Syllabus Project: Myth, Ritual and Symbolism

By Brian Collins
 

Myth, Ritual and Symbolism

Generally students come to the class thinking of myths either as stories about toga-clad gods and goddesses or ignorant superstitions that can be dispelled with a few simple science experiments. My goal for this course is help students develop a broader and more nuanced view of myth that will inspire them to develop broader and more nuanced views of other terms that seem so transparent and obvious at first glance. This is a fun class to teach, partly because it attracts students of an intellectual or curious bent. When designing it, I find myself torn between the desire to frustrate their expectations and the desire to hold their attention. I find that I can sometimes fulfill both desires by presenting material that is infrequently taught AND interesting to students (and perhaps it is the one because it is the other) like demonology.

 

The course is a challenge with regard to determining the reading list. I generally try to tackle the terms in the titular triad in order and so I begin with Obeyesekere, whose study of the practices surrounding the Sri Lankan shrine of Kataragama builds on my psychoanalytic introduction, presents some interesting case material, and provides a bridge between Freud’s analysis of the Schreber case (discussion of which recurs frequently throughout the course, to my surprise) and the debate with Marshall Sahlins over the death of Captain Cook, which I love to teach. For ritual I have twice used Bell’s book. But Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice, seminal as it is, is generally a failure when it comes to teaching. The references to theorists are too many, the style is too dry, and the argument takes too long to build. I have decided to replace it with (parts I and II of) Ronald Grimes’ The Craft of Ritual Studies next year, which is linked to a selection of videos on Vimeo for the students to watch as they read. When it comes to myth, the students generally enjoy and engage Eliade (the choice of which book to read was something of a toss-up) and I like to contrast his notion of the sacred with that of René Girard. For the latter theorist (who gets short shrift, I am sorry to say) we read Sacrifice because it is short and because the myths it engages are ones we have usually already encountered.

 

For this class, I consider the theoretical materials to be primary sources since we are studying mythology (which, as someone whose name I can’t recall once pointed out on a Great Courses tape on Greek myth, refers simultaneously to the thing and the study of the thing). But there is still the matter of which myths to read. This class, I tell them, is not a literature class. So we do not read any myths except to explore or try out some way of thinking about myths. As an example of this principle, I had the students break up into small groups and pick out a flood myth from those collected online (thanks to Michael Witzel for pointing this out in The Origin of the World’s Mythologies), break it down into Levi-Straussian mythemes, write each on a notecard, and then use the cards to build a giant comparative chart a la Bruce Lincoln on the classroom floor. I used to have the students do group presentations, but I was not pleased with them on the whole and they were difficult to evaluate so this year I had them turn in discussion questions every class. This has been a great success since I used the questions to guide the lecture-discussion nearly every class meeting and greatly increased participation on the part of the students.

Finally, a word about videos. I use Altar of Fire here for ritual, but this may change when I incorporate Grimes’ study of the Santa Fe Fiesta into the syllabus. But I also incorporate Kenneth Anger and Matthew Barney’s ritualistic movies into the course, which generally elicit bemused responses but which, I think, stick with them and have a delayed effect. I also like to compare two US exorcism videos, one made before and one after the 1973 blockbuster The Exorcist. The influence of the film is striking. See for yourself: here and here. The study of Internet myths is new to me and to the class and was a great success, inspiring several students to explore the subject and greater length in their research papers.

SYLLABUS

 CLWR 4810/5810: Myth, Ritual and Symbolism

Fall 2014

10:30-11:50 Tuesday/Thursday

I. Purpose: This course aims to explore the overlapping categories of myth, ritual and symbol and understand their role in creating systems of meaning, both local and cross-cultural. We will ask questions about the ways these categories function to integrate or disintegrate individual personalities, authorize and undermine social hierarchies, and shape the way we think and act in ways that are often hidden. Along the way we will examine approaches to these issues from the fields of anthropology, history of religions, philosophy, psychoanalysis and sociology. We will also be looking at examples from all over the world, especially South and Southeast Asia, the islands of the Pacific and the indigenous cultures of the Americas. Above all, we will try to comprehend the ways in which myth, ritual and symbol do not belong solely to ancient or non-industrial cultures but are present and active in almost every aspect of our world today. 

II. Outcome Goals: 

1.      To become familiar with a variety of myths, symbols and rituals from the students’ own and others’ cultures

2.      To develop a cultural sensitivity that allows students to understand unfamiliar data in their unique contexts

3.      To improve the students’ critical thinking and reading skills through reading assignments and weekly quizzes

      4.      To improve their written and oral communication skills through class presentations
 

III. Required Texts: 

1.      Catherine Bell, Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009 [1982])

2.      Mircea Eliade, Myth and Reality (Long Grove, IL: Waveland, 1998 [1963])

3.      René Girard, Sacrifice (East Lansing: MSU Press, 2011)

4.      Gananath Obeyesekere, Medusa's Hair (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981)

5.      Additional readings available on Blackboard.

IV. Expectations:

A. Yours: As students in a 4000-level course (the most advanced available to undergraduates), you should expect to do quite a bit of reading—usually around 80-100 pages a week, sometimes less, sometimes more, depending on print size, illustrations, difficulty of material, etc. Part of what you will be learning is how to read texts like a historian of religions, which is different from how you read a novel, a newspaper or a blog post. I suggest you read (or watch or listen to) the assigned material in the order in which it appears in the syllabus. Please begin your reading with the following tips based on those found in Study Guides and Strategies.

• Get a grasp of how the material is organized: Scan the section for titles, headings, sub-headings, and topic sentences to get its general idea; pay attention to graphs, charts, and diagrams.
• Read first for what you do understand, and to determine difficulty.
• Mark what you do not understand to review later.
• As you read, practice the look-away method: Periodically look away from the text and ask yourself a stimulus question relating to the text. [THESE MAY OR MAY NOT BE THE SAME QUESTIONS YOU TURN IN AS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS]

·         Phrase the question positively!

·         Respond, or restate, in your own words.

·         Make connections and associations, but don't use this exercise to memorize—but rather understand.

• Look up words: Look up words whose meanings are important to your understanding of the material, but which you cannot discern from the context. [KEEP A HARD COPY OF THIS LIST AND BRING IT TO CLASS WITH YOU. IF YOU ARE HAVING A HARD TIME WITH THE MATERIAL I WILL WANT TO SEE THIS LIST]
• Read to the end: Do not get discouraged and stop reading. Ideas can become clearer the more you read. When you finish reading, review to see what you have learned, and reread those ideas that are not clear.
• Organize your notes by connecting ideas you choose into an outline or concept map. [SEE LINK ON BLACKBOARD PAGE]
• Pay attention to relationships between ideas.
• Do not confine yourself to words! Use representations, graphics, pictures, colors, even movement to visualize and connect ideas. Use whatever techniques work to help you understand.
• At this point, if you do not understand your reading, do not panic! Set it aside, and read it again the next day. If necessary, repeat. This allows your brain to process the material, even while you sleep. This is referred to as distributed reading.
• Re-read the section you have chosen with the framework (outline or concept map) you have constructed in mind. Separate out what you do understand from what you do not.
• If the reading is still a challenge, consult with your teacher.

