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RELS 245: the Hindu Tradition RELS 245 The Hindu Tradition (Fall 2020) Dr. Zeff Bjerken (pronounced byer-ken) Office: RELS Building @ 4 A Glebe Street in room 101 Dept. of Religious Studies Office hours: Mon 9:30-11:30; Wed 12:30-2:30; and by appt. College of Charleston Office phone: 843.953.7156 E-mail: [email protected] Course Description “Hinduism” refers to a vast and diverse culture of religious ideas and devotional practices, sacred stories and social norms, that have spanned the millennia in India. This course will focus on enduring themes that have shaped and reshaped tradition and that lend a sense of unity to the complex puzzle of Hinduism. The themes that we will explore pertain to philosophy (the relationship between illusion and reality, the soul and the body, the One and the Many), ritual practices (sacrificial rituals to gain worldly power vs. ascetic renunciation, pilgrimage and yoga) and social institutions and ethics (kingship and nationalism, caste, race, and gender roles, violence and tolerance). We will trace the transmission and transformation of these beliefs and values, practices and institutions, from ancient to modern India and into the United States. We will learn that Hindu culture is plural and inclusive and it has evolved to meet the needs of people in different times and in different geographic regions within India and abroad. We will rely extensively on classical texts in the required readings, but we will also read essays that describe Hinduism as a living religion, and two books, a travelogue and a pilgrim’s story, that feature western seekers of enlightenment through sacred narratives, including the Ramayana epic. We will also watch documentary films that illustrate how Hindu values and customs are woven into their daily lives. You should treat these films as visual “texts” that require careful viewing and critical interpretation. Course goals and student learning outcomes • to challenge ethnocentric assumptions about “religion” and Hinduism as a “world religion” • to acquire religious literacy in the key ideas and practices of Hinduism • to develop interpretive skills by reading classic Hindu texts, place them in their social and historical contexts, and analyze their multiple religious dimensions • to demonstrate effective writing skills with the ability to craft an argument in defense of a thesis This course also satisfies the General Education Student Learning Outcomes for the Humanities: 1) Students analyze how ideas are represented, interpreted, and valued in various expressions of human culture; 2) Students examine relevant primary source materials as understood by the discipline and interpret the material in writing assignments. These two General Education learning outcomes will be demonstrated on the 2nd essay due 9/24 (10%) 2 Required Texts are available from Amazon or the Barnes & Noble CofC Bookstore to buy or borrow: • Jonah Blank, Arrow of the Blue-Skinned God. Grove Press edition 1992. ISBN: 9780802137333 • Ariel Glucklich, Climbing Chamundi Hill: 1001 Steps… Harper Pub 2004. ISBN 9780060750473 There are also Electronic Readings (ER#1-30), pdf selections from classical texts, scholarly articles and short stories on Hinduism, available on OAKS under RELS 245, which registered students can access after they login to MyCharleston (http://my.cofc.edu). Please download all pdf files onto your computer or a memory stick, print out each article, and bring it to class on the day that it is due. You should read the assignment before we study the topic in class. This will help you understand the lectures or VoiceThread on it. We pay close attention to these readings in class and “unpack” their content. OAKS, including Gradebook, will be used for this course throughout the semester to provide the syllabus and class materials and grades for each assignment, which will be regularly posted. This course presumes no previous experience in Hinduism, but it has as a prerequisite the desire to read challenging and unusual materials about Hinduism and to engage in conversation about these readings. These expectations are explicitly identified as course requirements in the following points. 