This lecture and discussion course offers an introduction to 2000 years of art and architecture on the Indian subcontinent. It is divided into segments devoted to the art and architecture of Buddhism, the emergence and development of the Hindu temple, the art of Islamic sultanates, Mughal painting and architecture, colonial art, and the art of post-colonial and contemporary India. Resisting the impossible task of covering everything, we will instead hone in on specific objects in order to understand them in their broader cultural, religious, and social contexts. We will trace the ways in which common themes and problems appear in different art forms and in different places, and we will discover the ways in which seemingly disparate styles and objects may be productively understood in conversation with each other. We will work together to create an interpretive model that is synthetic, critical, and appreciative of the enormously diverse field that is South Asian Art. Lectures will move from explanatory descriptions of objects and histories that are covered in the textbook to critical interpretations of the historiographies that shape their contemporary reception. Class discussions and assignments are intended to encourage students to bring their own ways of looking at this art, to read critically in light of what they see, and to consider new approaches to the material. Because this is a writing intensive course, assignments focus on critical engagement with objects and scholarship, and clarity and strength of written arguments.