With that said, I expect you to come to every class well prepared and ready to participate. Since we are a relatively small group, I am looking forward to a lot of spirited discussion of this fascinating, challenging and provocative material. With respect to quizzes, exams, discussion questions and the research paper I expect you to do your own work turn in your assignments on time.  

Since the material we will be reading and discussing is so inherently fascinating and provocative, I know there won’t be any napping, texting, tweeting, facebooking or any of the other things first-year students may tend to do in a big boring lecture course like Geology 101.   

B. Mine: I will return emails promptly (within 3 hours if they are sent between 9 AM and 5 PM Monday-Thursday and with 12 hours if they are sent any other time). I will be in my office between 1:30 PM and 3:00 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays unless otherwise announced but if you really need to see me, please make an appointment so I can set aside time for you. And if you are in class or otherwise unable to make my regular hours, I will be glad to schedule an appointment at another time when we can both make it. 

V. Assignments:

1.      Discussion questions for each class meeting

2.      Ten Blackboard quizzes

3.      Midterm exam

4.      Final exam

5.      Research paper 

VI. Basis of Grades:

A. Attendance (10%): I will calculate attendance as a percentage. There are 29 classes, so if you attend 20, you will get a 69 as 10% of your grade. If you attend all 29, you will get a 100, and so on.

B. Weekly Blackboard quizzes (15%): Quizzes are due 30 minutes before class begins on Thursday and will cover the material for that week.

C. Discussion questions (15%): Three discussion questions from the reading will be due on Blackboard at 5pm each evening before class. I will use these questions to guide our class discussion, so be sure you are prepared to answer your own questions (and hopefully one or more of your classmates’).

D. Midterm exam (15%): This will be due on Blackboard October 2^nd 30 minutes before class starts. You may use your books and your notes, but do not cut and paste anything off the Internet or anywhere else because Turnitin will return it to you as “plagiarized” and you will not be given extra time to retake the exam.

E. Final exam (15%): The final exam will be cumulative and due on Blackboard Tuesday, December 9^th at 12:10 pm.

F. 3000-word research paper (30%): Due on December 4th, this assignment allows you to choose, in consultation with me and World Religions librarian Tim SMith, whatever creative topic you wish to explore that relates to myth, ritual and symbolism. The only requirement is that you use at least three scholarly sources that have not been assigned for class. The entire paper will be worth 200 points, divided up below. Please note that there are three separate components to this paper, each with its own due date.

1.      50 points: An annotated bibliography of at least three scholarly sources due on Blackboard on November 13^th.

2.      50 points: A clearly stated thesis due in the form a250-wrod paper proposal on Blackboard on November 20th.  

3.      100 points: Paper. I will grade the paper itself according to a rubric (available on Blackboard) adapted from Marie Norman of Carnegie Mellon University.

 

G. Extra Credit: From time to time there will be opportunities for extra credit work that will allow students to replace a low or missed quiz grade. Throughout the semester I will announce opportunities for extra credit either in class or on the Ohio University Comparative Religion Club Facebook page.

VII. Attendance Policy:

Attendance is mandatory and crucial to getting anything out of this course. My policies regarding attendance and your grade are explained above.

VIII. Academic Misconduct:
I am required by Ohio University to inform you that academic integrity and honesty are basic values of Ohio University.  Students are expected to follow standards of academic integrity and honesty.  Academic misconduct implies dishonesty or deception in fulfilling academic requirements.  It includes, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, un-permitted collaboration, forged attendance (when attendance is required), fabrication (e.g., use of invented information or falsification of research or other findings), using advantages not approved by the instructor (e.g., unauthorized review of a copy of an exam ahead of time), knowingly permitting another student to plagiarize or cheat from one's work, or submitting the same assignment in different courses without consent of the instructor.

 

If you cheat, you will fail the assignment and may face additional sanctions from the university. Don’t do it. There is no need. If you are having trouble with an assignment, talk to me about it and we will address whatever problem you are having together.

IX. Intellectual Property: The lectures, classroom activities, and all materials associated with this class and developed by the instructor are copyrighted in the name of Brian Collins on August 23, 2014.

X. Student Accessibility:

Any student who suspects s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the class instructor privately to discuss the student’s specific needs and provide written documentation from the Office of Student Accessibility Services. If the student is not yet registered as a student with a disability, s/he should contact the Office of Student Accessibility Services. 

XI. Schedule:

 

WEEK ONE: READING MYTHOLOGY, A HIGH-STAKES GAME

 

T 8/26: Myths Matter!
Agenda:
1. Introductions
2. The Da Vinci Code; or, Why There’s No Such Thing as a “Symbologist”
3. Ayodhya 1992: The Myth Vs. the Mosque

 

Th 8/28: Psychoanalysis, Sex and Symbols
Reading (47 pages):
1. Freud, Three Case Histories 87-134 on BB

Assignment:
1. First set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class
2. Quiz #1 due at 10am on BB

Agenda:
1. The case of Daniel Paul Schreber
2. What is a fetish?
3. Freud v. Jung: Private or collective unconscious?

 

WEEK TWO: SYMBOLS AS THE LINK BETWEEN THE SOCIAL AND THE UNCONSCIOUS

 

T 9/2: Weber on the social
Reading (45 pages):
1. Medusa’s Hair, 1-11
2. Weber, “The Social Psychology of World Religions” 267-301 on BB

Assignment:
1. Second set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class

Agenda:
1. The religious virtuoso
2. Power and charisma
3. The business of making meaning

 

Th 9/4: Interpreting dreadlocks
Reading (38 pages):
1. Medusa’s Hair 13-51

Watch:
1. “Fakir Musafar” video on BB

Agenda:
1. Symbols of asceticism and ecstasy
2. Becoming a monk and a hero
3. The “pool of signifiers”

Assignment:
1. Third set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class
2. Quiz #2 due at 10am on BB

 

WEEK THREE: SELF, CULTURE AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE; OR, BETTER LIVING THROUGH PIERCING

 

T 9/9: The case of Premavati Vitarana
Reading (37 pages):
1. Medusa’s Hair 53-90
Assignment:
1. Fourth set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class

Agenda:
1. Personal symbols and psychic conflict; or, Schreber in Sri Lanka
2. Expressing guilt in symbols, dreams and visions
3. Pain and religious experience

 

Th 9/11: Possession and self-possession
Reading (53 pages):
1. Medusa’s Hair 91-122
2. Ariel Glucklich, “Ghost Trauma” 106-128 on BB
3. Glance over “Rite of Exorcism” on BB

Watch:
1. “Exorcism in India” video on BB

Assignment:
1. Fifth set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class
2. Quiz #3 due at 10am on BB

Agenda:
1. Possession and exorcism in South Asia and the Catholic Church
2. Karma and meaning
3. Repression and ghosts

WEEK FOUR: GHOSTS, DEMONS AND SYMBOLIC NETWORKS

 

T 9/16: Hook-swinging
Reading (44 pages):
1. Medusa’s Hair 123-167

Assignment:
1. Sixth set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class

Agenda:
1. Religion and obsession
2. Attitudes toward sex and violence in South Asia
3. Kali’s tongue

 

T 9/18: Hypnomantic states and personal symbols
Reading (35 pages):
1. Medusa’s Hair 168-192
2. Carlo Ginzburg, “Freud, the Wolf-man, and the Werewolves” 146-156 on BB

Assignment:
1. Seventh set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class
2. Quiz #4 due at 10am on BB

Agenda:
1. Dreams and visions
2. Modern images and ancient icons
3. To dream of wolves; or, Do we think myths or do myths think us?

