Fall 2005
Dr. Usha Sanyal

RELG349A

Sykes 220

Monday-Wednesday 12.00-1.15 p.m.

Office Hours: Wednesday 10.00 to 11.00 a.m. and by appointment

Religion is a powerful force in human cultures.  Whether we distance ourselves from religious institutions or embrace them, we cannot avoid the influence of religious ideas, practices, images, language, and values in our daily lives, work, and play.  This is just as true of the Hindus of India as it is of ourselves--perhaps more so, given the pervasiveness of religion and religious activity in India at all social levels.

The goal of this course is to introduce students to the basic historical, conceptual, and ritual dimensions of Hinduism.

At the end of the course, students should 

• be able to identify the major gods and goddesses of Hinduism
• be familiar with the historical development of Hinduism, including its major texts
• be acquainted with the text of the Bhagavad Gita and the issues it raises
• have a basic understanding of Hindu concepts (such as dharma, Brahman/atman, moksha, etc.) 
• have some first-hand "field" experience by visiting a Hindu temple or other place of worship and prayer

After a brief overview, we start by examining the importance of visual images and of seeing the sacred image for oneself.  This focus on the visual aspect of Hinduism should help orient students to a worldview very different from their own.  To quote Diana Eck, "Much that is removed from public view in the modern West and taken into the privacy of rest homes, asylums, and institutions is open and visible in the life of an Indian city or village. ...Whatever Hindus affirm of the meaning of life, death, and suffering, they affirm with their eyes wide open." (Eck, Darsan, 1998, pp. 10-11)

We go on from there to understand the historical and textual dimensions of Hinduism, including early Vedic religion, the importance of dharma and its relationship to the caste system, yoga and renunciation, the worship of Vishnu, Shiva, and the Goddess in their many forms, and the Hindu ritual calendar.  Our guide during this part of the course will be Gavin Flood's An Introduction to Hinduism. In addition, we will study excerpts from the Bhagavad Gita, in an easy-to-follow English translation by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood.

Because the fall season is one in which Hindus celebrate the festivals of Dussehra and Diwali (this year Diwali is on November 1st), we will try to make a fieldtrip visit to the Hindu Center in Charlotte, and perhaps attend other festivities as well, logistics permitting.

The course ends on a questioning note, with the novel Samskara by U. R. Anantha Murthy, which asks what it means to be a Brahman.  Is it an inalienable identity that one is born with and holds onto regardless of how one lives one's life, or is it one that can be forfeited if one flouts the rules of one's caste?  More generally, if Hinduism is defined by what one does rather than what one believes, does nonperformance of ritual duties and indifference to its injunctions cause one to cease to be a Hindu?  We must each decide for ourselves, based on our reading of the book and the knowledge of Hinduism we will have gained over the course of the semester.

Graded Components and Their Value

Midterm Exam: 20%
Final Exam: 30%
Class Participation: 15%
Class Presentation of Book Report: 20%
Quizzes: 10%
Current events: 5%

Grading Scale

(1) Exams

There will be a midterm and a final. Both exams will include an essay (or essays).  Other features could include term definitions, short paragraphs, and a map.  The two exams will together make up 50 percent of the final grade.  The final exam will be partially comprehensive, with one or more questions asking you to comment on concepts and knowledge gained over the entire course.

Note: Make-up exams will only be permitted for a valid reason — serious illness, family emergency, or school-related event.  This can only be granted once.  The make-up exam will be different from the class exam.

A student who fails to take the final exam will receive an F for the course grade.  Exam schedules cannot be moved up just in order to allow a student to get home early for the holidays!

(2) Class Participation

Fifteen percent of your course grade is determined by class participation.  Depending on your performance you may receive a grade from A to F.  A student who never volunteers an answer and whose answer, when called upon, indicates that he or she has not done the reading or is not paying attention will receive an F for his/her participation grade.  Simple attendance in class, while required, isn't enough.

Please ask questions, even "stupid" ones (there's no such thing as a dumb question), raise issues, and participate in discussion.  You'll earn participation points for doing this.

However, please do so without being disruptive!  Please be courteous and thoughtful in your remarks, so we can have a good discussion.

(3) Class Presentations and Book Report

Each student will be responsible for writing a paper, based on a book from the list given below. You will make an oral presentation and also submit a written paper, at least 5 pages in length (typed and double-spaced), but more if needed, by the end of the semester.

Please write your name on a sign-up sheet to indicate which book you are going to present for the oral presentation.  All such presentations have to be made on November 30th and December 5th. I will be handing out written guidelines in class on what you need to include in your book report.  If you would like to consult with me about the paper, please feel free to do so.  Just e-mail me, and we can set up a time to meet and discuss it. 

