recommendation of a friend and enrolled immediately after the first lecture. I admit to generally being uninterested in history, yet this class is one of the best that I have taken hands down. The lectures were always engaging, often challenged/changed my opinion on beliefs I previously held, and every argument made by prof. Lal held solid ground. I would recommend it for anyone who is interested in South Asia or is of South Asian descent as the class sheds light on a lot of intertwined history and culture that makes the region, and its people, what it is today.

This is my second class with Professor Lal, and he remains one of my favorite lecturers at UCLA. If you're someone with a short attention span / struggles to stay attentive during lectures, I think Professor Lal's classes are a particularly perfect choice -- I never found myself bored in class. He's a very animated and engaged lecturer, and all of the historical data provided is supplemented with thoughtful anecdotes that make the material both more comprehensible and interesting. In addition, I really just loved being able to take a class devoted to contemporary Indian history. So much of my prior knowledge of this time period is simply from Hindi cinema, so it was nice to ground that in something more concrete. We also watch a Bollywood movie as part of the syllabus, which I also enjoyed and appreciated. I highly recommend this course & Professor Lal's classes in general!

I took Cultural and Political History of South Asia with Prof Lal in Spring 2024. I previously took History 9A (History of India) with him and this class was a good continuation of that one. We learned about the cultural, social, political, and religious developments in South Asia that continue to affect the region today. Although we mostly focused on India, I appreciated that we also learned about Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, countries that are often neglected in any college-level study of Asia.

Prof Lal’s lectures were very informative and engaging. While he did use slides during lecture, they were simple and easy to follow. They highlighted the major themes/ideas he wanted us to walk away with, and he filled in the details during lecture. The readings were really quite manageable and they covered a wide variety of topics, from economics to culture and society. Most of the readings were not too theoretical and a lot of them were actually quite fun to read. In class, Prof Lal was always open to questions, and during his office hours he was always available to support his students. For the papers we did have to write, he provided a variety of prompts. Because there were readings that covered so many topics, there was so much to write and think about.

This year was an election year in India so Prof Lal connected everything we were learning back to the present day. When we discussed the Ram Mandir dispute, for example, he talked about the history of the dispute, its politicization, and the relevance in 2024.

True to the course name, we didn’t just stick to politics but also learned about Indian culture and cinema. During the last few weeks of class, we watched an Indian film from the 1970s at home and then discussed in class. Along with reading a short book that Prof Lal wrote on this film, we learned about Bollywood, modernity, and so much more. Prof Lal made this course more interesting than I would have expected. We didn’t just cover timelines and events. We covered topics with real significance and read intriguing pieces. For example, Prof Lal wrote an entire piece on India’s obsession with the Guinness World Records in order to illustrate how modernity and coloniality affect India today. It was unexpected yet fascinating. So many of the lectures and readings were like this because they addressed topics in unique ways and highlighted just how diverse and capacious South Asia is.

Anyone who has the opportunity should take a class with Prof. Lal. He’s passionate, an amazing speaker, and incredibly well versed in all things South Asia.

Excellent class with highly engaging lectures. Professor Lal is clearly extremely knowledge. His course provides students with an understanding of contemporary south asia both from a scholarly and hollistic POV. You leave the class feeling more connected to the region. Even if students do not agree with all of Prof. Lal's views, he provides support for his claims leading you to respect his perspective. I am a math major and despite that I can say that Hist 175A is one of my favorite classes I have taken at UCLA.

I am shocked that people are not lining up to take Prof. Lal's classes! (I took his 175c, which for some reason is not listed here.) He is a celebrity in the Indian history arena, and a FANTASTIC professor everyone should take at UCLA, regardless of their major. The class requirements are very reasonable, and the lectures are incredibly engaging. He maintains eye contact with students and explains things multiple times so those who don't have much background in Indian history can understand. He has many lectures and writings on his YT channel & blog, which are resources I would definitely utilize if you are interested in Indian history beyond the class material. He is also available outside of class and is willing to chat with you on political/historical/economic topics you're interested in. Prof. Lal has a deep understanding of world history that is rare to find. Even if you don't care about history, after this class you will start finding it interesting. I cannot say enough good things about his lectures, you have to take the class to understand. If you want to sample his lectures, look up Vinay Lal on YouTube and watch his lectures online. If you like them, they're a hundred times better in person. TAKE HIS CLASS!!!! We're lucky to be attending UCLA at a time he's teaching here!!!

I took 175-C with Professor Vinay Lal and it was one of the more interesting classes I have taken at UCLA. I had no understanding of India's history and the relations between Hindu's and Muslims, but the readings that were provided - while difficult to understand sometimes - were super insightful and informative. The workload was fairly easy in the sense that it was four 2 page papers discussing the reading(s) that we were assigned. The part of these assignments I found difficult was the actual writing aspect of it. Professor Lal challenges a students way of thinking and wants you to question what the reading is talking about, while furthering the analysis of the paper. While I found this aspect challenging, some students may not and if you are like me, he is very generous and will meet up to discuss strategies to better a students writing and understand. This is a prime example of a class that is you get out what you put in. Walking out of this class understanding a topic I had no prior knowledge of and a new way of thinking, not only about History but all academic topics, is rewarding. I would recommend to take this class if you are ready to put in the work.

Professor Vinay Lal is hands down one of the greatest lecturers at UCLA. He'll keep you engaged with great stories, and is very welcoming to students who are brand new to learning about India's vast history. He's incredibly passionate about his own material, and it was infectious. I was skeptical about taking a class on India having not known much about it prior -- but after taking 175C with Lal -- I'm now fascinated by the country.

He also relates everything going on in India politically and culturally to contemporary issues in America -- making it easy to understand and highly relatable. Took 175C for my final quarter before graduating -- and it was an awesome way to finish my education. To anyone on the fence about this class, if you see Lal is teaching the course -- or any course for that matter -- JUMP AT IT! He's the type of professor you'll remember for years to come. And he's written multiple books and op-eds -- so it's great to get one-on-one time learning from an academic superstar.

For some reason, 175C isn't listed on Bruinwalk -- but if Lal is teaching the class, I recommend, 10/10.

Teacher is completely unhelpful in creating and turning in assignments. His grading was completely arbitrary and he only gives good grades for those who agree with his personal beliefs, which is not what a professional professor should do. So if you want a good grade in his class find out whatever his personal beliefs are stuck to that!! His readings were all over the spectrum and often full of opinions backed by little evidence. He even assigns you his own personal book for you to buy, which I think is unethical! Long story short I’m so happy to never take any of this teachers classes again. Good luck!

Professor Vinay Lal is a genius! His class was so interesting! It was honestly one of my favorite courses that ive taken at UCLA. He is a truly gifted teacher and i attended all of his classes and many of his office hours. dont get me wrong, his class is challenging...he assigns about 100-125 pages of reading per week...however, the information is engaging. i ended up getting an A in his class, so my advice to you is to do the readings and attend the lectures, and some office hours if you can, and u'll do fine. p.s. he was listed as one of the most dangerous academics in the united states in a book written by a guy named dan horowitz...c'mon, how much more baller can u get?!