 

WEEK FIVE: HOW GREEKS AND HAWAIIANS THINK

 

T 9/23: Symbolism and ritual in Greek “Mystery Religions”
Reading (28 pages):
1. Walter Burkert, “Mysteries and Asceticism” 276-304 on BB

Assignment:
1. Eighth set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class

Agenda:
1. Guest Lecture by Prof. Thomas Carpenter

 

Th 9/25: Meaning and culture
Watch (Before Reading):
1. “The Amazing Life and Strange Death of Captain Cook: Crash Course World History #27” video on BB

Reading (27 pages):
1. Robert Borofsky, “Cook, Lono, Obeyesekere, and Sahlins,” Current Anthropology 38:2 (April 1997), pp. 255-282

Assignment:
1. Ninth set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class
2. Quiz #5 due at 10am on BB

Agenda:
1. Classroom debate on the death of Captain Cook

 

WEEK SIX: IMAGE AND SYMBOL

 

T 9/30: The work of Clifford Geertz
Reading (45 pages):
1. Daniel L. Pals, Eight Theories of Religion 260-291 on BB
2. Clifford Geertz, “Ethos, Worldview, and the Analysis of Sacred Symbols” 126-141 on BB

Assignment:
1. Tenth set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class

Agenda:
1. Watch “Wayang Mahabharata”
2. The signs of nobility
3. The function of symbol’s in Geertz’s definition of religion

 

Th 10/2: The divine image in India
Reading (21 pages):
1. James J. Preston, “Creation of the Sacred Image” 9-30 on BB

Watch:
1. “Clay Sculpting of Lord Ganesh” on BB

Assignment:
1. ***MIDTERM EXAM DUE AT 10AM ON BB***

Agenda:
1. Introducing the concept of darshan
2. What is present in the icon?
3. Group activity on murtis

 

WEEK SEVEN: HOW DOES RITUAL WORK?

 

T 10/7: Theories of ritual
Reading (41 pages):
1. Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice 13-54

Assignment:
1. Eleventh set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class

Agenda:
1. Unpacking the concept of discourse
2. Understanding Bell’s critique of Geertz
3. Ritual as text, ritual as performance

 

Th 10/9: Ritual as social action
Reading (26 pages):
1. Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice 67-93

Assignment:
1. Twelfth set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class
2. Quiz #6 due at 10am on BB

Agenda:
1. What is “cultural logic”?
2. Meaning and deconstruction
3. Relating ritual to form and routine

 

WEEK EIGHT: RITUAL, SELF AND SOCIETY

 

T 10/14: Ritual and the body
Reading (42 pages):
1. Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice 94-117
2. Sarah Iles Johnston, “Fiat Lux, Fiat Ritus” 5-24 on BB

Assignment:
1. Thirteenth set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class

Agenda:
1. Blindness and misrecognition
2. Unpacking the concept of embodiment
3. The presence of light

 

Th 10/16: Continuity and Change
Reading (24 pages):
1. Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice 118-142

Assignment:
1. Fourteenth set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class
2. Quiz #7 due at 10am on BB

Agenda:
1. Watch Altar of Fire in class

 

WEEK NINE: RITUAL AND POWER

 

T 10/21: Ritual as social control
Reading (51 pages):
1. Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice 169-196
2. Talal Asad, “Toward a Genealogy of the Concept of Ritual” 55-79 on BB

Assignment:
1. Fifteenth set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class

Agenda:
1. What does ritual say it does?
2. How does ideology work?
3. Christianity and the internalization of religion

 

Th 10/23: “Ritualization”
Reading (50 pages):
1. Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice 197-223
2.  Maurice Bloch, “The Royal Bath in Madagascar” 187-211 on BB

Assignment:
1. Sixteenth set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class
2. Quiz #8 due at 10am on BB

Agenda:
1. What do we mean when we say “power”?
2. The rites of the sovereign
3. Watch “The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II”

 

WEEK TEN: MYTH BETWEEN RELIGION AND CULTURE

 

T 10/28: Myth, ritual and structure
Reading (36 pages):
1. Lord Raglan, “Myth and Ritual” 122-134 on BB
2. Edmund R. Leach, “Genesis as Myth” 1-13
3. Claude Lévi-Strauss, “Four Winnebago Myths” 15-26 on BB (NB- Last two readings are together under the title “Myth and Cosmos”)

Assignment:
1. Seventeenth set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class

Agenda:
1. The myth-ritual school
2. A very complicated way to read the Bible
3. Introducing “structure”

 

Th 10/30: Making up Myths: Slenderman, Annabelle and the Satanic Panic
Reading (about 22 pages):
1. Goode and Ben-Yehuda, “A Representative Moral Panic: Satanic Ritual Abuse,” Moral Panics 57-65 on BB
2. Frankfurter, “The Satanic Ritual Abuse Panic as Religious-Studies Data,” Numen 50 109-117 on BB
3. Laycock, “The Paranormal to Pop Culture Pipeline,” Religion Dispatches on BB
4. “The Slenderman Wiki: Original Mythos” on BB
5. Laycock, “‘Slender Man’ Murder Attempt Wasn’t Media or Madness,” Religion Dispatches on BB
6. Laycock, “‘Another Slender Man Attack?” Religion Dispatches on BB

Listen:
1. Goldman, “Managing a Monster” TLDR on BB

Watch:
1. “Ed and Lorraine Warren: The Occult Museum” on BB

Assignment:
1. Eighteenth set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class
2. Quiz #9 due at 10am on BB

Agenda:
1. Watch in class 20/20: The Devil Worshippers
2. What is a moral panic?
3. Myths vs. Urban Legends

 

WEEK ELEVEN: MYTHOLOGY AND THE SACRED

 

T 11/4: Imagining the end
Reading (93 pages):
1. Myth and Reality 1-74
2. David Adams Leeming, “The Apocalypse” 78-89 on BB
3. Alan Weisman, “Earth without People” 28-36 on BB

Assignment:
3. Nineteenth set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class

Agenda:
1. The eternal return
2. Understanding apocalyptic themes
3. “The World without Us” as the primal scene

 

Th 11/6: Myth, memory and time
Reading (74 pages):
1. Myth and Reality 75-138
2. Wendy Doniger, “Minimyths and Maximyths and Political Points of View” 109-126 on BB

Assignment:
1. Twentieth set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class
2. Quiz #10 due at 10am on BB

Agenda:
1. Hegel, briefly
2. What do we mean we say “difference”?
3. Synchronic or diachronic readings?

