REL/SAS 152A: Introduction to Hinduism Fall 2017 TF 12:30-1:50p Shiffman Humanities Center 217 Instructor: Rupa Pillai Email: rpillai@brandeis.edu Office: Brown 219 Office Hours: Wed 11:00a-1:00p or by appointment What is Hinduism? This course will explore Hindu traditions and practices in both is historical and contemporary dimensions to highlight the diversity within Hinduism. Through sacred texts, literature, ethnography, performance arts and popular culture we will learn the philosophy, practices, and lived experiences of Hinduism both within India and globally. The class will explore the following questions: What is Hinduism? Is it a religion? What are its defining features? Who is considered Hindu? What is the relationship between Hinduism and society? How has Hinduism structured society? How has colonialism, migration, and globalization impacted Hinduism? How do class, gender, and sexuality intersect with Hinduism? How does Hinduism impact politics and violence? 1
Learning Goals: By the end of this course you will acquired the following: a broad understanding of Hinduism(s) knowledge of defining moments in the development of Hinduism familiarity with a range of disciplinary approaches to the study of Hinduism (literature, religious studies, anthropology, media studies) a critical understanding of the key controversies over caste, gender, and sexuality in relation to Hinduism **FYI: Success in this four-credit course is based on the expectation that students will spend a minimum of 9 hours of study time per week in preparation for class.** Course Requirements and Evaluation: Class participation (15%) Class participation in this course is highly valued. Your education, background, and experience contributes to our learning. Your perspective matters. Obviously to participate and contribute to our conversation you ll need to attend class. I expect you to attend class, but I will not take attendance. Instead, you will be assessed according to your contribution to our class conversation and the completion of participation assignments. To contribute, be an enthusiastic, prepared and considerate member of our learning community: Come to class with prepared notes and questions. Bring your reading (hard/electronic copy). Express your thoughts on the topic covered, but also be mindful of how you might be dominating the conversation. Listen to your colleagues insights and respond respectfully. If you are not comfortable speaking in class, meet with me. We can come up with other ways you may contribute to the conversation. Besides your thoughtful participation in class and attending prepared you will complete 5 participation assignments. Participation assignments offer you the opportunity to express your thoughts and questions on the readings or lectures. These assignments will be submitted prior to class to facilitate our conversation. Also, these assignments will be graded as -/ / +. Prompts and further instructions will be provided when assigned. Quizzes (45%) Over the course of the semester there will be 3 quizzes to test your knowledge and comprehension of basic names, terms, and concepts of the Hindu tradition. Final Exam (40%) Our final exam will be a take-home. You will be asked to write 3 to 4 short essays on concepts explored throughout the course. Final exam prompts will be distributed the last day of class and submissions will be through LATTE. 2
Course Due Dates: Participation Assignment Quizzes Final Exam #1 9/14 @ 6p #1 9/19 TBA #2 10/12 @ 6p #2 10/17 #3 10/30 @ 6p #3 11/14 #4 11/20 @ 6p #5 11/30 @ 6p **All assignments will be submitted through LATTE.** **Late assignments will only be accepted under exceptional circumstances, at the discretion of the instructor, and if accepted, will be penalized.** Writing Center @ Goldfarb 232 (http://www.brandeis.edu/writingprogram/writingcenter/) Please take advantage of the writing center. They can provide feedback on your writing before you submitted it for grading. The writing center is an amazing resource at the university. You may drop-in or make an appointment. They are open M-F 10:30a-9p. Do take advantage of this opportunity to further develop your writing skills. Course Policies Cultivating a Safe Learning Environment: In this class we will sometimes be talking about divisive, controversial and important issues religion, caste, sexuality etc. I expect students to show respect to themselves and other members of our learning community in these discussions. Please be considerate of one another. All perspectives are welcome in this course if presented with civility and scholarly rigor. Two standards of expectations regulate student responsibility in this course these standards are nonnegotiable. 