Hinduism is a major global religion practiced by over a billion people all over the world, though primarily in India. This course will provide an in

Course Description

Hinduism is a major global religion practiced by over a billion people all over the world, though primarily in India. This course will provide an introduction to the central doctrines and practices of Hinduism. In this course, we will pay particular attention to the historical contexts and growth of Hindu religious thought and practices. We will examine key Hindu theologies, epics, rituals, and schools of philosophy. Over the course of the semester, we will read relevant philosophical, poetic, and mythological texts in translation, as well as examine important ritual practices. And finally, we will learn about the Hindu traditions confrontation with and accommodation of modernity through the writings of key reformers.

The goal of the course will be to comprehend the beliefs and practices of the Hindu tradition as they changed and developed in ancient, medieval, and modern political and historical contexts. The course is organized chronologically, to emphasize the necessity of historical understanding and religious change in the development of Hinduism. Course pedagogy will consist of a mix of primary and secondary readings. Primary readings will be supplemented by secondary readings that will provide either a historical background or elaborate upon central themes in these texts. Class discussions will be organized such as to provide both broad-based contexts and in-depth analyses for each week. The course is structured with a literary and historical angle, for the student who has had little or no previous background in the study of Hinduism The object of the course is to come to a better understanding of what we mean by the term Hinduism.

Hub Learning Outcomes:

1. Philosophical, Aesthetic, and Historical Interpretation:

A. Philosophical Inquiry and Lifes Meanings (PLM):

1. Students will read and engage with a broad range of scriptures beginning with the oldest (i.e., Vedas), through the advent of Islam, connections to early teachings of Sikhism, and writings of modern Hindu reformers. They will make meaningful connections between these texts and apply them in their analyses.

2. Students will demonstrate the reasoning skills and possess the vocabulary to reflect upon significant philosophical questions and topics in Hindu texts and practices such as what constitutes a good life, right action, meaningful activity, knowledge, truth, or a just society. Students are urged to try to understand the subtle ways that terms can have a semantic range of contextual meaning based on time and place of composition, etc. Students are asked to reflect upon the Hindu way of life in general and how it might be qualitatively different or like Euro-American lifeways.

B. Aesthetic Exploration (AEX):

1. Students will demonstrate understanding of the aesthetic dimension of religion in general and Hinduism in particular as an integral part of the Hindu religious experience, since it is a multisensory religion that engages all of the senses, especially sight (darshan), which is considered to be a fundamental aspect of the interactive relationship between deities and human beings. This is why Hinduism developed such a rich tradition of iconography and sacred music.

2. Students will demonstrate the reasoning skills and vocabulary necessary to interpret Hindu images, literature, and poetry, in changing historical contexts. To this end, students will write an analytical essay interpreting the significance of Hindu images and/or devotional poetry.

3. Students will produce evaluative, analytical, or creative works that demonstrate an understanding of the characteristicssuch as genres, modes, styles, and cultural history of at least one literary or artistic medium.

Other Outcomes:

Department Learning Outcomes:

1. Students will develop an appreciation for the diversity of religions, as well as the principles and methods that religious studies scholars employ for studying them.

2. Students will master the fundamental religious, social, and cultural themes in India in order to appreciate a religious tradition that may be different from ones own.

3. Students will recognize and be able to describe human linguistic diversity as well as the shared properties of all languages that are associated with the unique capacities of our species.

4. Students will understand the development principles and historical contingencies that explain and govern the deep history of humanity as revealed by the interdisciplinary findings of Indologists.

5. Students will grasp the fundamental laws and processes of religious change over time, and their implications for individual beliefs and ritual practices.

6. Students with a concentration in religious studies will additionally be able to articulate and act on a more focused understanding of one or more topical areas, which may include the cross-cultural study of religious systems. They will demonstrate an ability to relate theory to empirically grounded research that will help to equip them for an era of globalization in which they will need to understand and interact with societies and cultures beyond their own.

Course-Specific Outcomes:*

*The course outcomes relate to the Hub and Department of Religion outcomes in the following ways:

1. Students will learn the general properties of a religious worldview and the appropriateness of regarding our species as fundamentally religious beings.

2. Students will develop an appreciation for the varieties of religious belief, expression, experience, and practice within the Hindu tradition.

3. Students will understand the regional themes and diversity found within Hinduism.

4. Students will master the fundamental religious themes in Hinduism.

5. Students will understand the ways in which religious belief and practice reflect economic and political forces within Indian society and culture.