 

WEEK TWELVE: MYTH AND MODERNITY

 

T 11/11: The end of myth?
Reading (64 pages):
1. Myth and Reality 139-193
2. “Mircea Eliade” in Encyclopedia of Religion 2753-2763 on BB

Assignment:
1. Twenty-first set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class

Agenda:
1. Considering Eliade
2. Myths and fascist fantasies
2. Romantic nostalgia

 

Th 11/13: Religious evolution and typology
Reading (43 pages):
1. Robert Bellah, “Religious Evolution” 20-45
2. Paul Bloom, “Is God an Accident?” 272-290 on BB

Assignment:
1. Twenty-second set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class
2. Annotated bibliography due at 10am on BB

Agenda:
1. Unpacking the categories of “primitive,” “archaic” and “historical”
2. Symbolism vs. literalism
3. The “universality” of myths; or, What kind of thing is the Milky Way?

 

WEEK THIRTEEN: LOOKING CLOSELY AT MYTHS

 

T 11/18: Tricksters and gurus
Reading (48 pages):
1. Jon Engle, “Guru Nanak” 15-46 on BB
2. Martha Beckwith, “Trickster Stories” 430-447 on BB

Assignment:
1. Twenty-third set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class

Agenda:
1. Hagiography and mythology
2. Animals and spirits in Hawaii
3. Introducing the “Indo-European”

 

Th 11/20: Cosmogony and politics
Reading (44 pages):
1. Bruce Lincoln, “The Politics of Myth” 27-37 on BB
2. M. L. West, “Cosmos and Canon” 340-374 on BB

Assignment:
1. Twenty-fourth set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class
2. A clearly stated thesis due in the form of a 250-word paper proposal due at 10am on BB

Agenda:
1. Ireland, Iran, Aryan
2. How the past shapes the present
3. Turning myths on their heads

 

WEEK FOURTEEN: RITUAL, SYMBOL AND FILM

 

T 11/25: Is a film a ritual?
Reading (23 pages):
1. Lyn Brunet, “Homage to Freemasonry or Indictment?” 98-112 on BB
2. Carel Rowe, “Illuminating Lucifer” 24-33 on BB

Agenda:
1. Watch Matthew Barney’s Cremaster 3
2. Watch Kenneth Anger’s Lucifer Rising

Assignment:
1. In-class exercise

 

Th 11/27: THANKSGIVING-NO CLASS

 

WEEK FIFTEEN: SCAPEGOATING, MYTH AND SACRIFICE IN INDIA AND MESOAMERICA

 

T 12/2: René Girard and the GMSM
Reading (127 pages):
1. Robert Hamerton-Kelly, “The Generative Mimetic Scapegoating Mechanism” 129-152 on BB
2. Sacrifice (in its entirety)

Assignment:
1. Twenty-fifth set of discussion questions due at 8pm the night before class

Agenda:
1. How to read a myth (according to Girard)
2. The gospels and the scapegoat
3. The crumbling edifice

 

Th 12/4: The Aztec Sacrifice
Reading (58 pages):
1. Roberta H. and Peter T. Markman, “Flayed Gods, Snake-Women, and Were-Jaguars” 174-225 on BB
2. Vincent Stanzione, “The Sacrifice of MaNawal JesuKristo” 146-155 on BB

Assignment:
1. ***RESEARCH PAPER DUE***

Agenda:
1. Beyond Apocalypto
2. Feeding the sun, building the empire
3. Jesus comes to Tenochtitlan

Interview with the Author: Abrahamic Religions: On the Uses and Abuses of History, by Aaron Hughes

*This is the first in a new and ongoing series of posts where we identify a book that integrates religion and critical theory, and then ask the author to explain the book's pedagogical value.

Abrahamic Religions: On the Uses and Abuses of History, by Aaron Hughes

1. What is the main argument of your book?

My main argument is the term “Abrahamic religions” is an invented term.  Like all of our terms and categories in the academic study of religion it does not name some thing in reality, but represents a sort of wish fulfillment.  If Jews and Muslims and Christians—the so-called “Abrahamic religions”—can be shown to possess the same essence, spirit, ethos, or whatever else we may want to call it, then it is often safely assumed that we have found a common core that exists beyond the most recent depressing headlines, and, of course, beyond history.  Since the events of 9/11, the subsequent “war on terror,” and the pushback against it, we have seen many embrace and use “Abrahamic religions” as a way out of the current political quagmire.  But, and this is the key point, there is absolutely no historical precedent for this term—Jews, Muslims, and Christians have being killing one another for centuries over the proper understanding of Abraham, among other things.  What they most decidedly have not done is hugged one another based on this figure, nor have they sat down at what we today dub as “Abrahamic salons” to talk about perceived common beliefs.

If local religious communities want an invented term to feel good about one another and enter into interfaith dialogue with other religions, so be it.  I have no problem with this.  I certainly prefer peace to bellicosity.  My problem, however, begins when such an invented term crosses over into the Academy.  Initially I saw the term sneak into textbooks, and now it has become a full-blown rubric (like equally fictive ones such as “Judeo-Christian,” “Eastern religions,” or “Western religions”).  To my sheer amazement we now see courses devoted to “Abrahamic religions.”  There are endowed chairs at major universities for “Abrahamic religions.”  There are conferences on the topic.  The questions informing my book, then, were pretty simple: How did this happen? Why did this happen? And, when did this happen?

Abrahamic Religions traces the genealogy of this term.  How it moved from a symbol of exclusion—for example in the New Testament, Abraham is a “pre-Christian” Christian, and in the Quran he becomes a “pre-Muslim” Muslim; and in neither tradition is Abraham a symbol of interfaith relations—to one of inclusion.  So, in many ways, I see the book as a case study that exemplifies the much larger discipline of religious studies and its problematic use of terms.  If “Abrahamic religions” is so problematic for the reasons that I have just outlined, then even much more basic terms—“Judaism” and “Islam,” to name but two examples—also become complicit in, for lack of a better term, “the disciplinary lie.” To this end, the final chapter makes the point that if we really want to be specific and accurate we can neither speak of “Abrahamic religions” nor Jewish, Christian, and Muslim relations in, say, the Middle Ages.  What we can speak about, though, are specific interactions between various social groups often with very porous boundaries who exist locally, say, Jews and Muslims in Cordoba in 1203.  This is why I subtitled the book On the Uses and Abuses of History.

2. What motivated your work?

That’s pretty easy.  Lying in the service of ecumenical ends. Are we really willing to lie to make our students, our colleagues, and ultimately ourselves, feel better about the world we live in?  I see the goal of scholarship to be critical of everything that has been bequeathed to us—terms, categories, basic narratives, axioms, and so on. Unless we do this, we just take things on authority.  If we assume, for example, that “Abrahamic religions” is a natural category that actually names something real, then we haven’t really clarified anything.  It is one more barrier that we have erected that limits our understanding.

