EXPOS 20: INDIAN PHILOSOPHY AND THE SEARCH FOR SELF

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1 EXPOS 20: INDIAN PHILOSOPHY AND THE SEARCH FOR SELF Fall 2013 MW 10am/11am Barker Center, Room 218 Preceptor: Michael Allen Office: 1 Bow Street, Room 225 Office hours: by appointment Course description Who are you? When we say I or me, what are we referring to? What does it mean to have a self, and how do we even know we have one? In America today, many people regard themselves as unique individuals whose identities have been shaped by their upbringing, their talents, their experiences, and so on. The thinkers we will be studying in this course radically challenge these everyday notions of self. Buddhist philosophers in India denied the very existence of the self, while Hindu philosophers taught that we do have a self, but that most of us are ignorant of its true nature. For Hindus and Buddhists alike, these debates were not merely theoretical: they all believed that our views of ourselves, whether consciously or unconsciously held, inevitably shape our lives and our search for happiness. Unit assignments The goal of this course is to train you, through a sustained inquiry into Hindu and Buddhist views of self, to write clear, insightful, and persuasive academic essays. The course is divided into three units, each focusing on a different kind of material and a different kind of essay: an interpretive essay for unit 1, a comparison paper for unit 2, and a research paper for unit 3. The basic sequence of assignments will be the same for each unit: readings, a short response paper to help you get

2 started, a draft, and a revised paper. For the first unit, I will also ask you to me your working thesis a few days before the draft is due, so I can provide feedback. Finally, for each unit we will have an in- class workshop discussing drafts by your peers, and you will also have the chance to meet with me one- on- one to discuss your paper- in- progress. Unit 1: Hindu and Buddhist Scriptures We will be reading selections from two scriptural classics: the Upanishads and the early discourses of the Buddha, which are among the most influential religious texts in history. We will practice close reading and learn how to generate the kinds of questions and observations that lead to good papers. The paper for this unit will ask you to analyze and interpret one of the texts we have read. Unit 2: Philosophical Debates Next we turn to philosophical literature from classical India, focusing especially on arguments for and against the existence of the self. We will practice identifying assumptions, analyzing strengths and weaknesses in reasoning, and considering counter- arguments. The paper will ask you to analyze the Hindu- Buddhist debate over the existence of the self by comparing the views of two different philosophers. Unit 3: Yoga and Meditation The course will conclude with a unit exploring the connections between Hindu and Buddhist views of self and concrete religious practices such as yoga and meditation, including a look at the transformation of these practices in contemporary American culture. This unit and the course as a whole will culminate in an original research paper on a topic of your choice. We will discuss strategies for choosing a manageable topic, finding reliable sources, and weaving those sources into your paper. Readings All readings will be available on the course website, either as PDFs or as links to materials in Harvard databases. In most cases, we will be reading selections rather than entire works, and we will cover about pages of reading each unit. Over the course of the semester we will also be reading through the Harvard Guide to Using Sources. I will hand out a calendar with the schedule of readings and paper assignments at the beginning of each unit. Readings for Unit 1 A brief introduction to the Upanishads: Joel Brereton, The Upanishads, in Approaches to the Asian Classics, ed. Wm. Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom. New York: Columbia University Press, 1990, pp Selections from the Upanishads: Patrick Olivelle, trans. Upanisads. Oxford & New York: Oxford University Press, 1996, pp ; and Swami Prabhavananda and Frederick Manchester, trans. The Upanishads: Breath of the Eternal. New York: Penguin Putnam, 2002, pp A brief introduction to early Buddhism: Donald S. Lopez, Jr. Buddhism. Harmondsworth, U.K.: Penguin, 2001, pp , Selections from early Buddhist sutras: Nyanatiloka, The Word of the Buddha. Kandy, Ceylon: Buddhist Publication Society, n.d.; and On Views and Positions: Four Buddhist Sutras, course handout.