1. Respect yourself and others: a diversity of views should be expected and protected. You are expected to engage the issues in a mature, reasonable, and respectful manner, and to show respect for other students and the instructor at all times. I reserve the right to ask you to leave the room if you have disrupted classroom dynamics or disrespected your instructor and classmates. I must ensure that the classroom is a safe space for all. 2. Bring your minds: This course is an intellectual, not an experiential, endeavor. Therefore an informed discussion of the problems and issues addressed in this course is required. E-mail Etiquette: Your relationships with me is a professional relationship. When corresponding by e-mail, always include a salutation (e.g. Dear Dr. Pillai ) and a closing that identifies who you are ( Sincerely, María Rodríguez ). Also, please include a subject line that includes the course number (REL/SAS 152A). If I have not replied to e-mail, within a day or two, do not hesitate to follow up in person or with a second e-mail. 3
Electronic Devices: Laptops, tablets, and cell phones are allowed in our classroom. Remember you are enrolled in this course to learn. Please limit your use of this technology to course material. The moment your use of technology distracts and disrupts our class you will be asked to either stop using the technology or to leave the classroom. Respect our classroom. Leave emailing, Facebook, texting, etc for your own personal time. Academic honesty and plagiarism: All work submitted in this course must be your own and produced exclusively for this course. The use of sources (ideas, quotations, paraphrases) must be properly acknowledged and documented. Please be careful to cite precisely and properly the sources of all authors and persons you have drawn upon in your written work. Plagiarism (from published or internet sources, or from another student) is a serious violation of academic integrity. Violations will be taken seriously and are noted on student disciplinary records. Please review the University s policies at: https://www.brandeis.edu/studentlife/srcs/academicintegrity/index.html. Accommodations: If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and wish to have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please contact me as soon as possible. Accommodations cannot be granted retroactively. Religious Exemptions: Please inform the instructor as early as possible about any anticipated absences due to religious holidays, and be prepared to make up the work missed on those days. For a full description of Brandeis s regulations governing coursework and religious observance, please see http://www.brandeis.edu/das/downloads/academiccourseworkandreligiousobservations.pdf. Athletic Exemptions: Participation in an intercollegiate sport must be documented in a letter from the Athletic Director and presented to the instructor at the beginning of the semester, accompanied by a schedule for the season. Class sessions missed due to travel for athletic events should be made up in consultation with the instructor. For the full guidelines on conflicts between coursework and intercollegiate athletic competition, please see http://www.brandeis.edu/das/downloads/guidelinesforathletes.pdf. For more on campus regulations regarding academic dishonesty, classroom disruption, alcohol and drug violations, theft, physical assault, and sexual misconduct, see the website of the Department of Student Rights and Community Standards: http://www.brandeis.edu/studentlife/srcs/. Course Schedule Required Texts (all available at the University bookstore or on reserve at the library): Kim Knott s Hinduism: A Very Short Intro R.K. Narayan s The Ramayana Rakesh Satyal s Blue Boy OPTIONAL: John Stratton Hawley and Vasudha Narayanan s The Life of Hinduism (Amazon) 2
All other readings will be available on LATTE. *Please note that I reserve the right to change this schedule to accommodate guest speakers, films, and other educational needs. You are responsible for knowing these changes announced ahead of time in class and through LATTE. **Every day in the media, you will encounter articles and news stories related to themes of this course. Watch and read the news in some form daily. Also, consider how the music, movies, and tv shows you listen/watch are impacted by Hinduism. You are encouraged to bring these to class and to briefly discuss their relevance. Week 1 Why Study Hinduism? 9/1 Defining Hinduism and How to Study It In-class screening of Sanjay s Super Team` Knott Preface and Ch. 1 OPTIONAL: Wendy Doniger s Hinduism by Any Other Name Week 2 Hinduism: The Origins 9/5 The Indus Valley Civilization David Knipe s Hinduism, Ch. 1 & 2 OPTIONAL: J.M. Kenoyer s website Harappa: www.harappa.com/indus/indus0.html 9/8 The Vedas: Text, Ritual, & Traditions In-class screening of Altar of Fire Michael Witzel s Vedas and Upanisads (pp.68-82) Knott Ch. 2 Selections from the Rig Veda Week 3 Defining Concepts 9/12 Dharma & Karma Ludo Rocher s The Dharmaśāstras T.N. Madan s The Householder Tradition in Hindu Society Participation Assignment #1 due 9/14 @ 6p 3