3. What theory or theorists inform your methodology?

I wear a lot of hats, and do not believe in methodological purity.  In terms of religious studies, I am informed by the usual suspects—Jacob Neusner, J. Z. Smith, Bruce Lincoln, Donald Lopez, and Russell McCutcheon.  In terms of philosophy, I would have to say the line running from Nietzsche to Derrida via Heidegger and Foucault has been very important to my intellectual development.  In this latter context, I would also have to note my indebtedness to Elliot Wolfson, a philosopher and friend, whose creative work and conversation have always helped me to see what is important and, especially in the context of Judaism, to grasp how pernicious an attachment to perceived atavistic essences can be.  

Another important area for me, at least in this book, is history.  Here I am not so much interested in historiographical theory than I am in the close and often hesitant readings that historians bring to their material.  They are often unwilling, unlike so many scholars of religion, to make sweeping generalizations in the service of some all-encompassing myth or lie.  While History may not be as theoretical as I like (trust me, I spent three frustrated years in a History department), it is, as I like to tell my students, one of the best antidotes that we possess for the essentialist and other excesses that seem endemic to the current practices found within the academic study of religion.

4. How might the book be used or how has it been used in a classroom?

I think it has already been used in several classrooms, from what I can tell. I think it could be used in a theory and/or method class, again, as a case study of the problems besetting the academic study of religion.  I would also think that selections of the book could be used in an introductory class that is meant to introduce students to the three “Western religions.”  In such a class, I would hope that my argument might nicely problematize for them the danger of using such unwieldy terms.

5. How do you think students would most benefit from your book?

Again, I think the real benefit of the book for students would be as a caution to using terms that are problematic, but are assumed to be natural or, at the very least, neutral.  In this regard, I think the book charts, in non-jargony language, how we got from there to here.  It starts with a problem and then goes back to the historical record to see the various turns that the term has undergone until finally, post-9/11, many can declare that there is now such a thing as “Abrahamic religions.”  The book shows quite clearly when, why, how, and by whom this term was invented.  If students can see this for “Abrahamic religion,” I would like to think that they will start to question pretty much every other term in the conceptual toolbox of religious studies—myth, ritual, liturgy, Eastern religions, Western religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, to name one a few big terms.

The real problem with the discipline, though, is that we rarely do this—in the classroom, at the American Academy of Religion, in our academic writing. In sum, then, I would like to see this book as a call for conceptual and terminological clarity, and intellectual integrity.

Syllabus Project: Hinduism

By Brian Collins

Obviously, for those students who will go on to take other World Religions classes or courses in Anthropology, International Relations, or the like, I want this course to serve as a foundation, introducing general concepts that they can later clarify and modify. But those students represent a small group compared to the class as a whole. For a variety of reasons, it is the case that for a good number of students, my Hinduism class is the one of the few classes in which they will do one or all of the following: Read more than fifty pages a week, write a research paper, learn anything about India (sometimes Asia), or think about what different people mean when they use the term “religion.” Above all, I want students to see these exercises and the ideas they are meant to elucidate as inherently valuable. I fully expect the specifics of my lectures and their assignments to fade quickly from memory, but I hold out the hope that after the course is over the students will begin to think and continue to think that sustained and rigorous reflection on big ideas is something worth doing.

After years of teaching this class with various introductory textbooks, I was very happy when Wendy Doniger’s The Hindus was published in 2010 and I have been using it ever since. I chose the Hindus because Prof. Doniger was my mentor at Chicago and I worked for her as a research and teaching assistant when she was writing this book, so I knew very well that its style and editorial selections would align with my own. In the past I have supplemented it with scholarly articles and primary texts, but in the last two years I have decided to use the Textual Sources book to provide most of the accompanying readings for the sake of simplifying and streamlining the way in which students access assignments.

Along with the texts, I present the students with videos. Altar of Fire and Aghori I have been using for years and although they present some problems (a certain voyeuristic overtone in the latter and a maddening lack of subtitles combined with poor audio quality in the former) I have developed a personal commentarial tradition to mitigate their shortcomings. Other videos I find on YouTube (like some good video tours of the IVC ruins) or have been made available recently (To Earn Our Bread). I also think field trips, either to museums (the Yoga exhibit was a great success) or to observe Hindu life and community, are an essential part of the course. The trip to New Vrindaban is a great opportunity for them and for me. It is a long day of traveling, but it is worth it to see the crowd (generally upwards of 50% South Asian heritage) gathered for the 24-hour chanting marathon. I even filmed the first one and put the video online. Usually less than a third of the students are able to attend, but the ones that do rate them as the highlights of the course. Making them earlier rather than later can also help build camaraderie.

The assignments are self-explanatory, but the discussion questions are somewhat new for me. For the last few years, I have been using them to see how well the students are engaging the readings and also incorporating the most perceptive ones (and occasionally some “ringers” of my own) into my lecture by putting them up on slides and breaking the class into small groups to discuss them. I have also started having students at the beginning of the semester break up into small groups and have each group examine the title, chapter headings, images, and other paratextual material of a different introductory Hinduism text. The purpose of this exercise is to demonstrate how many ways there are to conceive of this topic and teach it (anthropological, art historical, sociological, philosophical) and to get the students used to seeing a text as an argument rather than a presentation of fact.

Syllabus:

Hinduism

I. Purpose:

 

India is the world’s largest democracy and one of its fastest growing economies. However, even with India poised to become a dominant global force in the near future, the majority of Americans have little or no understanding of one of the primary forces that have shaped its culture and history—Hinduism, the religion of 800 million Indians and millions more across the world. With a history that goes back almost 4000 years and a bewildering multiplicity of forms that ranges from popular goddess worship in remote Indian villages to massive ISKCON temple complexes like the one in Wheeling, West Virginia, Hinduism presents a confusing and complicated picture. Cutting through the initial confusion with readings, assignments and lectures, students in this class will develop a solid understanding of the basic contours of Hinduism while also learning to appreciate its richness and nuanced complexity.
 

II. Learning Outcomes:

1.      To introduce students to the practices, concepts, personalities, narratives, and history of Hinduism, using primary and secondary texts, films and field trips
 

2.      To develop a cultural sensitivity that allows students to understand practices, beliefs and sensibilities in their unique contexts
 

3.      To improve the students’ critical thinking and reading skills through reading assignments, weekly quizzes and exams

4.      To improve their written and oral communication skills through a research paper
 

III. Required Texts:

1.      Wendy Doniger, The Hindus: An Alternative History (New York: Penguin, 2010)

2.      Wendy Doniger, Textual Sources for the Study of Hinduism (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1988)

3.      Additional readings will be available on Blackboard.

 IV. Expectations:

A. YOURS: As students in a 3000-level course (the second most advanced available to undergraduates), you should expect to do quite a bit of reading—1,071 pages total. But that is not such a large number, given the size of our topic. The average reading assignment is about 40 pages for each class, with 56 pages being the maximum page amount you will ever be assigned and 21 pages being the minimum. Part of what you will be learning in this class is how to read texts like a historian of religions, which is different from how you read a novel, a newspaper or a blog post. Please begin your reading with the following tips based on those found in Study Guides and Strategies (www.studygs.net).

In addition, I suggest you read the assigned section of The Hindus before the sections from Textual Sources or other assigned readings. If you have questions, email me or post them on the class Blackboard page and I will attempt to address them in the lecture period. You may also ask them in class of course, but I would appreciate the time to prepare an answer.

