This course is part of the following programs:
None
In this course students will be able to:
1. Develop a vocabulary of Sanskrit words that together constitute the central ideas and concepts of Hinduism.
2. Synthesize the Hindu worldview by recognizing, interpreting, and summarizing the key Sanskrit terms that bring Hindu thought to life.
3. Distinguish the Hindu worldview from the paradigms of other world religions and ideologies, through comparison and contrast.
4. Assess the contemporary relevance of Hindu thought in our current day living reality and discuss the practicality of being Hindu today.
5. Examine the genealogy and validity of some of the narratives about Hinduism that represent it as backwards, primitive, ancient, archaic, and obsolete.
What is Hinduism? Is it a religion, a tradition or a family of religions or traditions? Is Hinduism a backward religion, that has no place in our contemporary modernity? Are its ideas obsolete, perhaps appropriate for a bygone ancient era, but no more in our current age? Or is Hindu thought timeless i.e., Sanatana – something that has validity in all times and places?
What does the word “Sanatana” mean? Does it mean static, stuck in the past, unable to progress, except via an intervention from outside? Or does it mean something more dynamic that moves with time, re-inventing, and re-articulating itself time after time? How can each generation access these ideas newly and interpret it for their own time and age?
In contemporary times, following the European Colonization of India, many misconceptions about Hinduism have been set into circulation, that have become ‘received knowledge’ i.e., that are perceived as uncontestable and ‘essential’ features of Hinduism. In this course, as we unfold the central ideas and concepts of Hindu Dharma, we will also address some of these misconceptions.
This course consists of lectures and talks and a facilitated inquiry into the many received ideas about Hinduism. During this course, students will acquire a newfound confidence from the dawning recognition that the Hinduism is quite different from what our received knowledge about it has led us to believe. It will renew their trust in the Hindu worldview and way of life, that has for so long sustained its culture and civilization.
There will be a minimum of 15 contact hours with the faculty during the course, including discussions and debates within the class. This class can be offered in multiple formats, including in the form of weekend workshops as well as quarter-long courses. The class is structured in a way that promotes discussion and debate based on self-study and reflection on the students’ life experience as well as the assigned readings.
During the course, students will be required to take one written test, or submit one short essay. The essays should be based on students’ self- reflection on what they have learnt and assimilated so far, and what has touched and inspired them deeply, as well as what they feel constitutes a way forward for themselves in their own life journey.
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