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Course Description:
The goal of this course is to examine selected
written, oral and performed texts of the Hindu tradition in a variety
of social, historical and religious contexts. Readings include translations
from a variety of Indian literary genres ranging from the Vedas,
Upani?ads and epics to devotional poetry and modern oral narratives.
Art, music, dance, films, and other performances related to the
texts supplement the primary sources. Students are also encouraged
to gain firsthand experience by observing and/or participating in
rituals connected with the texts by either participating in opportunities
for field trips or reviewing films or performances with Hindu religious
themes.
Themes to be addressed in lectures
and discussions include:
1) How texts are composed, passed down and understood
2) Oral and written forms of texts
3) Manifestations of texts in performances of rituals, music and
dance
4) Authorship and dating of texts
5) Traditional and modern methods for teaching and learning texts
6) Various ways of explaining and interpreting texts
7) Employment of texts for different uses
8) Texts and images as objects of veneration and devotion
9) Comparative roles of texts in other Indian religious traditions
10) Contested texts
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Texts:
(available at Goerings Book Store and UF Bookstore)
Lopez, Donald S. (editor). Religions of
India in Practice [RIP]. Princeton
University Press, Princeton, N.J.: 1995.
Olivelle, Patrick (translator). Upanisads
[UP]. Oxford University Press, Oxford/New
York: 1996.
Miller, Barbara Stoler (translator). The Bhagavad-Gita: Krishna's
Counsel in Time of War [BG]. Bantam
Books,
New
York: 1986.
Narayan, R.K. The Ramayana: A Shortened Prose Version of the
Indian Epic (Suggested by the Tamil
Version of Kamban) [RAM]. Penguin
Books, New York: 1972.
Dehejia, Vidya (translator). Antal and Her Path of Love: Poems
of a Woman Saint from South India [AN].
SUNY
Press, Albany: 1990.
Hess, Linda and Sukhdev Singh (translators). The Bijak of Kabir
[KAB]. Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi:
1986.
Narayan, Kirin. Storytellers, Saints, and Scoundrels: Folk Narrative
in Hindu Religious Teaching [SSS].
University
of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia: 1989.
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Requirements:
Attendance and Participation:
Regular attendance with only two unexcused
absences and consistent participation in class discussions accounts
for 20% of the final grade. This evaluation is largely based on
the instructor's assessment of the students' levels of preparation.
Students must complete the reading assignments before coming to
class and be ready to discuss the texts in class.
Mid-term in class identification
and essay exam: Example essay
questions and IDs will be distributed in advance of the mid-term
exam on October 16. Short identifications and essay questions will
be chosen from among these examples. 20% of the final evaluation
is based on the mid-term exam.
Short writing assignment:
A brief review (5 double-spaced typewritten
pages in length) of a ritual, festival, music/dance performance,
or film with Hindu religious themes makes up another 20% of the
final grade. Students will be notified of opportunities to participate
in field trips or observe performances and film screenings. This
assignment can be submitted any time before the deadline of November
20.
Term paper:
A final research paper between 12-15 double-spaced
typewritten pages in length (in addition to the bibliography and
notes) should be completed by the last day of class (December 9).
Topics must be chosen by the students in individual consultations
with the instructor during office hours. A timetable for deciding
upon paper topics and submitting preliminary outlines and bibliographies
will be established early in the semester. Students are encouraged
to submit early drafts to the instructor for feedback. Students
are also expected to summarize their papers orally in 10-15 minute
presentations during the final three classes (December 2, 4, 9).
The term paper and presentation count for 40% of the total grade.
Speak with the instructor far in advance if a short extension beyond
the deadline is absolutely necessary.