Since the material we will be reading and discussing is so inherently fascinating and provocative, I know there won’t be any napping, texting, tweeting, Facebooking or any of the other things first-year students may tend to do in a big boring lecture course.

B. MINE: Here is what you may expect of me:

1.      I will return emails promptly (within 3 hours if they are sent between 9 AM and 5 PM Monday-Thursday and within 12 hours if they are sent any other time).

2.      I will be in my office between 1:30 PM and 3:00 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays unless otherwise announced, but if you really need to see me, please make an appointment so I can set aside time for you. And if you are in class or otherwise unable to make my regular hours I will be glad to schedule an appointment at another time when we can both make it.

 C. FIELD TRIPS AND EXTRA CREDIT: We will be making two optional field trips. Any student participating in one or both of these field trips can turn in a 750-word critical reflection within one week of the trip to replace a low or missing quiz grade.  

1.      The first will be a trip to the Cleveland Art Museum on Saturday, September 6^th to see the traveling exhibit Yoga: The Art of Transformation. We will leave about 8:00 in the morning and get back around 8:00 in the evening. Lunch, dinner and tickets to the exhibit will be provided.

2.      The second will be a trip to the ISKCON (Hare Krishna) community of New Vrindaban near Moundsville, WV on Saturday, October 11^th to tour the Palace of Gold and see devotees participating in a 24-hour Kirtan, a marathon of continuously chanting the names of Krishna, often while singing and dancing. Again, we will leave about 8:00 in the morning and get back around 8:00 in the evening and a vegetarian lunch and dinner will be provided. You can read an article about and view a video of last year’s trip here:

http://www.ohio-forum.com/2014/04/students-visit-devotees-of-krishna-at-end-of-24-hour-worship/

3.      There may be other opportunities for extra credit throughout the semester that I will announce either in class or on the OhioUniversity Comparative Religion Club Facebook page.

D. WENDY DONIGER LECTURE: Prof. Doniger will be coming all the way from Chicago to give a talk on Monday, November 3^rd at 8pm in the Baker University Center Theater. This is both a rare opportunity and a required class meeting.

V. Assignments:

1.      Fourteen sets of discussion questions

2.      Twelve Blackboard quizzes

3.      Midterm exam

4.      Final exam

5.      Research paper of 1250-1500 words

VI. Basis of Grades:

A. Participation (100 points, weighted as 10% of your grade)

1.      Attendance (58 points): After one allowable absence, there are 29 class meetings (this includes the Doniger lecture on November 3^rd) each worth two points. I will subtract two points per unexcused absence.

2.      Discussion Questions (42 points): Additionally, for each Tuesday class meeting, you will submit three questions worth one point each on the assigned reading the day before class at 5pm on Blackboard. Do not email the questions to me or to Leo, we will only accept them via Blackboard. I will have a list of these questions in the morning, so be prepared to answer your own (and your classmates’) questions in class.  

B. Weekly Blackboard quizzes (100 points, averaged and weighted as 20% of your grade): Quizzes are due one hour before class begins on Thursday and will cover the material for that week. There is one response paper due in class on week fourteen. 

C. Midterm exam (100 points, weighted as 25% of your grade): The midterm exam will be in class Thursday, October 3.

D. Final exam (100 points, weighted as 25% of your grade): The final exam will be due on Blackboard Thursday, December 11 at 10:00 am.

E. 1250-1500-word research paper (200 points, weighted as 20% of your grade): Due on December 4th, this assignment allows you to choose, in consultation with me and World Religions librarian Tim Smith, whatever topic you wish that relates to Hinduism. Examples of paper topics include gender and Hinduism, the concept of time in Hinduism, Hindu ritual, caste and Hinduism, the self in Hinduism, Yoga in the west, Hindu new religious movements, Hinduism and nationalism, etc. The only requirement is that you use at least three scholarly sources that have not been assigned for class.

1.      50 points: An annotated bibliography of at least three scholarly sources found through the library’s Hinduism course guide (located at http://libguides.library.ohiou.edu/hinduism) due on Blackboard on November 13th.

2.      50 points: A clearly stated thesis due in the form of a 250-word paper proposal on Blackboard on November 20^th.

3.      100 points: Paper. I will grade the paper itself according to a rubric (available on Blackboard) adapted from Marie Norman of Carnegie Mellon University.  

XI. CLASS SCHEDULE

WEEK ONE: THE PROBLEM WITH "HINDUISM"  

T 8/26: Two Questions

Agenda:

1.      Introductions

2.      Is yoga religious?

3.      Why are there so many gods in Hinduism?

Th 8/28: Reading The Hindus: An Alternative History

Reading (41 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 1-16

2.      Eswaran Sridharan and Anthony Cerulli, “Editors’ Introduction to the Roundtable on Intellectual Freedom, Vigilantism, and Censorship in India” in India Review 13.3 (2014), pp. 274-276

3.      Vinay Lal, “State, Civil Society, and the Right to Dissent: Some Thoughts on Censorship in Contemporary India” in India Review 13.3 (2014), pp. 277-282

4.      Romila Thapar, “Banning Books” in India Review 13.3 (2014), pp. 283-286

5.      Deepak Sarma, “The Doniger Difficulty: Colonial Cotton and Swadeshi Sensibilities” in India Review 13.3 (2014), pp. 287-289

6.      Aarti Sethi and Shuddhabrata Sengupta, “Toward a Readers’ Uprising: Reflections in the Wake of Assaults on Books and Authors in Today’s India” in India Review 13.3 (2014), pp. 290-299

Assignment:

1.      Quiz #1 due at 8am on BB

Agenda:

1.      Introducing the subject

2.      Religious Studies/World Religions/History of Religions vs. Theology

3.      Who speaks for Hinduism?

WEEK TWO: THE INDUS VALLEY

T 9/2: Working from the Margins

Reading (37 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 17-49

2.      Textual Sources pp. 1-5 (“Introduction to the Sanskrit Sources”)

Assignment:

1.      First set of discussion questions due at 5pm the day before class on BB

Agenda:

1.      Group activity on defining Hinduism

2.      The “Zen Diagram”

3.      Orthodoxy and orthopraxy

Th 9/4: Harappa and Mohenjo Daro

Reading (34 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 50-84

Assignment:

1.      Quiz #2 due at 8am on BB

Agenda:

1.      Indo-European, Dravidian, Tibeto-Burman, Austro-Asiatic

2.      Interpreting the remnants of the IVC

3.      Religion and archaeology

 ***MUSEUM FIELD TRIP SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6^TH***

WEEK THREE: HISTORY AND PREHISTORY

T 9/9: The Aryan Invasion/Migration

Reading (38 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 85-102

2.      Romila Thapar, “Some Appropriations of the Theory of Aryan Race” in Thomas R. Trautmann, The Aryan Debate pp. 107-128 on BB

Assignment:

1.      Second set of discussion questions due at 5pm the day before class on BB

 Agenda:

