Hindoeisme - inleiding, 2008-2009 - Prospectus

The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the vast scope of Hindu religious traditions in the South Asian Sub-continent, from the earliest time until the present. We will approach our task of becoming familiar with this subject primarily through an examination of the history of several major strands of Hindu thought and practice, and through study of the major doctrines, institutions and rituals of the Hindu world, by means of lectures, reading of secondary works, and examinations of various primary materials in translation.

Objectives

On one level, the goal of this course is for you to become familiar with Hinduism, its history, its cultural and ritual manifestations, and its doctrines and thought. But more generally, more importantly (and no doubt more usefully), I also hope to convey to you some idea of how we might approach and understand cultural and especially religious phenomena radically different from those with which we are familiar. For many of you, this encounter with Hinduism may in fact be the most foreign encounter you have yet had. For others of you it may, on the other hand, be an opportunity to take a look at the familiar in an altogether new and different light. I believe that both types of encounter will prove very productive. Remember: one can only learn what one does not yet know, so the newer and the more ÒforeignÓ the object, the more opportunity there is for learning!

Method of instruction

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Resources

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You are obligated to familiarize yourself with expectations regarding academic honesty. Please make sure that you fully understand what is expected of you in a university setting in terms of your own responsibility for the work you submit. The basic rule is: everything you submit as your own work must be your own work. Where it represents the work of others, even in different words, you must properly credit the source. If you use the exact words of others, they must be presented within quotation marks.

You should know about a fun website called _Bruin Success with Less Stress _located at http://www.library.ucla.edu/bruinsuccess. This is an interactive online tutorial designed to help students understand intellectual property issues and proper citing techniques. Another useful link with some simple exercises is: http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/student/wass/plagiarism_excerise.shtml. Even in our class, in which you won’t refer to materials other than those already assigned for this course, you’ll have to give proper attribution to words and ideas other than your own. That means, any idea which is not your own, even if you have restated it in your own words, must be credited. If you got an idea from your roommate/mom/a blog/another class etc., you must attribute that idea to its source. If you have any doubt, err on the side of over-attribution!

Work which is handed in as your own but does not represent your work will be dealt with strictly.

Finally, if you have some disability, or any condition or situation, of which you would like me to be aware, or have any other concerns, please see me as soon as possible. I would like to meet you and get to know you a bit, so please arrange to come to see me. And after we do meet, let’s make sure that we keep meeting, throughout the term, even if only for a moment or two. This is the only reliable way to make sure that we stay on the same page and share a common understanding of our common project in this class.

Class Schedule

week date topic

September

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I 8 Introduction: The Dimensions of Hinduism

</dir>Topics: Class outline; geographical overview; languages; the Indian world

Objectives: Gain general orientation to the subject

Blackboard Reading:

1.1 On Hinduism and Hinduisms

a) Who decides what is ‘Hinduism’?

b) What is your position as a student to this question?

Textbook Reading: IH: 5-22; CF: 1-28.

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To think about for class_: What are the questions you wish answered this term?

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II 15 The Vedas and their Background

Topics: Indus Valley Civilization; Āryans; Cosmology; Soma, Ṛṣis; caste

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Objectives

**: Gain familiarity with the basic background upon which Hindu traditions are built.</dir></dir></dir></dir>

Blackboard Reading:

2.1 RigVeda Hymns

2.2 Indra Hymn

2.3 Creation Hymns

Textbook Reading: IH: 23-50.

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To think about for class_: Do Vedic visions of creation make sense?

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III 22 Vedic Ritual: Public and Private Fires

Topics: Gods (Agni, Indra); the deathless; later Vedic literature; ritual

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Objectives

**: Understand the role of sacrifice, the status of the gods, and the goals of Vedic religion</dir></dir></dir></dir></dir>

Blackboard Reading:

3.1 Atharvaveda hymns

3.2 Funeral sacrifice

3.3 Oblation

Textbook Reading: IH: 51-74.

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To think about for class_: Can ritual be meaningful even if you don’t believe its mythology?

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IV 29 Internal Fires: The Upani

ṣads; Saṁsāra, Karma and Liberation

Topics: Philosophical reflections on, and extensions of, Vedic tradition

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Objectives

**: Become familiar with the basic ideology of the Upaniṣads and fundamental Hindu ideas</dir></dir></dir></dir></dir>

Blackboard Reading:

4.1 Br

̥hadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad

4.2 Upanishads Overview

Textbook Reading: IH: 75-102; 224-249.

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To think about for class_: Do Upaniṣadic ideas of the relation between human and god make sense to outsiders?

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October

V 6 Challenges to Orthodoxy: Renunciant Traditions and the ÒStages of LifeÓ

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Topics

**: Yoga; non-traditional forms of religious practice; interaction with the substrate**
Objectives

**: Understand alternative modes of practice and cultivation

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Blackboard Reading:

5.1 Ascetic Withdrawl or Social Engagement

5.2 Asrama

5.3 Householder Tradition

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To think about for class_: Is a non-renunciant religious life as meaningful as renunciation?

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VI 13 Epic Hinduism: The _Mahābhārata _and The _Rāmāya

ṇa

Topics: Epic mythology; Rāma; the place of the epics

Objectives: Learn the outlines of the Epic stories and their importance

Blackboard Reading:

6.1 Mahābhārata Summary

6.2 Rāmāya

ṇa

6.3 The Sanskrit Epics

Textbook Reading: IH: 103-127.

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To think about for class_: What kinds of truths can fictional stories tell?