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Schedule of topics and
reading assignments: (subject to change)
Week 1:
Aug. 26: Course introduction
Aug. 28: Overview of Indian geography, history, languages, and religions
RIP
3-52 (Richard Davis, "A Brief History of Religions in India")
Week 2: Vedic texts and rituals
Sept. 2: Vedic hymns
Selections
from the Rig Veda; begin reading UP
Sept. 4: Vedic rituals (Film: Altar of Fire)
UP
xxiii-lviii
Week 3: Upanisads
Sept. 9: Intro. to
Upanisads
UP
1-108
Sept. 11: Horse sacrifice
UP
179-184
Week 4:Renunciation and Yoga
Sept. 16: Hindu, Buddhist and Jain ascetic
traditions
UP
268-277
RIP
534-546 (Patrick Olivelle, "Ascetic Withdrawal or Social Engagement")
Sept. 18: Yoga
UP
231-247, 252-265
begin
reading BG
Week 5: Epics narratives and the Bhagavad Gita
Sept. 23: Mahabharata
BG
1-69
Sept. 25: Bhagavad Gita [Film: Peter Brook's Mahabharata]
BG
70-150
begin
reading RAM
Week 6: Ramayana
Sept. 30: Ramayana narratives and images [slides
of Indian paintings]
RAM
1-64
Oct. 2: Ramayana characters and mixed messages [Doordarshan TV clips]
RAM
65-130
Week 7: Ramayana, continued
Oct. 7: Ramayana performances [video of Kuchipudi
dance performance, Ramlila]
RAM
130-171
Oct. 9 Contested Ramayanas
Week 8: Review and Mid-term exam
Oct. 14: Review
Oct. 16: Mid-term
Exam
Week 9: Hindu devotional texts and rituals
Oct. 21: South Indian Bhakti
AN
1-71
Oct. 23: Poetry of Antal [Slides and tapes]
AN
73-171
Week 10: Saguna Bhakti texts and rituals
Oct. 28: Saguna Bhakti poets and their traditions
RIP
92-103 (Vinay Dharwadker, "Poems of Tukaram)
RIP
244-268 (Neil Delmonico, "How to Partake in the Love of Krishna")
Oct. 30: Temple worship and pilgrimage [Slides]
RIP
235-243 (Michael D. Rabe, "Royal Temple Dedications")
RIP
627-648 (Richard Davis, "The Rebuilding of a Hindu temple"
and "The Origin of Linga Worship")
Week 11: Nirguna Bhakti and Sikhism
Nov. 4: Kabir's poetry
RIP
77-91 (Vinay Dharwadker, "Kabir")
KAB
41-131
Nov. 6: Sikhism and other Nirguna traditions [Tapes and Film]
RIP
126-132, 449-461 (Hew McLeod, "Sikh Hymns to the Divine Name"
and "The Life of Guru Nanak");
RIP
187-208 (Carol Salomon, "Baul Songs")
begin
reading SSS
Week 12: Contemporary narratives and rituals
Nov. 11: Holiday:
Veteran's Day
Nov. 13: Storytelling traditions [Video:Four Holy Men]
SSS
1-110
Week 13: Contemporary narratives and rituals, cont.
Nov. 18: Storytelling traditions
SSS
111-159
Nov. 20: Storytelling traditions
SSS
160-228
Reminder: Short
writing assignment due
Week 14 (Nov. 25, 27): Class cancelled for Thanksgiving holiday
work
on term paper
Week 15 (Dec. 2, 4): Student Presentations
Week 16 (Dec. 9): Student Presentations
Term
paper due
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Course Resources:
Partial List of Books and Articles on Reserve
Week 1:
David Kinsley, Hinduism: A Cultural Perspective, 11-25 [article]
Week 2:
Stephanie Jamison, The Ravenous Hyenas and the Wounded Sun: Myth
and Ritual in Ancient India [BL 1212.2 J35 1991]
Week 3:
J.C. Heesterman, The Broken World of Sacrifice: An Essay in Ancient
Indian Ritual [BL 1236.76 S23 H4 1993]
Week 4:
Barbara Stoler Miller (translator), Yoga: Discipline of Freedom
[B132 Y6 P267 1998]
Week 5:
J.A.B. van Buitenen, Introduction to The Mahabharata, vol.
1: The Book of the Beginning, xiii-xxxi [294.5923 M214Eb]; Alf Hiltebeitel,
The Ritual of Battle: Krishna in the Mahabharata [294.5211
H656r]
Week 6:
Robert P. Goldman, et al. (translators), The Ramayana of Valmiki:
An Epic of Ancient India 4 vols. [BL 1139.22 E54 1984]; John
Brockington, Righteous Rama: The Evaluation of an Epic [BL
1139.26 B76 1984]
Week 7:
Philip Lutgendorf, The Life of a Text: Performing the
Ramcaritmanas of Tulsidas [e-book available online]; Paula Richman
(editor), Many Ramayanas: The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition
in South Asia [PK 2907 R25 M36 1991]; Paula Richman (editor),
Questioning Ramayanas [PK 2907]
Week 9:
Vasudha Narayanan, The Vernacular Veda: Revelation, Recitation
and Ritual [PL 4758.9 N3155 T536 1994]
Week 10:
Diana L. Eck, Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India [BL
1205 E25x 1998]
Week 11:
Charlotte Vaudeville, A Weaver named Kabir: Selected Verses with
a Detailed Biographical and Historical Introduction [PK 2095
K3 A284 1993]; G.R. Thursby, The Sikhs [BL 2108 T48 1992]
Week 12:
Franklin Edgerton (translator), The Panchatantra [891.28
P188Ee]
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