1.      Aryans on the move

2.      Who is an Indo-European?

3.      Aryans, race and politics

Th 9/11: The Vedas

Reading (38 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 103-134

2.      Textual Sources 2.1.1 (Vedas: Rituals—Rig Veda: “The Invocation of Agni,” “Hymn to the Funeral Fire” and “The Horse Sacrifice,” pp. 6-10)

3.      Textual Sources 2.2.1 (Vedas: Myths—Rig Veda: “The Dismemberment of the Cosmic Person,” “The Three Strides of Vishnu” and “Rudra,” pp. 27-29)

4.      Textual Sources 2.3.1 (Vedas: Philosophy—Rig Veda: “Creation,” p. 33)

 Assignment:

1.      Quiz #3 due at 8am on BB

Agenda:

1.      Swastikas, Aryans and Nazis

2.      G. Dumézil’s Trifunctional Hypothesis

3.      Introducing the gods

 WEEK FOUR: VEDIC RELIGION

 T 9/16: The Vedic Pantheon

Reading (49 pages):

1.      William K. Mahoney, “The Gods as Artists” in The Artful Universe pp. 17-40 on BB

2.      Brian K. Smith, “Classifying the Gods” in Classifying the Universe pp. 86-112 on BB

Assignment:

1.      Third set of discussion questions due at 5pm the day before class on BB

Agenda:

1.      Gods of nature and the social order

2.      What is a Veda?

3.      Group activity on Vedic myth

Th 9/18: The Sacrifice

Reading (28 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 135-163

Assignment:

1.      Quiz #4 due at 8am on BB

Agenda:

1.      Watch Altar of Fire in class

2.      Discussion of movie

WEEK FIVE: FROM SACRIFICE TO SAMNYASINS

T 9/23: Reading the Ritual Texts

Reading (23 pages):

1.      Textual Sources 2.1.2 (The Vedas: Rituals—The Brahmanas: “The Offering into the Fire (Agnihotra): The Creation of Fire, the Eater; The Origins of Death and the Fire-Altar; Prajapati Dismembered and Remembered,” “The Horse Sacrifice: Seed as Rice; Killing the Dog; Killing the Horse; The Mockery of the Women; The King Copulates with the People; Dismembering the Horse; The Restorations,” “The Human Sacrifice of Shunahshepa,” pp. 10-25)

2.      Margaret Stutley, “The Asvamedha or Indian Horse Sacrifice” pp. 253-261 on BB

Assignment:

1.      Fourth set of discussion questions due at 5pm the day before class

Agenda:

1.      From Vedas to Brahmanas to Sutras: Mapping the commentarial tradition

2.      The Brahmin priesthood

3.      Early Hindu ideas of death and evil

Th 9/25: Vedic Philosophy

Reading (34 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 164-198

Assignment:

1.      Quiz #5 due at 8am on BB

Agenda:

1.      The Upanishads, the last layer of the Vedas

2.      Philosophy from ritual

3.      Rebirth and release

WEEK SIX: THE RENOUNCER’S PATH

T 9/30: The Fourth Stage

Reading (42 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 198-211

2.      Textual Sources 2.3.2 (The Vedas: Philosophy—Upanishads: “The Self,” “The Ultimate Reality and the Two Birds,” “Rebirth,” “The Person in the Eye and in Sleep,” “The Self in Sleep: The Wandering King; The Chariot-Maker,” pp. 34-39)

3.      Kirin Narayan, “Sadhus” pp. 63-87 on BB

Assignment:

1.      Fifth set of discussion questions due at 5pm the day before class on BB

Agenda:

1.      Watch The Fourth Stage in class

2.      Group activity on asceticism

Th 10/2: ***In-Class Midterm***

WEEK SEVEN: THE RAMAYANA
 

T 10/7: Gender and Epic

Reading (39 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 212-235

2.      Edward C. Dimock, “The Ramayana Story” in The Literatures of India pp. 54-71 on BB

Assignment:

1.      Sixth set of discussion questions due at 5pm the day before class on BB

Agenda:

1.      The oral tradition

2.      Sita’s predicament

3.      The Horse Sacrifice revisited

Th 10/9: The Multiplicity of Tradition

Reading (49 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 235-251

2.      Textual Sources 3.2 (Epics—“Ramayana: The Birth of Sita and the Bending of the Bow; The Song of Kusha and Lava,” pp. 58-64)

3.      A. K. Ramanujan, “Three Hundred Ramayanas” pp. 22-49 on BB

Assignment:

1.      Quiz #6 due at 8am on BB

Agenda:

1.      The Tamil vs. the Sanskritic tradition

2.      Rama in Southeast Asia

3.      The figure of Hanuman

***NEW VRINDABAN FIELD TRIP SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11^TH***

WEEK EIGHT: THE GREAT EPIC OF INDIA

T 10/14: Introducing the Mahabharata

Reading (37 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 252-276

2.      Gurcharan Das, “The Central Story of the Mahabharata and Dramatis Personae” in The Difficulty of Being Good pp. xvi-xxviii on BB

3.      Textual Sources 3.1 (Epics—“Mahabharata: The Birth of the Epic Heroes; The Karma of Dharma: Mandavya on the Stake; Yudhishthira Approaches Heaven with His Dog; Salvation and Damnation in the Bhagavad Gita,” pp. 46-57)

Assignment:

1.      Seventh set of discussion questions due at 5pm the day before class on BB

Agenda:

1.      The political context

2.      War as sacrifice

3.      Duryodhana’s point of view

Th 10/16: Dharma

Reading (44 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 277-303

2.      The Bhagavad Gita pp. 29-47 on BB

Assignment:

1.      Quiz #7 due at 8am on BB

Agenda:

1.      Conflicts of duty

2.      The martial ethic of The Bhagavad Gita

3.      The new religious world of the epic

WEEK NINE: VERNACULAR LITERATURES AND COUNTER-TRADITIONS

T 10/21: The epic of Pabuji

Reading (32 pages):

1.      Elizabeth Wickett, “The Epic of Pabuji ki par in Performance” pp. 76-108 on BB

Assignment:

1.      Eighth set of discussion questions due at 5pm the day before class on BB

Agenda:

1.      Watch To Earn Our Bread: Performing for Pabuji in class

2.      Group activity on Pabuji

Th 10/23 The Sitayana

Reading (21 pages):

1.      Uma Chakravarti, “The Making and Unmaking of ‘Tradition’” in Beyond the Kings and Brahmanas of ‘Ancient’ India pp. 231-252 on BB

Assignment:

1.      Quiz #8 due at 8am on BB

Agenda:

1.      Watch Sita Sings the Blues in class

 WEEK TEN: THE PATHS OF KNOWLEDGE AND DEVOTION

 T 10/28: Shastric Science

Reading (56 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 304-337

2.      Textual Sources 5.1 (Shastras—“The Body: Second Opinions Upon the Aetiology of Disease; The Humors of the Mind and Body; How Not to Get Sick,” pp. 91-96)

3.      Textual Sources 5.2. (Shastras—“Birth: Embryology; A Strange Birth; The Perils of Growing Up,” pp. 97-101)

4.      Textual Sources 5.3. (Shastras—“Marriage: Women to Marry and Not to Marry; Women Not to Sleep with; Married Women to Sleep with; Married Women Who Will Sleep with You; Married Women Who Will Not Sleep with You; The Karma of Marriage: The King’s Wife, the Brahmin’s Wife and the Ogre,” pp. 101-114)