The written book report is due on Monday, December 5th, in class. (Penalties for late submission are indicated below.)

The presentations will be accompanied by class discussion.

Note: This part of the course carries 20 percent of the final grade.

SUGGESTED LIST OF BOOKS FOR WRITTEN BOOK REPORT:

• Mahabharata, retold by William Buck (this is a long book; two students can team up, each taking a different half)
• Ramayana, retold by William Buck (as above)
• Paul Courtright, Ganesa: Lord of Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings
• David Kinsley, Hindu Goddesses (University of California Press, 1988 paberback edition)
• Rama Mehta, Inside the Haveli (1981) (novel, focus on women's lives)
• The Gita according to Gandhi
• Paula Richman, Many Ramayanas
• Anita Desai, Fasting, Feasting (novel)
• Gandhi, Autobiography
• The Autobiography of a Yogi
• Diana L. Eck, Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras (Penguin, 1993) 

I am open to suggestions about other possibilities, if you want to do something else.  But you MUST clear the book with me first.

PENALTY FOR LATE SUBMISSION:

Late papers without a legitimate excuse will be penalized as follows:

1. 5-point penalty if received on the 1st or 2nd day after the due date (including weekends)
2. 10-point penalty if received on the 3rd, 4th, or 5th day after the due date (including weekends)
3. 15-point penalty if received on the 6th or 7th day after the due date (including weekends)

(4) Quizzes

Quizzes will be given at the beginning of class.  There are no make-up quizzes for students who miss a class or who are late to class.  The quizzes will be objective in nature, covering the main points made by the authors in our textbooks, the major facts, and term definitions.

The lowest score (one quiz) will be dropped before determining the quiz portion of the grade. All quizzes will be worth 100 points.

(5) Current Events

Throughout the semester students will present a current event to the class in a short, five-minute presentation.  Each student will do this twice.  I also require a written summary in which (1) you state the major issue in the article, (2) your response to it, and (3) suggest a possible solution if the issue is a problem.  Students must turn in a copy of the article to me, and indicate its source (name of source, date, page(s), and Internet address, if found on the Internet).  Please use nationally recognized newspaper sources such as the New York Times (www.nytimes.com and in our library), Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com), or The Economist (www.economist.com and in our library).  You are also welcome to use Indian newspaper sources such as the Hindustan Times, Indian Express, Times of India, the Hindu, the Statesman, and others.

Topics can be broadly cultural or religious, and must have some bearing on Hinduism or life in contemporary India.  Given that there are Hindus living in many parts of the world other than India, a story about Hindus in the West or elsewhere is also welcome.

Please write your name on a sign-up sheet to indicate the dates of your Current Events presentations.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

You are expected to attend every class.  However, circumstances sometimes arise which interfere with class schedules.  You are allowed to miss two classes without penalty.  Such absences should not occur consecutively as instructors are required to report students with three or more consecutive absences to the Academic Advisor's Office.  Any unexcused absence after the two just mentioned will result in a 1-point deduction from the student's final total points (out of 100).

In case of a family emergency or the like, please notify me immediately.

INCLEMENT WEATHER/CLASS CANCELLATION

If inclement weather or other emergencies force Queens University to cancel classes, students who live on campus will receive notice via voice mail.  Students who live off campus can call 337-2567 for information regarding class cancellations or postponements. Information will also be posted on the Queens University website (www.queens.edu)

Syllabus Revision

I reserve the right to make changes to the syllabus provided students are given sufficient notice.

QUEENS HONOR CODE

Finally, all of us are expected to abide by the Queens Honor Code at all times.  While this means, among other things, no cheating on quizzes or tests, it also means no plagiarism in your writing.  Violations of the honor code are taken very seriously and may lead to a student's suspension from school.

LIBRARY

You will need to use the library for your book report.  After consulting the library's holdings, you may find that the book you are looking for is not available there and will have to be acquired through interlibrary loan (ILL).  The library will require you to fill in a form to make a loan request.  It usually takes about 10 days to get a book, so plan ahead and make sure you've given yourself enough time before the due date on your report to get the book you need.

The Library desk number is 337-2401. Call if you have questions. 

DISABILITY SERVICES

If you are a student with a verified disability and you require accommodations, please provide me with the necessary memorandum that was given to you by Student Disability Services.

Contact: Sandy Rogelberg, MA, LPC, NCC

Phone: 704-337-2508

E-mail: rogelbes@queens.edu

Textbooks

Required:

• Diana L. Eck, Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India, 3rd edition, Columbia University Press, 1998.
• Gavin Flood, An Introduction to Hinduism, Cambridge University Press, 2004 reprint.
• Bhagavad-Gita: The Song of God, translated by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood, Signet, 2002.
• Anantha Murthy, Samskara: A Rite for a Dead Man (latest edition)