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RELG 252

HINDUISM &

Fall 2020

Mondays & Wednesdays 2:35 - 3:55 pm (This is the scheduled time, but all lectures will be asynchronous. They will be recorded and made available on myCourses by the start of the scheduled class time.)

Prof. Lara Braitstein Prof. Stainton

Office: Birks 301 Office: Birks 307

Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

Please email to set up an appointment via Please email to set up an appointment via Zoom or Zoom or phone phone

Introduction

This class begins by orienting students to the academic study of religion, with reference to study of “” and “Buddhism” as “world religions.” The first half of the course is an introduction to the major practices, texts, deities, concepts, and communities of what has come to be called “Hinduism.” It explores the diversity and richness of Hindu traditions from the Vedic period to the present. The “Buddhism” section of the course is principally an introduction to the early development of Buddhist thought and traditions in South , and additionally explores some of the manifestations of Buddhism as a living tradition in Asia and elsewhere. This class is a prerequisite for many higher-level courses in Asian religions at the School of Religious Studies.

Textbooks and Readings

• Hinduism section: Hinduism: the eBook - Second Edition (Hillary Rodrigues). Purchase at: www.jbeonlinebooks.org. Additional readings will be posted on MyCourses.

• Buddhism section: Buddhism: the eBook -Fourth Edition (Charles Prebish and Damien Keown). Purchase at: www.jbeonlinebooks.org. Additional readings will be posted on MyCourses.

Teaching Assistants

• Ms. Sujata Chaudhary ([email protected]) • Mr. Chulthim Gurung ([email protected]) • Ms. Tahereh Tavakkoli ([email protected]) • Mr. Adrien Moevus ([email protected])

Assessment

Four papers, 1200-1500 words each, each worth 25% of the final course grade. There is no final exam.

Due dates

Sept. 30 1st Hinduism paper Oct. 21 2nd Hinduism paper Nov. 16 1st Buddhism paper Dec. 3 2nd Buddhism paper

Hinduism: Topics Covered Include—

• Introduction to the Academic Study of Hinduism • Classical Concepts and Texts: and ; the ; the ; • Major and Traditions: Vaishnava, Shaiva & Shakta • Hinduism in Practice: , , and Rituals • Social, Political, and Global Issues: Caste and Class in Modern , , Global Hinduisms

Buddhism: Topics Covered Include—

• The Invention of 'Buddhism' • Basic Worldview • Buddha: Past and Presence • Dharma: Philosophical Foundations • : Discipline and Practice in Buddhist Communities

Email Correspondence

• Please use formal salutations in all your electronic correspondence with the instructors and teaching assistants, identifying yourself with your full name and student number. • Please include the course number (RELG 252) in the subject line. • Please e-mail your TA first with questions about content, assignments, and grading. • Instructors and TAs respond to messages between 9h-17h, Monday to Friday.

Course Participation

This is a lecture-based, reading-intensive survey class. If you are unable to engage with the regular asynchronous lectures and complete assigned readings, please reconsider taking this course.

Reassessment of Course Work

Requests for reassessments must be made within 10 days of the date of return of the graded materials. The reviewer will assess the fairness of the original grade rather than re-mark the assignment as he or she would have graded it. Grades may be lowered or raised, or they may remain the same, as a result of the reassessment. The grade obtained on the reassessment takes precedence over the original grade.

Review/discussion sessions

Four times during the term students may participate in an optional, synchronous (=live) discussion and Q&A session via Zoom at the scheduled time, as noted below. Because of the size of the class, we will almost certainly spend some of the time in smaller discussion groups with the professors and teaching assistants. The Zoom links for these optional sessions will be made available on myCourses shortly before the scheduled session.

Schedule

All readings should be completed by the day they are listed on the schedule below.

Date Topic Readings Sept. 2 INTRO CLASS NO CLASS, Labour Sept. 7 Day Introduction to the Narayanan, “Diglossic Hinduism: Liberation and Sept. 9 Academic Study of Lentils”; and Rodrigues, Hinduism: the Ebook, Hinduism “Introduction,” pp. 1-9 Pre-Vedic and Vedic Rodrigues, “Introduction,” pp. 9-24; and “Ch. 1: Vedic Sept. 14 History Religion and the Language,” pp. 28-38 Rodrigues, “Ch. 1: Vedic Religion and the Sanskrit The Upanishads and Language,” pp. 39-48; Embree, “The Ultimate Reality Sept. 16 in the Upanishads,” pp. 29-39; and Rodrigues, “Ch. 2: Karma, Time, and Cosmology,” pp. 63-72 The Bhagavad Gita and the Miller, selections from The Bhagavad-gita: ’s Counsel in Time of War, and Rodrigues, “Ch. 6: The Sept. 21 Note: Topic for paper Epics, Bhagavad Gītā and the Rise of Bhakti,” pp. 167- #1 will be available on 169, 177-195 myCourses Rodrigues, “Ch. 3: Hindu Social Organization and Dharma and Social Sept. 23 Values,” pp. 75-89, 93-95; and “Ch. 4: Dharma and the Structures Individual,” pp. 99-113, 120-125 Optional, synchronous Sept. 28 review/discussion session via live Zoom Major Deities and Traditions Rodrigues, “Ch. 7: Major Hindu Sects, Deities and Sept. 30 Purāṇic Myths,” pp. 206-214, 217-249 Note: Paper #1 due via myCourses by 3:55 pm Puja and Embodied Rodrigues, “Ch. 8: The and Worship Oct. 5 Religion Rituals,” pp. 264-286

