What: Religions of
When: MWF 8:00-8:50am
Where: HSSB 1231
Instructor: Aaron Ullrey (aaron-ullrey@umail.ucsb.edu)
Office: HSSB 3084 Office Hours: Tuesday 10:30-11:30;
Wednesday 10:00-11:00
How to contact me:
Please
use my email listed above. If you must
leave a phone message, call the Religious Studies office (805) 893-7136; this number is not a conversation
number: it is a message line. I expect
all communication to be professional and polite, and I will extend the same
courtesy to you.
Description of Course:
The religions of
The course will
begin with an exploration of the complex interactions during the ancient era
(1500-200 BCE), during which time reform-minded Jainas and Buddhists competed
against orthodox Brahmanism. In the
classical age (200 BCE-550 CE) Mahayana Buddhism emerged with a new vision of
religiosity and competed with nascent Saivism/Vaisnavism and Puranic
Hinduism. The medieval era (550-1300 CE)
witnessed widespread religious innovation and diffusion of political power,
Tantrism (found within all religions) conflicted with orthodox Saivism/Vaisnavism,
and Buddhism began its decline in
Religious
competition was constant throughout Indian history, but other themes than
religious competition characterized everyday experience throughout these
periods. Religious traditions blended to
create the diverse texture of places.
Many villages contain multiple religious sites and sites claimed by
multiple religious traditions.
Monasteries are integrated into the religious economies of the
surrounding laity. Holy men are often
claimed by rival traditions, sometimes those very men encouraged this by
maintaining multiple religious identities.
No previous
knowledge of Indian religions or history is required for the course. Mid-term and final exams will assess
student’s grasp of major historical changes and the details of the religious
traditions. Students will write two
7-page research papers comparing overlaps between multiple religious
traditions, diversity within one religious tradition, or surrounding a sacred
locality. Research papers may use
in-class materials; external research is required but it need not be
extensive. Students papers will be
assessed regarding--in the following order--successful argumentation,
organization, style, and grammar/mechanics.
Reading Materials for
the Course
Books
for
Gold, Anne. Fruitful Journeys.
Lopez, Donald ed. Religions of Indian
in Practice. Princeton:
Narayanan, Vasudha. Hinduism: Origins - Beliefs - Practices -
Holy Texts - Sacred Places.
Mehta, Gita. The River Sutra.
Thapar, Romila. Early
Selected
readings available on-line:
Cohen, Richard S. “Nāga, Yakṣiṇī, Buddha:
Local Deities and Local Buddhism at
Mandelbaum, David G. “Transcendental and
Pragmatic Aspects of Religion.” American
Anthropologist. New Series, Vol. 68,
No. 5. (Oct., 1966), pp. 1174-1191.
Available on JSTOR
S. W. Jamison and M. Witzel. “Vedic
Hinduism.” www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~witzel/vedica.pdf
Schopen, Gregory, “Immigrant Monks and
the Protohistorical Dead: The Buddhist Occupation of Early Burial Sites in
Grading:
Students’
grades will be determined based on writing (40%), exams (40%), and class
attendance/participation (20%). The
first paper will be worth 10% of the grade and the second will be worth 30% of
the grade.
Assignments:
Two
formal papers (7 pages each) are required.
All papers are to be written in 12-point font, double-spaced, with
standard one-inch margins, and full MLA citations and bibliography. On the day of the final students will submit
a portfolio consisting of the two papers with substantial revisions.
All
students are required to attend in-class writing workshop sessions for the
formal papers (it is strongly recommended you do not miss these classes). Students will bring multiple copies (likely
three) for use in their writing groups.
Additional short papers may be assigned at instructor’s discretion. Peer editing is the most important part of
this class; to miss a peer editing session is to incur the wrath of the
instructor and to have a significant drop in grade.
Students
will take weekly reading quizzes that will affect the attendance/participation
portion of their grade. These quizzes
will not assess whether the students have done the reading or not; the quizzes
will assess the thoroughness of the students’ reading.
