I took Prof. Lal’s seminar on Anti-colonialism and the Global South in Spring 2024 and it was one of the best decisions I made.

The class itself featured 150-250 pages of reading per week, but all the readings were grouped thematically so it was really easy to understand what to pay attention to and think about before coming to class. We studied the likes of Gandhi, Tagore, Fanon, and Cesaire and also looked at a variety of secondary sources. What I particularly enjoyed about this course was that we read from thinkers and sources from across the globe and so I got a taste of some ideas that I had never heard of.

The class had about 15 students, half of which were graduate students. When I decided to take the class early on, I was a bit nervous that I would be out of place as an undergrad, especially because the grad students were so well read in their fields and some of them even knew Prof Lal quite well. I’m so happy that I stayed because I learned to think critically, write well, and articulate my ideas with my peers in a way that isn’t really possible in another class format. With nearly three hours of discussion time, we went through class presentations each week and then followed up with discussions of some or all of the readings. The discussions flowed smoothly and Prof Lal encouraged all of us to speak up and think critically. Most of the time, Prof Lal provided us with important historical context during the discussion and one thing that I really appreciated was that when it came time to discuss something he felt one of the grad students had expertise in, he asked them to share their thoughts and this ignited even more discussion.

Prof Lal is an expert in all things history. Whether it’s film, philosophy, geopolitics, or literature, he always finds ways to intrigue his students and bring forth novel ideas. But what I really appreciated about Prof Lal was his commitment to his students inside and outside of the classroom. I went to lots of Prof Lal’s office hours and he always enthusiastically answered my questions. In my papers and discussions with him, he encouraged me to be more critical when reading, to put forth my own ideas, and to find ways to challenge what I read. Altogether, this class was really transformative in my undergraduate experience. As someone who is studying molecular biology, I felt like I learned so many things about historiography, systems of knowledge, and critical thinking that I would not have otherwise learned. Prof Lal teaches just a few classes each year so I would highly encourage anyone who is interested in history to take a class with him. You won’t regret it.