RELG 231 - Introduction to Hindu Traditions

FC ARHU CD

4 credits
This course introduces the multiple worldviews, ritual practices, performances, texts, and theologies that comprise Hindu traditions. By working closely with primary sources-including texts, films, memoirs, ethnographic accounts of everyday life, and the visual and performing arts-students will become familiar with widely known Hindu concepts (e.g., dharma, karma, caste, and bhakti) and prominent and lesser-known deities (e.g., Shiva, Krishna, Durga, and Santoshi Ma) as they have been variously interpreted and experienced by Hindus and non-Hindus in different social, historical, and regional contexts, from South Asia to North America. Questions about the boundaries of Hindu identity in relation to histories of imperialism and globalization will animate our engagement with course materials.