9/15 Deities & Darshan Knott Ch. 5 Stephen Huyler s The Experience: Approaching God Diana Eck s The Deity: The Image of God Week 4 The Epics: Part I 9/19 Mahabharata John Brockington s The Sanskrit Epics (pp. 116-121) Excerpts from the Mahabharata 9/22 NO CLASS (ROSH HASHANAH) Quiz #1 during class on 9/19 Start reading The Ramayana Week 5 The Epics: Part II 9/26 Bhagavad Gita Knott Ch. 3 (pp. 37-41) John Brockington s The Sanskrit Epics (pp. 123-126) Excerpt from the Bhagavad Gita 9/29 The Ramayana John Brockington s The Sanskrit Epics (pp. 121-122 &126-128) Finish The Ramayana Week 6 Path of Love 10/3 NO CLASS (BRANDEIS THURSDAY) 10/6 Bhakti Gavin Flood s Introduction to Hinduism, Ch. 6 John Hawley s The Birth of Krishna Selection of bhakti poetry 4
Week 7 Rules, Rules, Rules 10/10 The Problems with Manu Excerpts from the Laws of Manu Wendy Doniger s Why Should a Brahmin Tell You Whom to Marry D. Jacobson, Marriage: Women in India Participation Assignment #2 due 10/12 @ 6p 10/13 Holy Cow! Marvin Harris The Cultural Ecology of India s Sacred Cow Wendy Doniger s Eating Karma Wendy Doniger s Sacred Cows and Beefeaters Week 8 Devi Worship 10/17 Oh Maa! Thomas Coburn s Devi: The Great Goddess Royina Grewal s The Myths Multiply Quiz #2 during class on 10/17 10/20 Sita Sings the Blues Amardeep Singh s Animating a Postmodern Ramayana Sandra Annett s New Media Beyond Neo-imperialism Week 9 Modern Hinduism 10/24 Colonial Constructs of Hinduism Knott, Ch. 6 Gauri Viswanathan s Colonialism and the Construction of Hinduism 10/27 Satyagraha: Mobilizing Hinduism (away @ conference) Online lecture & viewing of selected scenes from Satyagraha Excerpts from Gandhi s Hind Swaraj Excerpts from Martin Luther King s Strength to Love 5
Week 10 The Dalit Movement Participation Assignment #3 due 10/30 @ 6p 10/31 Challenging Hinduism Knott, Ch. 7 Nicholas Dirks Castes of Mind Excerpts from Ambedkar s Annihilation of Caste 11/3 Everyday Caste Prejudice In-class screening of Caste at Birth Ambedkar, Waiting for a Visa Sara Dickey s Anjali s Prospects Week 11 Crossing the Black Waters 11/7 Caribbean Hinduism Steven Vertovec s Official and Popular Hinduism Paula Richman s We Don't Change It, We Make It Applicable: Ramlila in Trinidad OPTIONAL: Hugh Urban s Rastafari: Messianism, Music, and Ganja or Akeia Bernard s The Material Roots of Rastafarian Marijuana Symbolism OPTIONAL: Knott Ch. 8 11/10 Hinduism in the United States John Hawley s Global Hinduism in Gotham Prema Kurien s Being Young, Brown, and Hindu OPTIONAL: Alexander Rocklin s A Hindu is White Although He is Black Week 12 Hindutva 11/14 Hindu Nationalism Wendy Doniger s The Politics of Hinduism Tomorrow Christophe Jaffrelot s The Vishva Hindu Parishad Vijay Prashad s Of Yankee Hindutva OPTIONAL: Excerpts from Vinayak Damodar Savarkar s Hindutva: Who is a Hindu? Quiz #3 during class on 11/14 6
11/17 The Problem with Rama In-class screening of Raam Ke Naam (selected clips) John Hawley Militant Hinduism: Ayodhya and the Momentum of Hindu Nationalism Gyanendra Pandey s The Appeal of Hindu History OPTIONAL: Arvind Sharma s Prime Time Religion American Academy of Religion s Annual Conference 11/18-11/21 @ Hynes Convention Center (https://papers.aarweb.org/program_book) Week 13 A Feminist Hinduism? Participation Assignment #4 due 11/20 @ 6p 11/21 More than a Wife, More than a Mother Vasudha Narayana s Brimming with Bhakti, Embodiments of Shakti Velcheru Narayana Rao s A Ramayana of Their Own 11/22-24 NO CLASS (THANKSGIVING) Start reading Blue Boy Week 14 Queering Hinduism 11/28 Sex, Sexuality & Hinduism Wendy Doniger s From Kama to Karma Excerpts from the Kama Sutra Participation Assignment #5 due 11/30 @ 6p 12/1 Fluid Forms Wendy Doniger s Bisexuality and Transsexuality Among the Hindu Gods Finish Blue Boy Week 15 Hindu Futures 12/5 Virtual Hinduism Rachel Fell McDermott s New Age Hinduism, New Age Orientalism, and the Second- Generation South Asian 7
Deepak Sarma s Let the Apta (Trustworthy) Hindu Speak! 12/8 Social Justice & Activism: A New Hindu Way Christopher Ficci s I Am an Ambiguous Hindu John Zavo s Digital Media and Networks of Hindu Activism in the UK FINAL PAPER DUE ON FINAL EXAM DATE AS SET BY BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY REGISTRAR 8