Hawley and Juergensmeyer, “Introduction,” “,” Oct. 7 Bhakti and “”; and Hess, “An Open-Air : , the Audience Experience” NO CLASS, THANKSGIVING Oct. 12 Note: Topic for paper #2 will be available on myCourses Colonialism, Reform, Rodrigues, “Ch. 10: Colonization and Reform,” pp. Oct. 14 and Hindu Nationalism 310-330 Optional, synchronous Oct. 19 review/discussion session via live Zoom Global Hinduisms and the Hindu Diaspora Rodrigues, “Ch. 12: Revitalization and Modernity,” pp. Oct. 21 351-367, and “Ch. 13: Hinduism and the West,” pp. Note: Paper #2 due via 372-389 myCourses by 3:55 pm Introduction: the Almond, P.: “Introduction” and “The Discovery of Oct. 26 invention of Buddhism Buddhism” (MyCourses) Keown/Prebish, “Background to Buddhism” (Ch. 1 p. Oct. 28 Cosmology and Karma 9-24) Nov. 2 Buddha Keown/Prebish, “The Buddha” (Ch. 2 p. 25-41) Dharma

Nov. 4 Note: Topic for paper Keown/Prebish, “The Dharma” (Ch. 3) #3 will be available on myCourses Nov. 9 Dharma Keown/Prebish, “The Dharma” (Ch. 3 cont’d) Optional, synchronous Nov. 11 review/discussion session via live Zoom Sangha Nov. 16 Keown/Prebish, “The Buddhist Sangha” (Ch. 4) Note: Paper #3 due via myCourses by 3:55 pm Nov. 18 Buddhism after Buddha Keown/Prebish, “Buddhism in India” (Ch. 5) Mahāyāna

Nov. 23 Note: Topic for paper Keown/Prebish, “Mahāyāna” (Ch. 6) #4 will be available on myCourses Nov. 25 Theravāda Keown/Prebish, “Buddhism in South-east Asia” (Ch. 8)

Optional, synchronous Nov. 30 review/discussion session via live Zoom Contemporary Keown/Prebish, “Buddhism in the Western World” (Ch. Dec. 2 Buddhism 11 p. 204-16), “Socially ” (Ch. 12 p. 217-234) Hinduism & Buddhism: final reflections Dec. 3 Note: Paper #4 due via myCourses by 3:55 pm

Policy on Academic Integrity

All students are responsible for educating themselves on the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism, and other academic offences of McGill University. Please review the code of ‘Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures’ for a comprehensive overview of McGill’s policies: www.mcgill.ca/integrity

If you have any doubts or concerns, contact your TA or one of the instructors.

Policy on Language:

Students may submit written work in either English or French.

Policy on Copyright and Recordings:

Instructor-generated course materials (lecture recordings, handouts, exam questions, etc.) are protected by law and may not be copied or distributed in any form or in any medium without explicit permission of the instructor. Note that infringements of copyright can be subject to follow up by the University under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures. We'd like to remind everyone of their responsibility in ensuring that this video and associated material are not reproduced or placed in the public domain. This means that each of you can use it for your educational (and research) purposes, but you cannot allow others to use it, by putting it up on the Internet or by giving it or selling it to others who may also copy it and make it available. Please refer to McGill’s Guidelines for Instructors and Students on Remote Teaching and Learning for further information. Thank you very much for your help with this.

The Lands and Waters on Which We Meet:

McGill University is located on land which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabeg nations. These nations are hereby honoured, recognized and respected as the traditional stewards of the (unceded) lands and waters on which we meet today.

Bibliography for Hinduism Readings:

Rodrigues, Hillary. 2016. Hinduism: the Ebook (Second Edition) [Ebook edition of Introducing Hinduism]. Journal of Online Books. PDF Ebook.

Narayanan, Vasudha. 2000. “Diglossic Hinduism: Liberation and Lentils.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Vol. 68, No. 4, December 2000. Pp. 761-777.

Embree, Ainslie T., ed. and trans. 1988. “The Ultimate Reality in the Upanishads.” In Sources of Indian Tradition, Volume One: From the Beginning to 1800 (Second Edition). New York: Columbia UP. Pp. 29-39

Miller, Barbara Stoler, trans. 1986. The Bhagavad-gita: Krishna’s Counsel in Time of War. New York: Columbia UP. Pp. 29-39, 89-109.

Hess, Linda. 2006. “An Open-Air Ramayana: Ramlila, the Audience Experience.” In The Life of Hinduism, edited by John Stratton Hawley and Vasudha Narayanan. Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 115-139.

Hawley, John Stratton and Mark Juergensmeyer. 1988. “Introduction,” “Ravidas,” and “Mirabai.” In Songs of the of India. Pp. 3-7, 9-32, 119-141.

Bibliography for Buddhism Readings:

Prebish, Charles and Damien Keown 2010. Buddhism: the E-book. Fourth Edition. JBE Online Books. Almond, Philip C. 1988. “Introduction” and “The Discovery of Buddhism.” The British Discovery of Buddhism. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. Pp. 1-32.