For a cultural studies class that I am taking, I would be interested in writing a research paper (10 pages) that has something to with cultural exchanges between ancient civilizations, particularly Rome and India, and it would be very helpful to have some recommended readings for this idea. Or a similar one like Rome and China, or other ancient civilizations. I prefer Rome, but not exclusively! Thank you for your help.
*Edit: is there enough academic work for a research paper to be done on this? Or should I look at a different topic?
Parker's The Making of Roman India is a nice introduction to the Roman side of Romano-Indian relations. For specifically the economic side, you might try Fitzpatrick's 2011 article "Provincializing Rome" in the Journal of World History 22.1, or M. Cobb's "Balancing the Trade" (2015) in the Oxford Journal of Archaeology 34.
In terms of primary sources, you'll want to take a look at the Periplus of the Red Sea which is a Greek guide to the ports of the Indian Ocean written in the first or second century AD. For Roman-era (elite) perceptions of India, you might want to have a look at Arrian's Indica a short book on India written by an ancient historian most famous for his work on Alexander the Great. Finally, I am personally fond of Philostratus' Life of Apollonius of Tyana, in which the Neo-Pythagorean sage Apollonius takes a long trip to India to study with wizards there. Nothing Philostratus says about India is true, but he does display in an entertaining fashion how some Romans thought about India in the third century AD.