Religion: Introducing Hinduism

Introduction to some of the major topics and themes in Hindu religious traditions, tracing their development from Vedic times to the present day.

Asynchronous online

We are here to ask - and likely not fully answer - these course questions: What is Hinduism? How do we make sense of a multilingual, transregional, transnational, and pluralistic set of traditions as one cogent whole? Should we? This course is designed to introduce students to some of the major topics and themes in the study of religion, Hindu religious traditions and to trace their development over time. Special emphasis will be placed on the diversity that characterizes both classical and contemporary Hinduism, and which is articulated across and reflected in a broad spectrum of textual traditions, ritual expressions, and social practices. This introductory course asks questions about Hinduism in ways that are consistent with contemporary methods and theories of the study of religion, preparing students to apply what they learn to other religion courses and other religious traditions. We will use traditional scholarship (peer-reviewed books and articles), public- facing scholarship (podcasts, digital essays, open-access pieces), and popular media (films, cartoons, comic books, YouTube, music).

regular attendance, participation, respectful dialog. This is a summertime online course, and so there will be lectures, group discussion, break out rooms, and time for Q&A. Assignments are to be completed before class; sometimes there will be allotted time in class for the completion of work/group work. You should expect 6-8 hours of work for this class per week.

quizzes, reading assessments, final