This unit explores the traditions and cultural history of South and Southeast Asia before the modern era. The treatment is thematic rather than chronological, covering, in historical context, the cultural impact of the main religious traditions on the subcontinent and Southeast Asia - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Islam, the unification of India, the great empires, the influence of class and caste in Indian history, the literary and artistic traditions, the position of women and the Indo-Islamic synthesis. The unit integrates where possible online and traditional learning techniques and is assessed through assignments rather than by formal examination.