UF in India at Navdanya Farm. Course Packet, Summer May 18-June 28, REL4956/6957 Indic Landscapes: Mind, Body, Cosmos

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1 UF in India at Farm Course Packet, Summer 2009 May 18-June 28, 2009 REL4956/6957 Indic Landscapes: Mind, Body, Cosmos WST4956/6957 Rethinking Globalization: Gender, Communities, Representation Farm Practicum: Bio-Cultural Diversity, Food and Sustainability Instructors: Anita Anantharam, Travis L. Smith, Pavlos Georgiadis Teaching Assistants: Meredith Kite and Caleb Simmons

2 Daily Schedule 6:30 7:00 AM Yogi Tea 7:00 8:15 AM Yoga Instruction 8:30 9:00 AM Breakfast 9:00 10:00 AM Shram Daan (Farm Work) 11:00 AM 12:30 PM REL 4956/6957 with Dr. Smith 12:30 1:30 PM Lunch 1:30 3:30 PM Nap/Silent Time 3:30 4:00 PM Afternoon Tea 4:00 5:30 PM WST 4956/6957 with Dr. Anantharam (*) 5:30 6:30 PM Farm Practicum with Jeetpal Singh Negi (**) 7:00 8:30 PM Dinner & free-time (*) During our pilgrimage and site visits, Dr. Anantharam s class will be led by Pavlos Georgiadis and the module will be called: Bio-cultural diversity, food and globalization. Readings are available on e-learning and the of readings is enclosed in this packet. (**) Generally speaking, the farm practicum hour consists of farm walks, river walks, village walks, etc. informally led by s on-site staff. Participation in this practicum hour is not mandatory. On most days you can do what you please during this hour. The only exception to this is as follows: days marked with a double asterisk will be classes led by Pavlos Georgiadis. Attendance in these classes between 5:30-6:30pm is mandatory. May Schedule Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 18 Arrive in Delhi/YMCA Leave for 21 Orientation and settlein day ** 28** 29** 30 Free day 31 Leave for 10-day (9- nights) pilgrimage

3 June Schedule Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 to Har-kidoon 2 * 3 * 4 * 5 * 6 * 7 * 8 9 Return to Free day Vandana Shiva Workshop 18 Vandana Shiva Workshop 19 * Day trip to monastery and FRI 20 Free day 21 ** 28 Return to Delhi 22 ** 29 Farewell lunch 23 ** 24 ** 25 ** 26 Conferences with instructors & TAs 27 Clean-up day PM: Departures

4 UF in India at Farm Indic Landscapes: Mind, Body, Cosmos REL 4956/6957 Travis Smith Department of Religion Incorporating primary texts, secondary scholarship and experiential learning, this course will explore issues of place, space and personhood in the Indian context. Our readings will provide background and context for the study abroad experience at Bija Vidyapeeth, a research institute featuring an organic farm situated in the foothills of the Himalayas, outside of Dehradun, India. The course is designed to provide links between two related, components of the UF in India study abroad program: pilgrimage and yoga. For the first of these, we will explore stories of the land, with a special focus on the rich associations of the area in which we will be staying, which features the grand and storied Himalaya mountains and the revered river Ganga. For the yoga component of the course, our readings are designed to complement our practice of Hatha ( Physical ) Yoga, which will be led by a local Yogi. Regular presence in yoga class is required. At, our main text on yoga will be the Bhagavad Gītā, a portion of the voluminous epic, the Mahābhārata. We will also focus on the works of the modern thinker, Swami Vivekananda ( ), who provides an influential, Neo-Hindu exposition of the theory and practice of yoga. In Vivekananda s system, there are four yogas, each of which presents a distinctive approach to self-realization (and we will explore the meaning of this term): Jñāna (Knowledge), Bhakti (Devotion), Raja (Meditation) and Karma (Action). The class will be in seminar format, meeting mornings from 11-12:30pm. There will be 12 days of class, plus a three-day workshop offered by founder Vandana Shiva. The remainder of the time on our six-week program will be spent in actual travel, visiting shrines, monasteries, other organic farms, as well as local community leaders and religious specialists. Pre-departure Readings These works will provide background for the topics which we will be exploring in the course. The bulk of the readings are available on the e-learning course site as.pdf files which you can download. The only exceptions to this are the Narayan book, which you should purchase at Goering s (1717 NW 1 st Avenue) or online, and Barbara Miller s Gita translation (a very readable translation), cheaply available online.

