ANS 340J / R S 341 F: Jainism: Religion of Non-Violence Fall 2020. Unique numbers: 31655 and 41865 Instructor: Dr. Claire Maes Pronouns : She/Her/Hers Course Description With its emphasis on vegetarianism, its modern discourse on ecology and its regard for all life-forms, Jainism is commonly and justly known as the religion of non-violence. Having its historical origins in North India about 25OO years ago, Jainism is an ancient but thriving religion. It has a distinctive community of both male and female ascetics and a supporting community of laypeople. Jainism’s unique theory of karma, ethics of non-violence (ahimsa), and its multisided approach (anekantavada) to truth and reality have influenced in some way or other all major religions and orthodox philosophical traditions in India. This course will introduce you to this fascinating religion by examining its stories, doctrines, philosophical tenets, and religious practices. We begin by considering a basic but important set of questions: why should one study Jainism? How does the academic study of Jainism enrich one’s worldview? Where is religion located? And how does one study Jainism or religion in general? In the second part of the course, we proceed to a thematic discussion of Jainism. Themes will center on food and identity, stories and religiosity, ecology, gender, renunciation, and devotion. In the third and final part of this course, we learn to become researchers and explore how the current pandemic is influencing contemporary religious practices and discourses among Jains in both the United States and India. We will collect data both outside and in class, analyzing, discussing, and discovering together new trends in the religious expressions of practicing Jains caused by COVID-19. In the final week of class, you will give a group presentation sharing your research results with the rest of the class. There are no pre-requirements to enroll in this class. P a g e 1 | 14 Goals - To acquire an appreciation for Jainism - To gain a historical and contextualized understanding of Jainism - To recognize the significance of Jainism for the field of Religious Studies - To learn to read, contextualize, and evaluate different types of sources: primary texts, ethnographical accounts, interviews, scholarly accounts, etc. - To understand the error of essentializing a religious tradition - To discover and discuss how the pandemic is affecting contemporary Jain religious practices and discourses - To relate the gained insights to our contemporary world - To learn to critically reflect on your own cultural experiences and to see how these shape your worldview Readings For this course, all required readings will be made available electronically on canvas. For good background information on Jainism, I recommend the following two books: - Babb, Lawrence A., Understanding Jainism. Dundelin: Edinburgh and London, 2015. - Vallely, Anne, Guardians of the Transcendent. An Ethnography of a Jain Ascetic Community. University of Toronto Press: Toronto, 2002. Our Canvas Site UT Austin Canvas: Fa20 – Jainism: RLGN Non-Violence (31655) Course Technology Since our classes will be held over zoom, a laptop (or phone) with webcam and good audio is required. Grading Policy Class Attendance and Participation: 10% Reading Responses (6): 25% Reflective Essays (3): 10% Padlet Posts: 25 % (a total of 50 points can be earned for this assignment) - Before Class (5): 10 points - After Class (5): 10 points - Jain Terminology (20): 20 points - Videos (2): 10 points Research Project Jainism and the Pandemic: 30% (a total of 40 points can be earned for this assignment) - Lecture Write-Up (2): 8 points - Interview: 12 points - Discourse Analysis: 12 points - Group Presentation: 8 points A note on my grading policy Flexibility is built into the assignments to support your success in this course. If you miss a smaller P a g e 2 | 14 assignment or don’t do as well on your earlier reading responses, essays, or padlet posts, your grade will not be impacted significantly. Consequently, the final grades are firm, and no additional curve is available. Grading scale: 93–100: A. 90–92: A-. 87–89: B+. 83–86: B. 80–82: B-. 77–79: C+. 73–76: C. 70–72 C- etc. Grace Policy: Time-bank options Sometimes we have bad days, bad weeks, and bad semesters. In an effort to accommodate any unexpected, unfortunate personal crisis, I have built “time banks” into our course. You do not have to utilize this policy, but if you find yourself struggling with unexpected personal events, I encourage you to e-mail me via canvas as soon as possible to notify me that you are using our grace policy. You may use this policy one of two ways (please choose, and let me know): You may have a two-day grace period for one assignment, OR You may have 2 one-day extensions for two different assignments. Extra credit opportunity During the course of the semester, I will give you several extra credit opportunities to make up for absences, late assignments, or missed assignments. Class Attendance and Participation: 10% Attendance 5% This is a synchronous online course. This means that although we will not meet in-person in one room as a class, we will always be meeting at the same time twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm) via zoom, unless I announce otherwise. Full attendance is required and counts for 5% toward your final grade. Excused Absence: The only absences that will be considered excused are for religious holidays or extenuating circumstances due to an emergency. If you plan to miss class due to observance of a religious holiday, please let me know at least two weeks in advance. You will not be penalized for this absence, although you will still be responsible for any work you will miss on that day if applicable. If you miss a class because of extenuating circumstances, you are responsible for letting me know and to check with me for details and arrangements. If you have to be absent, use your resources wisely. Check out our canvas course page and watch the class you have missed via the zoom recordings. Complete the assignments based on the class. Ask other classmates to get a run-down and notes on any lesson you miss. If you find there are topics that we covered while you were gone that raise questions, you may zoom in during my office hours or schedule a zoom meeting to discuss. Email specific questions you have in advance so that we can make the most of our time. Note: “What did I miss?” is not specific enough. Participation 5% Your level of participation will be measured by means of the questions you bring to class, the discussions you initiate, and your active participation in break rooms. Attentive listening to genuinely process new information also counts. This means, put any distractive devices away during our class time. If roommates, family members, cats or dogs tend to barge in at whim, create a clear do-not-disturb sign: “Class in process. Come back in one hour.” Start each class with the good intention to be fully present. This means take notes, ask questions, participate in group and class discussions, make use of the chat function in P a g e 3 | 14 zoom, and when appropriate, look confused, amazed, inspired when digesting new information. In this course, I want you to feel safe to think out loud because you are. I want us to learn and go through this semester as a group: for this, I need all of you to listen, speak up, and engage actively. Togetherness is fun. Reading Responses (6): 25% Over the course of this semester, you will write 6 reading responses. All reading responses should consists of three parts: (1) key terms; (2) a prose response text; and (3) discussion questions. In part 1, list the terms and concepts you feel are key to understanding the author’s argument. Define these terms in context. If you also list words new to you, then place asterisks beside the terms. In part 2, respond to the reading by highlighting interesting issues, by quoting and commenting on a passage that stood out to you, by pointing out problematic arguments, or by noting lacking or unclear points, etc. In part 3, list at least two questions you wish to discuss in class. The paper must demonstrate that you have read and understood the text in question. The response should be min. 600 words/max. 900 words. It should be uploaded on canvas at the latest two hours before the class meets. Late submission will affect your grade. Reflective Essays or Videos (3): 10% During the course of the semester, I will ask you to critically reflect on a set of questions and concepts relating to Jainism from the perspective of your own experience and world. These reflective exercises (three in total) are meant to expand your worldview, increase your level of self-awareness, and challenge your pre-existing beliefs. You may choose to express your thoughts via the traditional essay format (2- page, double spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt) or via a self-made video (5 to 10 minutes long). Your essay/video should be uploaded on canvas no later than 11:59 pm on the day listed in the course schedule. • Reflection Essay/Video 1: Feeding Your Identity Reflect on the role of food in the construction of identity. Start your essay with two paragraphs (about half a page total) explaining how food plays an important role in the negotiation of Jain identity. If you choose for the video format, devote the first two minutes to this point.