Assignment:

1.      Ninth set of discussion questions due at 5pm the day before class on BB

Agenda:

1.      Ayurvedic Medicine

2.      The social science of caste

3.      How to live the good life according to the Kama Sutra

Th 10/30: Bhakti in South India

Reading (49 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 338-369

2.      Textual Sources 9.1 (The Tamil Tradition—“Cuntaramurtti: The Harsh Devotee, ” pp. 169-177)

3.      Textual Sources 9.2 (The Tamil Tradition—“Kampan: The Sight of Sita’s Jewels,” pp. 177-180)

4.      Textual Sources 9.3 (The Tamil Tradition—“Kalamekappulavar: Worship by Insult (Nindastuti),” pp. 180-181)

5.      Textual Sources 9.4 (The Tamil Tradition—“The Pirate of Tiruccentur,” pp. 181-183)

6.      Textual Sources 9.5 (The Tamil Tradition—“The Story of Nilanakkanar,” pp. 183-185)

7.      Textual Sources 9.6 (The Tamil Tradition—“Two Telugu Poets,” pp. 185-187)

Assignment:

1.      Quiz #9 due at 8am on BB

Agenda:

1.      The political context

2.      Devotion to Shiva

3.      The third alliance

4.      Halloween treat

 WEEK ELEVEN: THE PURANIC DEITIES

***WENDY DONIGER TALK MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3 AT 8 PM IN BAKER THEATER—ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED***

T 11/4: Introducing the Puranas

Reading (62 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 370-405

2.      Textual Sources 4.1 (Puranas: Myths—“How Brahma Created the Universe; The Four Ages; How Rudra Destroys the Universe,” pp. 64-73)

3.      Textual Sources 4.2 (Puranas: Philosophy—“The Fruits of Hearing a Purana: Devaraja the Sinner,” “The Mahabharata Expiated,” “Karma Transferred in Hell: Vipashcit,” “Ethics: How to Stay out of Trouble,” pp. 64-84)

4.      Textual Sources 4.3 (Puranas: Rituals—“An Animal Sacrifice,” “The Origin of the Lingam,” “The Origin of the Shrine of the Lingam,” pp. 84-91)

 

Assignment:

1.      Tenth set of discussion questions due at 5pm the day before class on BB

Agenda:

1.      The ascetic eroticism of Shiva; or, What does a linga stand for?

2.      The Goddess and the Buffalo Demon

3.      The rise of the Hindu temple

Th 11/6 The Left-Hand Path

Reading (45 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 406-444

2.      Textual Sources 6.1 (Tantras: Ritual—“The Five Elements of Tantric Ritual,” “A Tantric Animal Sacrifice,” “Tantric Sins of Excess,” pp. 131-137)

3.      Textual Sources 6.2 (Tantras: Philosophy—“Tantric Caste Law,” “Tantric Release,” pp. 137-138)

Assignment

1.      Quiz #10 due at 8am on BB

 

Agenda:

1.      Watch Aghori in class

2.      Group activity on Tantric ritual

 WEEK TWELVE: THE ARRIVAL OF ISLAM AND THE RISE OF KRISHNA

T 11/11: Rama and Rahim

Reading (39 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 445-472

2.      Textual Sources 7.1 (The Hindi Tradition—Kabir: “Warnings,” “Experience,” “Devotion,” pp. 139-142)

3.      Textual Sources 7.2 (The Hindi Tradition—Sur Das: “The Child-God,” “The Milkmaids’ Fascination,” “Song to the Bee,” pp. 142-146)

4.      Textual Sources 7.3 (The Hindi Tradition—Tulsi Das: “Ramacharitmanas, Balakanda, 50-52,” pp. 146-148)

5.      Textual Sources 7.4 (The Hindi Tradition—Eighteenth-Century Sants: “Paltu,” “Charandas,” pp. 148-150)

Assignment:

1.      Eleventh set of discussion questions due at 5pm the day before class on BB

Agenda:

1.      The first contact

2.      Kabir

3.      The last Hindu kingdom?

Th 11/13: Love of God

Reading (44 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 473-502

2.      Textual Sources 8.1 (The Bengali Tradition—“The Birth of Manasa,” pp. 151-155)

3.      Textual Sources 8.2 (The Bengali Tradition—“The Biography of Saint Chaintanya: Krishna’s Decision to Take Birth as Chaitanya; An Encounter with the Dual Form,” pp. 155-158)

4.      Textual Sources 8.3 (The Bengali Tradition—Rupa Gosvamin: “The General Characteristics of Devotion,” “Remembering the Eightfold Activities of Radha and Krishna,” pp. 158-165)

5.      Textual Sources 8.4 (The Bengali Tradition—“Poems to Radha and Krishna,” pp. 165-166)

Assignment:

1.      Quiz #11 due at 8am on BB

2.      Annotated bibliography due at 8am on BB

Agenda:

1.      The avatars of Vishnu

2.      The “play” of God

3.      Krishna and Radha

WEEK THIRTEEN: THE ULTIMATE VS. THE POLITICAL REALITY

T 11/18: Dreams and Illusions

Reading (28 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 503-524

2.      Textual Sources 2.3.3 (The Vedas: Philosophy—Vedanta: “Shankara Dreams,” Ramanuja Dreams,” “Illusion: The Man Who Built a House of Air,” pp. 39-46)

Assignment:

1.      Twelfth set of discussion questions due at 5pm the day before class on BB

Agenda:

1.      Dualism and Non-dualism

2.      Shankara and Hindu monasticism

3.      Dreams and other realities

Th 11/20: The Mughals

Reading (46 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 527-573

Assignment:

1.      Quiz #12 due at 8am on BB

2.      A clearly stated thesis due in the form of a 250-word paper proposal due at 8am on BB

Agenda:

1.      The religion of Akbar the Great

2.      The Peacock Throne

3.      Vaishnava revival in the northeast

 WEEK FOURTEEN: THE RAJ

T 11/25: The Coming of the British

Reading (35 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 574-609

Assignment:

1.      Thirteenth set of discussion questions due at 5pm the day before class on BB

Agenda:

1.      What is an Orientalist?

2.      The Rebellion of 1857

3.      From Company to Crown

 Th 11/27- Thanksgiving- NO CLASS

WEEK FIFTEEN: THE END OF THE EMPIRE AND THE DIASPORA

T 12/2: From Britain to America

Reading (43 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 610-653

Assignment:

1.      Fourteenth set of discussion questions due at 5pm the day before class on BB

Agenda:

1.      Making Hinduism into a World Religion

2.      Gandhi and satyagraha

3.      America discovers Hinduism

Th 12/4: The End

Reading (36 pages):

1.      The Hindus pp. 654-690

Assignment:

1.      Research Paper due at 8am on BB

Agenda:

1.      Hinduism and women

2.      Hinduism and the environment

3.      The rise of the Hindu Right and the meaning of Modi