A series of classes on theory and ritual in religion will be part of the course. Students will write response papers to each event, and compose one term-end paper reflecting on their experience in Japan. In the first unit of this seminar students read and discuss writings from a variety of different theorists in the academic study of Religion. Texts include William Paden's Interpreting the Sacred and Dale Cannon's Six Ways of Being Religious. A series of three hour lecture-discussions on such topics as the History of India, Medieval and Colonial India, Hindu Gods and Goddesses, the Upanishads and the Gita, Ayurveda, Bhakti, Folk Cults and Hindu Festivals.
Students write regular papers in response to the lectures.
Students doing the course for four credits must complete an independent research topic and write an additional term paper. An intensive 10-week series of lectures, workshops and field trips designed to introduce students to the Religion and Culture of India. Lectures on, and visits to, the Gandhian Peace Foundation, the Taj Mahal, the Tibetan community in Bylakuppe, the Jain center in Sravanabelagola, Sufi and Sikh sites in New Delhi, Buddhist centers at Bodh Gaya and Hindu sites in Varanasi, among others. A thematic exploration of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Field trips include visits to St. George's monastery, Qumran, the Wailing Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Israeli Museum, Synagogues, the Mount of Olives and the Via Dolorosa among others.