5 On the Mahābhārata: *R. K. Narayan, The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic (University Of Chicago Press, 2000), entire. *B. S. Miller, The Bhagavad-Gita: Krishna s Counsel in Time of War. (Bantam Classics, 1986), entire. P. Wilmot, trans., Mahabharata Book Two: The Great Hall (NYU Press, 2006), (The Dice Match). J.A.B. van Buitenen, trans. Mahābhārata (Āraṇyakaparvan): ; (Arjuna s pilgrimage). Recommended: J. Fitzgerald. Mahābhārata in Sushil Mittal and Gene Thursby, eds., The Hindu World (Routledge, 2004). J. Meiland, trans., Mahabharata Book Nine: Shalya Volume Two (NYU Press, 2007), selections. (Balarāma s, Description of Kurukṣetra). I. Karve, Yugānta: The End of an Epoch (Disha Books, 1991), ( Krishna Vasudeva ). On and Sacred Space in India A. Bharati, in the Indian Tradition. History of Religions 3, no. 1 (1963): J. Lochtefeld, Himalayan (unpublished manuscript), selections from chapters 2, 7 and 8. Used with permission, not for citation. S. Darian, The Ganges in Myth and History (New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 2001): A. King, Gaṅgā: Waters of Devotion in John L. Brockington and Anna S. King, The Intimate Other: Love Divine in Indic Religions (Orient Longman, 2005): Recommended:

6 D. Eck, The Imagined Landscape: Patterns in the Construction of Hindu Sacred Geography, Contributions to Indian Sociology 32, no. 2 (1998), R. Goldman, trans. Rāmāyana Book One: Boyhood (NYU Press, 2005): (The Descent of the Gaṅgā). On-site Readings These inexpensive books will be available for purchase in Delhi, and will be our course texts while at. S. Swarupananda, trans. The Bhagavad-Gītā (Advaita Ashrama, 1993). This will be our working copy of the Gita for a close study of the individual verses. You will want to compare the translation with that of Miller. S. Vivekananda. Bhakti Yoga. (Advaita Ashrama).. Karma Yoga.. Jnana Yoga.. Practical Vedanta.. Raja Yoga.

7 UF in India at Farm Rethinking Globalization: Gender, Communities, Representation WST 4956/6957 Anita Anantharam Center for Women s Studies and Gender Research This course will trace some of the major arguments about globalization and development in India. We will begin with Rabindranath Tagore s seminal novel The Home and the World in which the different characters debate the different strategies to India s independence from colonial rule. This will be followed by MK Gandhi s reading of indigenous knowledge, drawing as he does from scriptural and historical archives, as a response and a critique of colonialism and Western power. We will then explore the implications of indigenous frameworks on political praxis: using interpretative strategies we will discuss the work of Mahasweta Devi (and her activism for tribal rights of women) and Vandana Shiva s arguments about religion, gender, and nature. Student initiated final projects will seek to place these studies from various historical periods (Tagore: 19 th century; Gandhi: 20 th century; and Devi/Shiva: 21 st CE) in dialogue, and propose nuanced models and methods of understanding globalization today. This is an intensive six-week class held in a study abroad context. The program is not being held in a city where one can escape the classroom and immerse oneself in other activities. Because we are living on an organic farm in a rural part of Dehradun, India, it will be difficult to separate your in-class experience from your day-to-day living on the farm. Daily yoga class, common meal times, co-habitation with your co-pilgrims and instructors can become intense at times. I encourage you to keep a journal of your thoughts and experiences both of the readings/discussions but also of your outof-classroom journeys. These journal entries make great letters to your family and friends; at the same time, your personal reflections may provide the basic skeleton for your final papers, by helping your remember your day-to-day activities when you are miles away at home writing your papers. The class will be in seminar format, meeting afternoons from 4:00-5:30 pm. There will be 20 days of class, plus a two-day workshop offered by founder Vandana Shiva. The remainder of the time on our six-week program will be spent in actual travel, visiting shrines, monasteries, other organic farms, as well as local community leaders and religious specialists. The course will be structured thematically as follows: o Tagore s Vision of Education and Politics o Gandhi, Women and Globalization o Women s Indigenous Knowledge, Memory, and Politics

