This course provides an introduction to the history of religion in South Asia over several thousand years. A large part of the course will involve examining the developments within Hinduism, which comprises a diverse range of communities grouped together because they accept the authority of the ancient texts, the Vedas, and of the priestly class of Brahmans. However, we will also survey two important ancient communities, the Jains and the Buddhists, which rejected these authorities, and developed independently, the latter eventually spreading out across Asia, and becoming one of the world's largest religious communities. We will also look in some detail at Islam, which was brought to South Asia by invaders from the west in the 11th century C.E. and became a major force, particularly in the Indo-Gangetic plain. And we shall look briefly at the relatively small but important community of the Sikhs, which developed in the early sixteenth century.
Although we shall survey these communities independently, we will also take note of the ways in which they interact, and consider how they participate in, and also contribute to, shared values of South Asian culture.
Course Requirements:
1 Quizzes: There will be six quizzes aimed at testing the student's knowledge of basic terms and ideas. Each quiz will count for 5 marks towards the final grade. The quizzes will be held at the beginning of the classes on September 14, September 30, October 12, November 4, November 16, December 2..
2 Examinations: There will be two examinations, each worth 15 marks. These will involve essay questions designed to enable the student to explore broader general topics and movements. The first will be a take home exam handed out on October 12 and due on October 21. The second will be held in the exam period.
3 Term paper: A paper of 2000 to 2500 words will be written on a topic selected from a list provided by the instructor, or on a topic developed in consultation with the instructor. The paper will be due on November 23 and will be assigned 40 marks.
4 Textbook: Ainslie Embree, ed., Sources of Indian Tradition, Volume One (2nd ed.)
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Introduction to the course; The Indus Valley Civilization
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The Vedas (Embree 7-28)
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The Upanishads (E 29-39)
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The Jains (E 41-92)
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Video: "Buddhism: The Middle Way of Compassion"
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Early and Theravada Buddhists (E 93-152)
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Buddhism: Mahayana and Vajrayana (E 153-199)
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Classical Hindu orthopraxy: Dharma, Kama, Artha (E 203-233; 234-244; 254-260)
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The Bhagavadgita (E 276-295)
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Video: "India: Empire of the Spirit"
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Bhakti: major deities (E 319-335; 342-351)
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Bhakti continued (E 261, 351-378)
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Samkhya and Yoga (E 296-307)
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Vedanta (E 308-319)
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Video: "Five Pillars of Islam" (E 383-391)
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Shariah; the Islamic state in India (E 391-446)
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Islamic Mysticism (E 447-489)
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The Sikhs (E 493-510)
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