Attendance:
I
take class attendance seriously. Three
absences, for any reason, are permitted without any penalization. Realize that this is a ten-week course and
three absences is an entire week of class missed. This course is based on both lecture and
discussion, to understand the material a student needs the benefit of both
components. If a student misses more
than three absences, that student will meet with the instructor and the
situation will be discussed and actions will be taken (depending on the
severity of absenteeism, ranging from lowered grades to failing of the
course). Tardiness is inexcusable, if a
pattern of lateness develops there will be private discussion with the
instructor and actions will be taken.
Policy Statement
Regarding Plagiarism:
All assignments handed in must represent a student's own work. Plagiarism is a
serious offense, and will be dealt with accordingly. If you use the words or ideas of others
without proper citation of your source, you may be suspended or expelled from
the university. I take this very seriously, and if I suspect you have included
any amount of material from uncredited sources, I will investigate vigorously.
NOTE: If you are student
with a documented disability and would like to discuss special academic
accommodations, please contact me during office hours. Also, if you are an ESL student, please
discuss this with me; if you do not self-advocate, I cannot help you. I take these accommodations very seriously
and will do my best to help you.
Understand that I understand the hardships of writing in a foreign
language, since most of my own graduate work involves me learning archaic,
Asian languages.
Day One--Welcome to the Class (Friday, September
28)
F--Welcome
Read Through Syllabus. Discuss Class Topics.
Be Prepared to Discuss What is Hinduism?
Read: Narayanan, Hinduism, entire book
Week 1--October 1-5
M--What Is
Hinduism ?
Discuss
definitions of Hinduism. Generate a definition of Hinduism.
Discuss
key terms, historical periods, and genres of literature.
Sanskrit
Alphabet/Diacritical Marks
Read:
Cort (RIP), Jain Questions and Answers, 598-608
Granoff
(RIP), Jain Stories Inspiring Renunciation 412-417
Mehta,
1-42
Thapar,
“Land Scapes and Peoples,” 37-68
W --What is
Jainism? What is Buddhism?
The
Story of Buddhism/The Four Noble Truths
The
Story of Jainism/Materialist Karma
Renunciation
Contrast
Buddhism and Jainism
Read:
Mehta, 42-98
Asani
(RIP), In Praise of Muhammad, 159-186
McLeod
(RIP), The Order for Khālsā Initiation, 321-325
F --What is
Sikhism? What is Islam in
Basic
Tenets of Islam/History of Islam
Islam/Pakistan
What
is Sikhism? Basic Tenets and History
Prepare
for Veda Section (What are Vedas?)
Read:
Jamison and Witzel, Entire [What was the value of Vedic religion to the
Brahmins?]
Thaper,
29-36 [Note her periodization of history]
Thaper,
“Antecedents,” 69-98 (optional, skim)
Week
2--October 8-12--Brahmanism
M--Vedas,
Vedism, popular Vedic religion.
What
does Vedic mean? How do the Vedas relate
to Hinduism?
What
is Brāhmaṇa culture? Ritual
in the Vedas.
Discuss
Jamison and Witzel, and how to read hard academic articles
Read:
Thapar, “Toward Chiefdoms and Kingdoms,” 98-136
W--Vedic History
History
of Vedas and Vedic Religion through the Mauryas;
Continue
discussion of folk religion in the Vedas; Details of Vedic Ritual
Read:
Ollivelle (RIP), “Ascetic Withdrawal or Social Engagement” 533-546
F--Asceticism
and Renunciation
Philosophy
in the Vedas. Renunciation as an
institution.
Heesterman’s
model of sacrifice and ritual.
Read:
[Think about religion in a place, or even as a place. Where and what is
Cohen,
“Nāga, Yakṣiṇī, Buddha: Local Deities and Local Buddhism
at
Thapar
137-174
Week
3--October 15-19--Buddhism/Jainism
M--Buddhism and
Culture
What
is the Sangha? What is the
Laity/Clerical distinction? How are
popular and elite religious groups in contact in Buddhism? Mahayana vs.
Hinayana?