8 Required Readings Pre-departure All readings from The Lonely Planet Guide to India Introduction and Facts About India Facts for the Visitor Delhi Uttaranchal/Uttarkhand On-site readings The following books are required for purchase at Goerings book store 1. Rabindranath Tagore, Home and the World 2. MK Gandhi, Hind-Swaraj, or Indian Home Rule 3. Mahasweta Devi, selected short stories 4. Vandana Shiva, Staying Alive: Women, Ecology, and Development In addition to these required texts, supplementary readings will be distributed on an asneeded basis while in India or via ELS. Tentative Schedule of Readings May 22: Home and the World, Chapters : Home and the World, Chapters : Home and the World, Chapters : Home and the World, Chapters : Home and the World, Chapters : Home and the World, Chapters evening watch film: Home and the World 28: Gandhi, Hind Swaraj, pages : Gandhi, Hind Swaraj, pages evening watch film: Gandhi 30: no class meeting free day May 31-June 9 [Travel and pilgrimage days] June 10: Gandhi, On economic development (p. 156) 11: Gandhi, On Constructive programme (p. 170) and Gandhi, On his political vision (p. 188) 12: Debating the ideas of Gandhi and Tagore no readings; begin Vandana Shiva book.

9 13: no class meeting 14: Shiva, Staying Alive, Chapters : Shiva, Staying Alive, Chapters : Shiva, Staying Alive, Chapters [Tentative workshop with Vandana] 18 [Tentative workshop with Vandana] 19: class visit to the Tibetan Monastery and the Forest Research Institute 20: Free-day 21: De-briefing from Shiva workshop no readings (Journals due) 22: Mahasweti Devi s short stories TBD 23: Mahasweti Devi s short stories TBD 24: Mahasweti Devi s short stories TBD 25: Final reflections and discussion of final papers 26: 20-minute individual meeting with instructors and TAs Assessment and Grading for REL/WST 4956/6957 Attendance and Participation: pre-departure orientation, site visits, class discussions, and group dinners (30%) Lead class discussion (10%) Participation in workshops hosted by Georgiadis (10%) Journal (20%) Final Paper (30%)

10 UF in India at Farm Farm Practicum: Bio cultural Diversity, Food & Sustainability Pavlos Georgiadis University of Hohenheim Institute for Social Sciences of the Agricultural Sector Department of Rural Communication and Extension Unit 1: Inter cultural Understanding: Trouble maker or Innovation? Plato s Republic: The Allegory of the Cave Unit 2: The Garhwal Himalaya: People & Plants GEORGIADIS, P. (2008) Appraisal of the Study Region. In Local Plant Knowledge for Livelihoods: An Ethnobotanical Survey in the Garhwal Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India. Margraf Publishers, Weikersheim. Unit 3: Non violent Communication (participatory workshop) Unit 4: Natural Selection DARWIN, C. (1998) Natural Selection. In The Origin of Species. Wordsworth Editions Ltd., Ware. Unit 5: Learning by Selection DOUTHWAITE, B., KEATINGE, J.D.H & PARK, J.R. (2002) Learning selection: an evolutionary model for understanding, implementing and evaluating participatory technology development. Agricultural Systems 72, Unit 6: Bio Cultural Diversity PERSIC, A. & MARTIN, G. (2008) Introduction; Examples; Conceptual Considerations. In Links between biological and cultural diversity concepts, methods and experiences. Report of an International Workshop, UNESCO, Paris. Unit 7: Local Plant Knowledge for Livelihoods (lecture in the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun) GEORGIADIS, P. (2008) Conclusions. In Local Plant Knowledge for Livelihoods: An Ethnobotanical Survey in the Garhwal Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India. Margraf Publishers, Weikersheim. Unit 8: Creating a Vision for Sustainability GEORGIADIS, P. (2008) Recommendations. In Local Plant Knowledge for Livelihoods: An Ethnobotanical Survey in the Garhwal Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India. Margraf Publishers, Weikersheim. Unit 9. The Multi functionality of Agriculture

11 Towards multifunctional Agriculture for social, environmental and economic sustainability. Unit 10: The diffusion of eco farming in Germany GERBER, A. & HOFFMANN,V. (1998) The diffusion of eco farming in Germany. In: RÖLING and WAGEMAKERS, (eds.): Facilitating Sustainable Agriculture. Cambridge University Press, S Unit 11: Slow Food: Connecting our Plate to the Planet The Slow Food Companion Unit 12: The Future of Food THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON THE FUTURE OF FOOD & AGRICULTURE (2003) Manifesto on the Future of Food. Units 13-15: What is Good, Clean & Fair? (participatory workshop)