1 RELS 245 The Hindu Tradition (Fall 2020) Course Requirements • Attendance Policy The COVID-19 pandemic requires a flexible approach to handling student absence. Students are not required to provide medical documentation of illness as in past semesters. Instead, you will be responsible for reporting directly to me the reasons for all absences including but not limited to personal illness, COVID-related illness, a requirement that you isolate or quarantine, or the need to care for a family member who is ill due to COVID. For students who become ill or indicate a need to quarantine or isolate themselves, I will determine reasonable accommodations based on course content and expectations. • Regular participation in class/zoom discussions (10% of grade) Whatever you get out of this course is directly related to how much you put into it. Please come to class (whether on Zoom on in person) with ideas and questions that can help our class engage in meaningful discussion. You cannot participate if you are not present. Quality counts more than quantity, but you must speak and post your contributions on discussion threads to contribute. If you are worried about participation, meet with me (by email, or Zoom, or during office hours) as soon as possible to strategize. There is a rubric posted in Class Resources on OAKS to clarify how participation grades are calculated. • Weekly Reflection Cards due once we resume face-to-face classes (10% of grade) Every class marked RC# due you are to bring to class a thoughtful written reflection and/or question related to the assigned reading for that week. The reflection should be written or typed on a 3x5 or 5x7 index card and be based on an issue that you have found thought provoking, challenging, or interesting. Questions should not simply ask for factual information, but raise questions of interpretation, while your reflections should explore significant issues or express concerns about the topic that are important to you. Grades for RC are: + = 100 √+ = 90 √ = 80 √- = 75 — = 70 • Midterm and Final Exam (15% each, or 30% of grade) These two exams consist of short answer questions and identification and explanation of scriptural passages that we have discussed in class. An unexcused missed exam counts as a 0. Review sheets will be provided beforehand and the exam will be open book but timed at 75 or 90 minutes. • 3 Short Essays (two 2 pp. essays worth 10%; one 3 pp. essay worth 15% for 35% of grade) These essays will be based upon assigned topics and may not exceed two or three pages each. The first paper will focus on an Indian story about a hunter and a sage and it’s due on 9/10; the second paper will be based upon the stories in Climbing Chamundi Hill and it’s due on 9/24 in class; the third paper (3 pp. in length) will be based on Arrow of the Blue-Skinned God and you will have a choice of topics, one due on 10/22, the other due 10/29. Late papers are not accepted since the topic will be discussed in class. • Creative Project or UnEssay due 11/19 (15% of grade) For this project you will creatively adapt key themes from the course into a new form of media. The project will include a creator’s statement that explains what you sought to accomplish, the sources that inform your project (a Hindu sacred text or a key idea like karma, dharma, yoga, or ahimsa), and how you reinterpret them. Climbing Chamundi Hill and Searching for the Blue-Skinned God can serve as inspiration for your own creative adaptation of Hindu stories, ideals in sacred texts, or religious themes. Grading Scale: A = 100-93 A- = 92-90 B+ = 89-87 B = 86-83 B- = 82-80 C+ = 79-77 C = 76-73 C- = 72-70 D+ = 69-67 D = 66-63 D- = 62-60 F = 59-below Academic Integrity Lying, cheating, attempted cheating, and plagiarism are violations of our Honor Code that, when suspected, are investigated. Each incident will be examined to determine the degree of deception in involved. Incidents where the instructor determines the student’s action are related more to misunder- standing and confusion will be handled by me as the instructor. Cases of suspected academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Students. A student found responsible by the Honor Board for academic dishonesty will receive a XXF grade in the course, indicating failure of the course due to academic dishonesty. This status indicator will appear on the student’s transcript for two years. If you are unfamiliar with the Honor Code or what plagiarism is, please click on the links. 2 RELS 245 The Hindu Tradition (Fall 2020) Course Resources I encourage you to utilize the academic support services offered by the Center for Student Learning and the Writing Lab for assistance in study strategies and essay writing consultation. Students of all abilities have become more successful using these programs throughout their academic career and the services are available to you at no additional cost. For more information on the Center for Student Learning call 843.953.5635. Here is a link for help on writing an essay for Religious Studies. Universal Learning and SNAP program: I am committed to the principle of universal learning. This means that our classroom, our virtual spaces, our practices and our interactions be as inclusive as possible. Mutual respect, civility, and the ability to listen carefully are crucial to universal learning. Any student eligible for or needing accommodations because of a disability is requested to speak with me during the first two weeks of class or as soon as the student has been approved for services so that reasonable accommodations can be made.
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