Read: [Specific appeal of Buddhism/Jainism]
Thapar
200-208, 234-244, 245-280.
W--Buddhism and
Jainism in History.
What
was the critique of Brahmanism advanced by these religions? Why was it appealing in this particular
moment? Discuss this historical time
period.
Read:
[Religion as Place]
Schopen,
“Immigrant Monks and the Protohistorical Dead,” 360-381
Ernst
(RIP),
F--Religions of
the place and particular economy.
Discuss
and contrast Schopen and Cohen. What is
the importance of land and economy to religions in
Discuss
Paper
Read:
[What is an empire? How does this time
period contrast with the previous?]
Thapar,
“Threshold Times” 280-326
Cort
(RIP), “The Rite of Veneration of Jina Images,” 326-323
Hudson
(RIP), “How to Worship as Śiva’s
Rabe
(RIP), Royal
Week
4--October 22-26--Gupta Era
M--What
is the Gupta era?
Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism in “The
Golden Age.”
What are the epics? When do
Read:
Work on paper! [Read
Mandelbaum carefully, figure out his theory.
Apply Mandelbaum to the other articles.
What is the religious affiliation of the topics of the three articles?]
Mandelbaum,
David G, “Transcendental and Pragmatic Aspects of Religion.” 1174-1191
White (RIP), “Predicting the
Future with Dogs,” 288-303
Hermansen
(RIP), “Women’s Celebration of Muḥammad’s Birth,” 367-374
Lewis
(RIP), “The power of Mantra” 227-234
W--Transcendental
vs. Pragmatic Religion.
Mandelbaum’s Paradigms. What is Village Hinduism/Pilgrimage?
Introduction to reading ethnography.
No
F--Peer-Editing
Read: Edit Final Draft of Paper! [What can ethnography teach us about history
and about the religious material we have already examined?]
Gold, Fruitful
Journeys, 1-58
Harlan (RIP), “Women’s Songs for
Auspicious Occaisions,” 269-280
Stewart (RIP),
“Ṣaṣṭhī Potects Children,” 352-366
Week 5--October 29-Noveber 2--Post-Guptas
M--Pragmatic rituals in everyday life. Paper #1 Due
How do we study village religion? What does it teach us?
Discuss use contemporary ethnography to
elucidate medieval situations.
Read: [Bring together Gold, Mandelbaum,
and the Stewart Articles. Apply
theories]
Thapar 326-404 (Skim; Understand Briefly
the History of
Sterwart (RIP), “Encountering the
Smallpox Goddess” 389-398
W--Overview of
Continue Discussion of Village
Hinduism. Review for Midterm.
No
F--Midterm--Good luck, you will all do
great!
Read: [Note the major kingdoms and
rulers; changes in geographic locations of power]
Thapar, “The Politics of
Week 6--November 5-9-- Get Medieval
M--Medieval
Political Context/Regionalism
Decline of the Guptas
Regionalization of kingdoms and power
structures. Review major political
changes.
Read: [Contrast new modes of
religion. How do various groups adapt to
changing era? What is Bhakti? What does mortality have to do with this
era? Recall early materials on the dead]
Thapar, “
Gold, “Responses to Mortality,” 59-132
Beck (RIP), “Devotional Hymns from the
Sanskrit” 133-144
W--Medieval
Social Instituitions
Bhakti, sectarianism, and big gods:
Kṛṣṇa, Śiva, and Devi.
Religion and care of the dead in medieval
era: innovative or constant?
Read: Davidson (RIP), “Litany of Names of
Mañjuśrī,” 104-125
Lefeber (RIP), “Jain Stories of
Miraculous Power,” 426-433
F--Medieval
Worship and Magic
Have the natures of the deities significantly
changed in this era?
Buddhism, Jainism, and Brahmanism in
medieval times.
Introduction to Tantra.
Read: [How are the activities of
villagers related to tantra?]
Mehta 99-161
Gold, “Dealing with Deities,” 133-189
Week 7--November 12-16--Tantra
M--No
Class. Catch-up and/or read ahead.