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20 —Break: no class—

VII 27 The _Bhagavad Gītā

Topics: Duty and renunciation; devotionalism

Objectives: Understand the tension between duty, individual ethics and faith

Blackboard Reading:

7.1 _Bhagavad Gītā

7.2 _Bhagavad Gītā _Reading Notes

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To think about for class_: How can faith resolve questions of conflicted responsibilities?

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November

VIII 3 Purā

ṇic Hinduism: The Divine Incarnations of Viṣṇu and Kr̥ṣṇa Legends

Topics: Avatāras; the transformation of Kr̥ṣṇa

Objectives: Recognize the range of forms of Viṣṇu and Kr̥ṣṇa and their roles

Blackboard Reading:

8.1 Avatars

8.3 Krishna Poems

8.4 The Feast of Love

Textbook Reading: IH: 128-147; CF: 29-82; 155-223.

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To think about for class_: How can one practice being devout and faithful?

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IX 10 The Erotic Ascetic Śiva and Bhakti traditions

Topics: Asceticism; Devotional movements; tantra

Objectives: Become familiar with Śaivite religiosity in various forms

Blackboard Reading:

9.1 Vīraśaiva Poems

9.2 Ga

ṇeśa

Textbook Reading: IH: 148-197; CF 83-105.

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To think about for class_: What does it mean to ‘convert’ from one religion to another?

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X 17 Religion in the Village and Temple

Topics: Caste; temple worship; holy days; domestic rituals

Objectives: Learn about non-elite religious practices

Textbook Reading: IH: 198-223; CF: 128-154, 253-261, 291-294.

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To think about for class_: Is there such a thing as high and low religion?

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XI 24 Diaspora Hinduism: To the Netherlands

Topics: Hindoeïsme in Nederland

Objectives: Inzicht krijgen in de geschiedenis en vormen van Hindoeïsme in Nederland

Reading:

Dit artikel is te downloaden via de site van de UB

Brahmanism Abroad: On Caribbean Hinduism as an Ethnic Religion

Peter van der Veer and Steven Vertovec

Ethnology_, Vol. 30, No. 2 (Apr., 1991), pp. 149-166

Published by:

University of Pittsburgh- Of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education

December

XII 1 The Modern Fate of Hinduism, and a Summing Up

Topics: Political Hinduism; BJP and RSS; Islam in India today;

Objectives: Appreciate the role of religion in Modern India

Blackboard Reading:

12.1 ÒThe Rise of Hindu NationalismÓ

Textbook Reading: IH: 250-273. CF: 262-289.

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To think about for class_: What is the place of religion in politics?

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Examination

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Course Requirements and Procedures:

**There are two components of the grade for this class, one dependent upon the other:

1) Final Examination. The date for the exam is December 15, 2008, 14:00-17:00. The re-sit will take place January 19, 2009, 14:00-17:00. We will discuss the format at the appropriate time, but the exam will consist of essays and must be written in English, the language of instruction.

2) There will be 11 (eleven) weekly very short quizzes. [No quiz week one.] These will take place sometime during each lecture. You must hand in at least 9 (nine) of these quizzes, _or _you will not be permitted to take the final examination. The quizzes will constitute 10% of your grade, and will be evaluated either + or – (= +: you are basically right, or -: you have no idea what you are talking about). I will calculate this 10% counting + as 10 and – as 5. (If you complete more than 9 quizzes I will drop the one or two low scores.) These quizzes will assume that you are doing the required reading, but will not require detailed knowledge or mastery of the material.

Required reading

Readings are listed under each week, and include materials from (mostly) primary sources in translation, found posted on the Blackboard site, and in the following two required books:

*1) Gavin Flood, An Introduction to Hinduism (Cambridge University Press): IH *2) C. J. Fuller, The Camphor Flame: Popular Hinduism & Society in India (Princeton University Press): CF

Please download the Blackboard readings and bring them to class on the day for which they are assigned — having first read them of course! ### Admission

No prerequisites

Comments

Evaluation:

This class is an opportunity for you to learn, and each of you will do this in your own way, or ways. There is no Òone size fits all.Ó And this means that what you have learned cannot be evaluated in a Òone size fits allÓ way either. How will what you have learned be evaluated, then?

*
<div align="left">An excellent or superior performer in this course will demonstrate a superior familiarity with the ÒfactsÓ presented in the course, apply relevant interpretative categories with ease, and creatively present arguments for understanding trends and patterns. Work will appropriately utilize relevant terminology, bring forth evocative examples, and draw exciting and stimulating comparisons, going beyond what was covered in assigned materials or class discussions. </div> *
<div align="left">A good performer will demonstrate adequate familiarity with the ÒfactsÓ presented in the course, apply some relevant interpretative categories, and demonstrate an ability to present arguments for understanding trends and patterns. Work will appropriately utilize relevant terminology, present relevant examples, and work at drawing some comparisons. However, fuller explorations are lacking, as is innovation and creativity.</div> *
<div align="left">A minimum performer will demonstrate some familiarity with the ÒfactsÓ presented in the course, apply some interpretative categories, and attempt to present arguments for understanding trends and patterns. Work will utilize some terminology, present examples, and work at drawing some comparisons. However, it will also manifest misunderstandings or errors, miss important or relevant details, and lack comprehensive vision.</div> *
<div align="left">A poor performer will demonstrate inadequate familiarity with the ÒfactsÓ presented in the course, be unable to apply relevant interpretative categories, and be unable to present arguments for understanding trends and patterns. Work will not utilize relevant terminology, present irrelevant examples, and draw no, or irrelevant, comparisons. This performer may also simply restate, even partially or erroneously, given information, without evidence of its comprehension.</div>