From ancient times, cultural, political and philosophical movements originating on the Indian subcontinent have had an immense influence on life in Southeast Asia. In this reading and composition course we will explore the history of Indian connections with Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia. We will study the ways in which trade from India brought Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam to Southeast Asia; how Indian traditions were localized in the Southeast Asian setting; and how mass migration from India in the 19th century changed the face of Southeast Asian societies as we know them today. Emphasis will be placed on developing our writing skills in class time and we will work towards producing a scholarly research paper based on analysis of primary source material.