FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Fall 2013

Transcription

1 FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Fall 2013 RELIGIONS OF INDIA [REL 3330/5331] EASTERN PHILOSOPHICAL AND RELIGIOUS THOUGHT [PHI 3762] TR, 9:30-10:45 a.m. [+ REL 5331 R, 11:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.] Dr. Nathan Katz Tel.: x3909. Office: DM 305-A. Hours: TR, 8:30-9:15 + RT by appointment. Course Orientation: Description: This course will trace major themes of the religions of India from prehistory right through contemporary times. Both indigenous Indian traditions ( Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism) and foreign religions in India (Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Islam, Christianity) will be studied, and students will look into classical Indian philosophy and contemporary movements and issues. Goals: Students will learn to identify major themes in the religions of India and to trace these themes from pre-history to contemporary times. Students will trace the development of priestly (brahmanic) and renunciate (shramanic) threads of Hinduism. Students will closely examine such key texts as the Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Gita. Students will be introduced to classical Indian philosophies Samkhya-Yoga, Vedanta, Mimamsa, Nyaya-Vaisesika and how they understand the nature of the Self and Liberation. Students will become familiar with the three major theisms of Hinduism Shiva, Vishnu and the Goddess, By focusing on four extrinsic religions in India (Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Islam, Christianity), students will understand the cultural moorings that made these religions Indian. Students will learn to contextualize modern and contemporary religious movements in India, developing an appreciation of their continuity with and innovations on classical themes. Textbooks Prabhavananda & Manchester, trs., The Upanishads: Breath of the Eternal B. S. Miller, trans., The Bhagavad Gita: Krishna's Counsel in Time of War W. Rahula, What the Buddha Taught Articles (available on moodle click on REL 3330 & REL 5331 & PHI 3762)

2 Film notes, India Empire of the Spirit Film notes, The Fourth Stage From A. L. Basham, The Wonder That Was India From K. M. Sen, Hinduism D. Frawley, The Myth of the Aryan Invasion of India R. P. Nanavati, "Jainism" Ashoka s edicts N. Katz and E. Goldberg, "Asceticism and Caste in the Passover Observances of the Cochin Jews" J. Vellian, "The Jewish Christian Community in India" J. Lawton, "Islam in Central and South Asia" K. Singh, "Sikhism" T 8-27 Introduction; basic concepts Basham 1-9; Sen R 8-29 Film: India Empire of Film notes the Spirit T 9-3 Indus Valley Civilization Basham 1044; Sen R, 9-5 NO CLASS Rosh Hashanah R 9-10 Vedic worldview and a controversy Basham ; Frawley; Sen T 9-12 Caste system then and now Sen 27-31; Baird, T 9-17 Upanishads Basham ; Sen 53-57, entire Upanishads R, 9-19 Renunciation Film: The Fourth Stage Film notes; Basham 245=58; Sen T 9-24 Upanishads Entire Upanishads R 9-26 T, 10/1 Jainism Film notes; Basham Sen R 10-3 Jainism Nanavati; Basham T 10-8 Modern Jainism Guest: Samani Unnata Pragya R Buddhism Basham ; Rahula xv-66 T Buddhism Rahula 67-78, ; Ashoka R MIDTERM -- EXAMINATION T Bhagavad Gita Miller entire; Sen R Bhagavad Gita Miller

3 T Yoga Basham ; Sen R Vaishnavism FIRST ESSAY DUE 5 pm Basham ; Sen 58-62, T 11-5 Shaivism Basham R 11-7 Goddess Basham T Indian Jews Katz & Goldberg R Indian Christians Basham ; Vellian T Indian Muslims Lawton; Sen R Sikhs Singh T Bengali Renaissance Sen R NO CLASS Thanksgiving T 12/3 Gandhi View film, Gandhi on your own R 12-5 Sun 12-8 Hinduism in America OPTIONAL SECOND ESSAY DUE, 5 pm -- Week of 12-9 FINAL EXAMINATION

4 Course requirements: 1. There will be two multiple choice examinations a midterm in class on 10/17 and a final during exam week (TBA). Each counts 33% of the course grade. 2. There is one required 1,000-word essay, to be submitted on Turnitin by 5 p.m. on It will explore the nature of the self/self according to one of the following: Upanishad (pick one Upanishad text), Advaita of Shankara, Jainism, early Buddhism, Samkhya-Yoga. You must consult a standard word on Indian philosophy (Dasgupta, Frauwallner, Potter, etc.) and at least one source from the Encyclopedia of Religion or Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Counts for 33% of course grade. Extra credit: 1. Students have the option of writing a second, 1,000 essay, sur on 12-8 at 5 p.m. This essay will focus on either a modern Hindu movement or modern teacher or in a issue confronting the contemporary Hindu world. This essay may count for 33% of the course grade; of the four assignments (two examinations and two essays), the one with the lowest grade will be dropped. 2. Students may attend and write a 2-page report on any event sponsored by the Program in the Study of Spirituality. For a list of events, see spirituality.fiu.edu or facebook.com/spiritualityfiu Each write up will give one or two points added to your course grade. Course Regulations and Expectations: ATTENDNCE is essential, as is punctuality. Students are strongly discouraged from joining this class after the first class meeting. READINGS must be completed by the date for which they are assigned. Careful preparation of readings is essential for success in this course! ALL WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS are due via by the time and dates indicated. I recommend you register immediately: go to turnitin.com (select New Users if you are new to the site) and Enroll in the REL 3330 or PHI 3762 section with enrollment ID and password dharma. In the interest of fairness, deadlines are firm and will not be extended except in case of extreme and documented emergencies. Late assignments without authorized extensions will not be accepted. Keep copies of all written work. For your own protection, keep a copy of your turnitin.com electronic receipt until you have received your final grade for the course. STANDARDS for citation and referencing must be adhered to. I recommend MLA style (see and follow the link to MLA style), but any standard format is acceptable as long as

5 you are consistent. All written assignments must be composed using a Standard word processing program, formatted in point standard fonts, and double-spaced. SPELLING, grammar, neatness, clarity, style, organization, etc. all DO count! Poor writing will affect your grade. Strive for clarity and use your computer s spell-check program wisely. RE-WRITE and revise your essays before turning them in; do not ask to do so afterwards. Ask yourself, is this clear? Am I communicating my thoughts well? Would a friend in another class understand what I am saying? PLAGIARISM and any and all forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Plagiarism is stealing someone else s words or original ideas. Plagiarism occurs in two forms: (1) unaccredited quotations (including Words copied from elsewhere but not bracketed by quotation marks and quotations without proper citations and documentation) and (2) unaccredited paraphrases. In both cases, to avoid plagiarism, students must properly cite the source material. Only commonly known facts and concepts, general material learned in the course of research and study, and students original ideas do not require citation. Students found violating standards will fail the course. NOTE: The instructor will abide by the University s policy on religious holy days as stated in the University catalogue and the student handbook, and any student may request to be excused from class to observe a religious holy day of his or her faith. NOTE: The instructor takes very seriously matters of academic dishonesty and plagiarism. Students who violate standards will fail the course and will be reported to the Dean. Attached to this syllabus is a statement which defines plagiarism and academic dishonesty.

6 RIGHT AWAY, PLEASE: 1. Like 2. Sign up for Turnitin: TURNITIN CODE FOR REL TURNITIN CODE FOR REL TURNITIN CODE FOR PHI PASSWORD dharma 3. Readings are on moodle click on REL 3330 & REL 5331 & PHI 3762 SIGN UP IMMEDIATELY, PLEASE