3 Readings for Unit 2 An overview of early Buddhist arguments against the self: Mark Siderits, Non- Self: Empty Persons, ch. 3 of Buddhism as Philosophy: An Introduction. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2007, pp An overview of Hindu (Nyaya) arguments against the self: Siderits, A Nyaya Interlude, ch. 5 of Buddhism as Philosophy, pp An overview of the Hindu school of Advaita Vedanta: Anantanand Rambachan, The Nature of the Ātman, ch. 3 of The Advaita Worldview: God, World and Humanity. Albany: SUNY, 2006, pp A dialogue with a famous twentieth- century guru of Advaita Vedanta: Ramana Maharshi, The Nature of the Self, in Be As You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, ed. David Godman, New York: Penguin Arkana, 1985, pp A sutra on Buddha- nature : The Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra, tr. William H. Grosnick, in Buddhism in Practice, ed. Donald Lopez Jr., Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1995, pp An optional background reading on Tathāgathagarbha thought: Paul Williams, Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations, 2nd ed., London & New York: Routledge, 2009, pp A short, famous sutra on emptiness: The Heart Sutra, course handout. A teaching on emptiness by the Dalai Lama: Emptiness and Existence, course handout. An example of the use of philosophical reasoning in Buddhist meditation: Jeffrey Hopkins, Meditation on Emptiness, Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1996, pp , Readings for Unit 3 An overview of Buddhist meditation and its traditional contexts: Donald Lopez Jr., A Primer on Buddhist Meditation, in The Scientific Buddha: His Short and Happy Life, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012, pp An early Buddhist sutra on mindfulness (optional): The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, in Nyanaponika Thera, The Heart of Buddhist Meditation. Kandy, Sri Lanka: Buddhist Publication Society: 1996, pp Selections from a recent book on mindfulness by a U.S. congressman: Tim Ryan, A Mindful Nation: How a Simple Practice Can Help Us to Reduce Stress, Improve Performance, and Recapture the American Spirit. Carlsbad, Calif.: Hay House, An overview of pre- modern forms of yoga: Gavin Flood, An Introduction to Hinduism, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996, pp An overview of modern forms of yoga: Elizabeth De Michelis, Modern Yoga: History and Forms, in Yoga in the Modern World: Contemporary Perspectives, ed. Mark Singleton and Jean Byrne. London & New York: Routledge, 2008, pp An overview of classical yogic breathing exercises: Georg Feuerstein, The Breath: Secret Bridge to Vitality and Bliss, ch. 7 of The Shambhala Guide to Yoga. Boston: Shambhala, 1996, pp An example of the medicalization of yoga: The Health Benefits of Yoga, WebMD. < health- benefits- of- yoga/>.

4 Resources . Feel free to me with questions about the course, the readings, and assignments. I will do my best to reply within 24 hours. Office hours. I am in my office most Mondays 3-5pm; I am also usually available just before class on Mondays and Wednesdays. Please me if you would like to set up an appointment. (Note that while I am unable to read drafts during these appointments, I am always happy to talk about your ideas.) Course website. For readings, helpful links, and the sign- up tool for draft conferences, see (10am section) (11am section) Writing Center. At any stage of the writing process brainstorming, working through drafts, revising you may want some extra attention on your essays. The Writing Center (located on the bottom floor of the Barker Center) offers hour- long appointments with trained tutors. Visit the Writing Center's web site at to make an appointment. Tutors also hold drop- in office hours at other campus locations; see the Writing Center website for details.

5 The Fine Print: Course Policies Attendance. Expos has a shorter semester and fewer class hours than other courses, and each class builds on skills covered in previous classes, so consistent attendance is essential. The official program- wide policy is as follows: If you are absent without medical excuse more than twice, you are eligible to be officially excluded from the course and given a failing grade. On the occasion of your second unexcused absence, you will receive a letter warning you of your situation. This letter will also be sent to your Resident Dean, so the College can give you whatever supervision and support you need to complete the course. Apart from religious holidays, only medical absences can be excused. In the case of a medical problem, you should contact your preceptor before the class to explain, but in any event within 24 hours: otherwise you will be required to provide a note from UHS or another medical official, or your Resident Dean. Absences because of special events such as athletic meets, debates, conferences, and concerts are not excusable absences. If such an event is very important to you, you may decide to take one of your two allowable unexcused absences; but again, you are expected to contact your preceptor beforehand if you will miss a class, or at least within 24 hours. If you wish to attend an event that will put you over the two- absence limit, you should contact your Resident Dean and you must directly petition the Expository Writing Senior Preceptor, who will grant such petitions only in extraordinary circumstances and only when your work in the class has been exemplary. Class time. Class begins promptly at seven minutes after the hour. Laptops. Not to be used during class. To quote an ancient Sanskrit proverb: Verily, is there anyone in the three worlds who, with laptop open, can resist checking Facebook? Readings. Be sure to bring a printed copy of the readings for each unit with you to class; we will be referring to the text often during our discussions. . I will use throughout the semester to send out announcements, reminders, and minor assignments. I will also use to help you prepare for our in- class discussions, drawing your attention to particular passages or asking you to consider particular questions in advance. You are responsible for reading these s carefully. Draft conferences. Each unit, I will be meeting with everyone one- on- one for minutes once drafts are turned in, to give feedback, guidance, and moral support. You will need to sign up for a slot at least a day in advance using the sign- up tool on the course website. Draft workshops. Once drafts are turned in, I will select one or two of your drafts for everyone to read and comment on in preparation for an in- class workshop each unit. (Don t be nervous: most students find the process so helpful they end up hoping their paper is chosen!) Deadlines and submission of work. All paper assignments (response papers, drafts, and revisions) should be submitted to the dropbox on the course website in PDF or Word format. Be sure the file is

