Introduction
This course will provide an introduction to Hinduism, a religion whose roots can be traced back about three thousand years and which is practiced by the majority of people in India. The term “Hinduism” is a relatively recent one that refers to a wide range of beliefs and practices found throughout South Asia. Students will be exposed to a rich chorus of ideas through films, lectures, and readings including primary texts written by important figures in the development of Hinduism.
The general trajectory of the course will be historical, and for convenience we can divide the subjects that will be covered into four periods: 1) Early Brahmanical Religion 2) Classical Hinduism 3) Medieval Hinduism 4) The Modern Period. We will start by looking at the religions of the earliest civilizations in India and will see how these developed through the centuries into the religion known today as Hinduism. For each period, students will become acquainted with the doctrinal, philosophical, devotional, ritual and social aspects of the religion. Students will learn the roles of popular gods and goddesses worshipped by the faithful and will come into contact with many important myths and mystical writings.
This course meets the general education requirements of area C-3. It looks at how a major civilization of the world has answered the existential questions that all humans face and places these in historical and social context. It provides keys to understanding one of the world’s great bodies of literature and art, and the figures who were responsible for it. Students will be encouraged to question the ideas and to reflect upon their meaning for the human condition generally.
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Required Texts
There are four texts for this course that are available at the AS Bookstore:
G. Flood, An Introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge University Press.
A.T. Embree, The Hindu Tradition: Readings in Oriental Thought. Vintage Books.
R.K. Narayan, The Ramayana. Penguin.
Sudhir Kakar, Ecstasy
There is one Course Packet available from Mr Kopy, 119 Main St.
32% Four quizzes worth 8% each will be given throughout the semester aimed at ensuring that you do the readings and pay attention in class.
20% A final exam during exam week will cover everything that we have learned in the course. There will be no make-up quizzes or exams unless the professor is notified of a medical or other emergency within 24-hours.
5% A short paper in the form of a 3-page (1000 word) essay. DUE: February 21
10% A mid-term project in the form of a 4- page (about 1200 words) paper on a topic given by the professor.
Note: Originality, clarity of thought, grammar, spelling, and proper citations are important parts of the work.
DUE: April 3 Late papers will lose a point for every 24-hours it is overdue. That means an A paper would get an A- after 24 hours, a B+ after 48, a B after 72, etc…
13% A final paper of 5-6 pages in length (1500-1800 words) on a topic that the professor has handed out or one of your own choosing that you discuss with the professor.
DUE: May 6
10% Class participation: This includes attending class regularly, paying attention, making comments (I would rather you say something that is not quite correct than say nothing at all). It is also expected that you will come to class having done the readings and thought about them. Please don’t feel shy about asking any questions that you have – that’s what the instructor is there for. More than three unexcused absences will start to strongly impact your grade.
5% You are required to attend four events related to Hinduism during this course. This may be a visit to a Hindu place of worship, a movie about Hinduism, a Yoga class or other event that you discuss with the instructor.
DUE: May 13. Please write a two-page report about your experiences. Note the relevance of each event to the course of study. Discuss whether what you saw was similar or different from what you expected based on your readings, and assess the meaning behind what you witnessed. What ideas from the course does it tie into? You may report equally on all four events or devote the bulk of the two pages to one of the events, but please at least include a brief summary of each of the events.
5% 10 minute in class presentation on one of the weekly readings. These will be assigned by the professor at the beginning of the term.
The final Grade calculations are as follows:
A > 92%
A- 90 – 92 %
B+ 87 – 89 %
B 83 – 86 %
B- 80 - 82 %
C+ 77 – 79 %
C 73 – 76 %
C- 70 – 72 %
D+ 65 – 69 %
D 60 - 64 %
F < 60 %
Students with Disabilities
Any student who has a learning or other disability that affects classroom performance should make this known to the instructor in order to allow him better to assist you. All disclosures will remain confidential but may require medical documentation. Please contact Disability Support Services (DSS) for coordination of your academic accommodations. The DSS phone number is 898-5959 V/TTY or FAX 898-4411. Visit the DSS website at <http://www.csuchico.edu/dss/>.
Administrative Issues
Cheating is the most serious academic offense a student can commit. Any plagiarism or cheating on any assignment will result in an F in the course and possible disciplinary action. See accompanying Academic Integrity Policy.
All students are responsible for adding, dropping or withdrawing from the course at the proper times and using the proper forms.
Schedule
Readings: Flood, Chapter One
Readings: Flood, 23-40
Feb. 5 The Vedas, Gods and Sacrifice: The sacred texts of the Aryans were called the Vedas. We will look at the central ritual in these texts, the sacrifice, and the role of the gods in the Vedic world order.
Readings: Flood, 40-49
Embree, 3-28
Course Packet, 1-17 (Staal, Pannikar (Heesterman is Optional)
Feb. 7 Cosmogony and the Caste System: We will look at how the Vedic myths of creation are connected to the social order and hierarchy, which deeply influenced many aspects of Hindu life.
Readings: Flood, 48-50
Embree, 74-83
Course Packet, 18-26 (Basham)
Feb. 12 Dharma: This central term that has many meanings and connotations about how to live properly will be examined.
Readings: Flood, 51-67
Embree, 84-93
Feb. 14 Movie: We will watch a movie that covers early Indian religion
Feb. 19 QUIZ ONE
Upanishads: These texts, known as the culmination of the Vedas, shift the focus of religious practice from ritual sacrifice to contemplation and the “inner sacrifice.”