Grading and Evaluation

Here are the details of how I will evaluate your performance in this course:

Attendance, Participation: (20%) I take your physical presence in the class very seriously. Frequent late arrivals and early departures will negatively affect your grade, as would un-excused or habitual absence. You are permitted 2 absences (for sick days and personal days) over the course of the semester. In addition to bringing your body into the classroom, you must come to the class mentally prepared. This means having read the assigned readings thoroughly and having done at least a basic analysis of the central thesis and supporting arguments presented in each reading. You will be given regular written assignments and/or quizzes throughout the semester.

In class midterm: 20%

Three short assessments: (30%): two quizzes and one short essay assignment

Final 5-page essay: (30%); guidelines on blackboard

Course Requirements (or, my expectations from you):

To receive full credit for the class, students must complete all requirements.

Students are expected to complete the readings assigned for each class.

Attendance and participation in class discussion will be expected.

You will be allowed two unpenalized absences in the semester.

Disruptive class activities such as texting, browsing the web, coming late to class, eating, and talking will be penalized. Laptops are allowed for reading and note-taking only. Cell phones and other electronic devices MUST be switched off before class begins. If you are caught indulging in any disruptive activities, it will be counted as a no-show in that class!

Required Texts

In addition to readings posted on the course website (marked by **), the following books are required:

1. Gavin Flood, An Introduction to Hinduism (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996).

2. Barbara Stoler Miller, The Bhagavad Gita: Krishnas Counsel in Time of War (New York: Columbia University Press, 1986).

Recommended Texts

Christopher J. Fuller, The Camphor Flame: Popular Hinduism and Society in India (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992).

Diana Eck, Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India (New York: Columbia University Press, 1998)

John Stratton Hawley and Mark Juergensmeyer, Songs of the Saints of India (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008).

Schedule of Topics, Readings, and Assignments

Introduction to course/Ancient Origins of Hinduism

Sept 5: Introduction to the course

Sept 7: An Introduction to Hinduism, 1-22

World of the Vedas

Sept 12: An Introduction to Hinduism, 23-50

Sept 14: **Ainslee Embree, et al, Sources of Indian TraditionFrom the Beginning to 1800 (Columbia: Columbia University Press, 1988), 8-19. DISCUSSION

Upanishads: Philosophical Speculation and the life of Ascetic Contemplation

Sept 19: An Introduction to Hinduism, 75-96

Sept 21: ** Upanishads selections, from Sources of Indian Tradition. DISCUSSION

Dharma: Caste, Purity, Law, and Social Order

Sept 26: An Introduction to Hinduism, 51-66 and 103-113, 124-127

Sept 28: QUIZ (Assessment #1) AND DISCUSSION

Dharma and Devotion in the Great Epic Narratives: The Bhagavad-Gita

Oct 3: Bhagavad Gita (Chapters 1-6)

Oct 5: Bhagavad Gita (Chapters 7-12) DISCUSSION

Oct 10: No Class, Monday schedule

Oct 12: Bhagavad Gita continued

Review and Midterm

Oct 17: Review

Oct 19: Midterm exam in class

The Hindu Temple (800 CE-1200 CE)

Oct 24: No class

Oct 26: **Chapters 1 and 2, Darshan: Seeing the Divine in India

Bhakti: Saguna and Nirguna Devotion

Oct 31: **Songs of the Saints of India, Introduction and Mirabai (pp 1-7, 119-140) and Songs of the Saints of India, Tulsidas (pp. 143-173)

Nov 2: **Songs of the Saints of India, Kabir and Nanak (pp. 35-59):

Nov. 7: Watch film Kabir Stands in the Marketplace (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9hMVeTaUw8)

(no class meeting)

Nov 9: QUIZ (Assessment #2) and Discussion on Film:

Question for discussion: The film,Kabir Khada Bazaar Mein (In the Market Stands Kabir), is focused on the main character,PrahladSinghTipanya, and his personal struggle to become a mahant(leader) of theKabir Panth(sect). Many of the figures around him, including the filmmaker, believe the Kabirpanthitself andhis choice to become a mahant iscontradictory to the nirgunamessage of Kabir. Please explain why you agree or disagree using two examples from Kabir's poetry in Songs of the Saints of India.

Puja

Nov. 14: Camphor Flame, pp. 57-82

Nov 16: DISCUSSION

Watch Puja Expressions of Hindu Devotion in class

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Liu9YuOSxCwNov 21: No class meeting

Nov 23: Thanksgiving

Hinduism and Modernity

Nov 28: Selected writings of Roy, Saraswati, Ramakrishna, and Vivekananda (as background optional: An Introduction to Hinduism, 250-273)

Nov. 30: Discussion and Assessment #3 due, submitted on blackboard

Dec. 5: Student presentations on final paper topics (Last names Q-Z)

Dec. 7: Student presentations on final paper topics (I-P)

Dec 12: Student presentations on final paper topics (A-H)

Final Paper Due: Friday December 15