6 not corrupted or damaged; if I cannot open or read the file you have sent, the paper will be subject to a late penalty. Papers submitted more than 30 minutes late will be penalized by 1/3 of a letter- grade per day late. For example, a paper due on Sunday at 9pm will be penalized by 1/3 of a letter- grade if it is turned in between Sunday at 9:31pm and Monday at 9:30pm, by 2/3 of a letter- grade if turned in between Monday at 9:31pm and Tuesday at 9:30pm, and so on. Extensions will not usually be granted, with one exception: if you let me know at least 24 hours in advance, you are welcome to take an extension of one day on either the revised paper for Unit 1 or the revised paper for Unit 2. Completion of work. The official program wide- policy is as follows: Because your Expos course is a planned sequence of writing, you must write all of the assigned essays to pass the course, and you must write them within the schedule of the course not in the last few days of the semester after you have fallen behind. You will receive a letter reminding you of these requirements, therefore, if you fail to submit at least a substantial draft of an essay by the final due date in that essay unit. The letter will also specify the new date by which you must submit the late work, and be copied to your Resident Dean. If you fail to submit at least a substantial draft of the essay by this new date, and you have not documented a medical problem, you are eligible to be officially excluded from the course and given a failing grade. Grading. To save you stress, only the revised versions of your three papers will be graded. Here s the breakdown: Unit 1 paper = 25% Unit 2 paper = 30% Unit 3 paper = 40% These papers will be graded on stand- alone quality, not improvement. The rest of your work preparation for class discussions, response papers, drafts, etc. will be assessed based on effort and will account for the remainder of your grade. Harvard s official grading criteria are as follows: A and A- are earned by work whose excellent quality indicates a full mastery of the subject and, in the case of the grade of A, is of extraordinary distinction. B+, B, B- are earned by work that indicates a good comprehension of the course material, a good command of the skills needed to work with the course material, and the student s full engagement with the course requirements and activities. C+, C, C- are earned by work that indicates an adequate and satisfactory comprehension of the course material and the skills needed to work with the course material, and that indicates the student has met the basic requirements for completing assigned work and participating in class activities. D+, D, D- are earned by work that is unsatisfactory but that indicates some minimal command of the course materials and some minimal participation in class activities that is worthy of course credit toward the degree. E is earned by work which is unsatisfactory and unworthy of course credit towards the degree.

7 For a given essay, an E is failing; a grade in the D range suggests more than one serious deficiency; a grade in the C range is adequate and satisfactory, but is still deficient in some important aspect; a B range essay has done fairly well what the assignment requires but has one or more weak spots; an A range essay is excellent ; in other words, it stands out for its strengths from most of the essays in the class. Collaboration. The following kinds of collaboration are allowed: developing or refining ideas in conversation with other students and through peer review of written work (including feedback from Writing Center tutors). If you would like to acknowledge the effect someone had on your essay, it is customary to do this in a footnote at the beginning or end of the paper. As stated in the Student Handbook, Students need not acknowledge discussion with others of general approaches to the assignment or assistance with proofreading. However, all work submitted for this course must be your own: in other words, writing response papers, drafts, or revisions with other students is expressly forbidden. Academic honesty. Throughout the semester we will work on the proper use of sources, including how to cite and how to avoid plagiarism. You should always feel free to ask me questions on this subject. All the work that you submit for this course must be your own, and that work should not make use of outside sources unless that is explicitly part of the assignment. Any student submitting plagiarized work is eligible to fail the course and to be subject to disciplinary action by the Administrative Board.