W--Polytheism
and Tantra
Village tantra, Yoginīs, deities,
holymen and magic.
Begin planning Second Paper
Read: [What are the different types of
tantra in these articles?]
Davidson (RIP) , “The Bodhisattva
Vajrapāṇī’s Subjugation of Śiva,” 547-555
Brooks (RIP), “Esoteric Knowledge and the
Tradition of the Preceptors,” 609-625
White (RIP), “The
Hayes (RIP), “The Vaiṣṇava
Sahajīya,” 333-351
Saloman (RIP), “Bāul Songs” 187-208
F--Tantra,
tantras, and tāntrikas;
What is Tantra? The six-magical
acts. Pragmatic Religion.
Introduction to Bhakti.
Read: [Generate a description of Bhakti
and the different modes of Bhakti]
Mehta, 162-200
Gold, “Sinking Flowers,” 190-240
Sterwart (RIP), “The exemplary Devotion
of the “Servant of Hari,” 564-577
Stewart (RIP), “The Rescue of Two Drunkards,”
375-388
Gold (RIP), “Mother Ten’s Stories,”
434-448
Delmonico (RIP), “How to Partake in the
Love of Kṛṣṇa” 244-268
Richman, “Tamil Songs to God as Child,”
209-226
Week 8--November 19-23--Bhakti and Villages
M--The
Post-Medieval Era and Bhakti
Bengali Bhakti, Rajasthani Bhakti, Tamil
Bhakti
Discussion of the politics in Bhakti
Historical outline of Bhakti
No
reading. Work on paper!
W--Peer-editing
Read: [Edit final draft! Look for the way religions blend.]
Mehta 201-282
Ernst (RIP), “Lives of Sufi Saints”
495-512
Ernst (RIP), “Conversations of Sufi
Saints,” 513-517
Mir (RIP), “The Teachings of Two Punjabi
Poets,” 518-532
F-No
Class
Week 9--Noevember 26-30--Islam, Sikhism, and
hybrid religious Cultures
M--Indigenous
Indian Islam. Paper #2 Due!
Shia and Sufi Islam in
Cults of Saints.
Read: [How do the three articles show
different aspects of Sikh culture?]
McLeod (RIP), The Life of Guru Nanak,
449-461
McLeod (RIP), The Order for
Khālsā Initiation, 321-326 (Review) McLeod (RIP), Sikh Hymns to the
Divine Name, 126-132
W--Sikkhism
History of Sikh traditions and major Sikh
religious figures
Sikhs in History of
History and Identity in the Panjab
Read: [What do these figures teach us
about religious boundaries in
Stewart (RIP), “Satya Pīr,” 578-597
White (RIP), “The Wonders of
Śrī Mastnāth,” 399-411
Dharwadker (RIP), “Kabir” 77-91
F--Hybrid
Religious Cultures
The role of powerful figures in history
and culture.
What is the frontier? Sufis in the Frontier regions.
Critique of syncretism
Read: [Connect these articles with
previous articles about women and religion.]
Llewellyn (RIP), “The Autobiography of a
Female Renouncer,” 462-463
McDaniel (RIP), “A Holy Woman of
Week 10--Devember 3-7 (Last Week)--Contemporary
Hinduism/Diaspora/Pilgrimage
M--Women
in Contemporary
Sati and Asceticism. Narrative and new religious movements.
Women in the Indian modernity.
Read: [What does the history of Jagannath
and his festivals teach about history]
Eschmann (to be announced)
Gold, “Sweeping the Road Ahead,” 262-307
W--Jagannath
and Diaspora
Pilgriamage
Indian religions in Diaspora--Hanuman,
Jagannatha, and Venkatesvara
Read: [What are the theoretical paradigms
advanced?]
Gold, “Conclusion,” 299-307
Thapar, “Perceptions of the Past,” 1-36
F--History
and the Religions of
What is history? What is religion? How have our ideas changed?
Conflict and co-existence in contemporary
And we conclude.
Read:
Review everything, study hard, make me proud!