Readings: Flood, 75-84
Embree, 48-52
Course Packet, 27-40 (Radhakrishnan)
Feb. 21 PAPER ONE DUE
Philosophy of the Upanishads: The conception of the divine, known as Brahman, and its connection to the soul or Atman, will be explored.
Readings: Flood, 84-93
Embree, 52-65
Feb. 26 Yoga: We will look at various mystical techniques of achieving union between the soul and the divine.
Readings: Flood, 93-102
Course Packet, 41-45 (Feurstien)
Readings: Flood, 67-74
Narayan “The Ramayana”
Mar. 4 Ramayana: We will explore the moral ambiguities in the story, as well as its conception of renunciation and kingship.
Mar. 6 QUIZ TWO
Mahabharata and Puranas: These are other epic tales that narrate the acts of gods and humans in the distant past. They play a vital role in the popular religion, especially of devotees of the god Vishnu.
Readings: Flood, Chapter 5
Mar. 11 Bhagavad Gita: This short text is the culmination of the Mahabharata, and has been cherished as the kernel of Hinduism by Gandhi and other important thinkers both from the East and the West.
Readings: Embree, 117-130
Course Packet, 46-63 (Gandhi, Sharma)
Mar. 13 Six Systems of Philosophy: Hindu philosophy was theoretically divided into six systems that had different ontologies and epistemologies. We will look at four: Nyaya (logic), Vaisheshika (analysis), Yoga and Samkhya (counting).
Readings: Flood, 224-236
Embree, 189-197
MARCH BREAK --- NO CLASSES
Mar. 25 Six Systems of Philosophy (Cont.): Mimamsa is a complicated system of textual exegesis and the sixth system, a mystical understanding of the universe called Vedanta, has been extremely influential up to the present.
Readings: Flood, 236-249
Embree, 186-189
Mar. 27 Vedanta: We will look at the different schools of Vedanta philosophy, such as the Advaita (non-dual), the Dvaita (dualist) and the Vishishta Advaita (qualified non-dualist) school.
Readings: Embree, 197-207
Course Packet, 64-87 (Sharma, Lott)
Apr. 1 Bhakti: The path of devotion developed into a very popular way of worshipping and even uniting with one’s chosen god, usually Vishnu or Shiva, without requiring a deep understanding of complex philosophy.
Readings: Flood, Chapter 6
Embree, 246-256
Course Packet, 88-103 (Ramanujan)
Apr. 3 SECOND PAPER DUE
Bhakti: We continue our discussion of this topic.
Apr. 8 Rasa: This term refers to aesthetic emotion, which plays a central role in the religious experience of Hindus. Through rasa music and art become religious expressions.
Readings: Embree, 152-161; 164-170
Course Packet, 104-119 (Coomaraswamy)
Apr. 10 QUIZ THREE
Shaivism: The worship of the god Shiva, the god of both ascetics and aesthetics and also known as the destroyer, takes many forms in different regions of India. We will look in particular at Kashmir and Karnataka.
Readings: Flood, 148-158
Embree, 227-245
Apr. 15 Tantra: This form of Hinduism focuses on gaining great powers for the adept. It also involves many esoteric rites and rituals some of which reverse accepted norms.
Readings: Flood, 158-173
Course Packet, 120-134 (Feuerstein)
Apr. 17 Devi: The worship of the goddess and female power is a conspicuous aspect of many Hindu groups.
Readings: Flood, Chapter 8
Apr. 22 Samskaras and Festivals: We will look at some important Hindu sacraments such as birth, weddings, and funerals, as well as festivals and temple-based worship.
Readings: Flood, Chapter 9
Course Packet, 135-149 (Fuller)
Course Packet, 159-164 (Eck)
Apr. 24 Kakar Ecstasy Read at least halfway through the book.
Apr. 29 Kakar Ecstasy Complete the book
Readings: Embree, 261-270
Course Packet, 150-158 (Oxtoby, Thukral)
May 6 FINAL PAPER DUE
Neo-Hinduism and the Encounter with the West: We will look at reformers who were influenced positively by Christian and other western ideas such as Ram Mohan Roy, Keshub Chander Sen and negatively such as Dayananda Sarasvati. The neo-Vedantins Ramakrishna and especially his follower Vivekananda helped to further develop a spiritual Hinduism that appealed to many in the East as well as the West.
Readings: Flood, 250-259
Embree, 278-309
Course Packet, 165-176 (Thapar)
May. 8 Living Masters: We will also look at some Hindu gurus in the West today and at the influence of Hindu ideas on popular culture.
Readings: Flood, 268-273
Embree, 313-324; 325-334; 343-348
Course Packet, 177-200 (Shinn, Krishnamurti)
May. 13 TWO-PAGE EVENTS REPORT DUE
Gandhi, Satyagraha and Communalism: We will look at the life and teachings of this Western-educated father of Indian independence who preached non-violent resistance to British rule. We will see how he reacted to factionalism, religious tension especially between Hindus and Muslims, and his positions on women and untouchables.
Readings: Flood, 259-261
Course Packet, 201-218 (Bondurant)
May. 15 The Politicization of Hinduism and Hindu Fundamentalism: The tendency to reify Hinduism and to oppose it to Islam and other religions gained momentum throughout the twentieth century, culminating in brutal rioting between Hindus and Muslims over religious sites, which was often manipulated by politicians.
Course Packet, 219-232 (Van Der Veer)
FINAL EXAM: TUES May 20 at 12:00 noon in the classroom