Introduction to World Religions (REL 105)

Fall 2004

MW 1:10—2:30

professors: Joel Kaminsky Andy Rotman

offices: Wright Hall 126 Pierce Hall 004

office hours: MW 2:40—3:20; T 11—noon MW 4:10—5:00 or by apt.

office phones: x3608 x3348

emails: jkaminsk@smith.edu arotman@smith.edu

REQUIREMENTS

•Finish the assigned readings on time!

•Attend class regularly and participate in class discussions.

This will count for 10% of your grade.

•Identification of Terms for Hinduism and Buddhism

There will be a quiz in class on Wednesday, October 6^th. If we are pressed for time, however, it will be distributed in class on that day and due in our boxes on Thursday, October 7^th at 4 pm. There will be a 50-minute time limit on the quiz. It will count for 20% of your grade.

•Paper Assignment (5 pages, double-spaced, and in 12 point font)

A topic for this paper will be distributed in class on Wednesday, November 17^th. Drafts of these papers must be peer-reviewed or submitted to the Jacobson Center for comments. Both the reviewed draft and final paper (clipped together) will be due in our boxes on Tuesday, November 23^rd at 4 pm. It will count for 25% of your grade.

•Ethnographic Paper (5 pages, double-spaced, and in 12 point font)

This paper will introduce, describe, and analyze a contemporary religious practice. Students will visit a site of religious activity, record the details of a ritual event, and then relate these observations back to the course. Additional information about these papers will be distributed later in the semester. They are due in our boxes on Monday, December 20^th. It will count for 25% of your grade.

•Two Reaction Papers (1—2 pages, double-spaced, and in 12 point font)

These papers should demonstrate a thoughtful and rigorous engagement with the material. These will be graded on a Ã+, Ã, Ã- system, corresponding roughly to an A/A-, B+/B, and B-/etc. These will count for 20% of your grade.

You may choose from the following options:

REQUIRED READING

Barbara Stoller Miller, trans. The Bhagavad Gita. Penguin Books, 1986.

The HarperCollins Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha/ Deuterocanonical Books. General editor, Wayne A. Meeks. Associated Editors, Jouette M. Bassler, et al. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1993.

Source Book. (=SB)

•texts are available at Grécourt Bookshop, 585—4140

•the source book is available at Paradise Copies, 30 Crafts Avenue, 585—0414

WEEK 1 (9/8)

i. Introduction

WEEK 2 (9/13, 9/15)

i. Hinduism: The Bhagavad Gita (lecture by Andy Rotman)

•J. A. B. van Buitenen, trans. The Mahabharata: 1, The Book of the Beginning. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 1973.

"The Mahabharata Introduction: The Central Story," pp. xiii—xvi (SB)

•Barbara Stoller Miller, trans. The Bhagavad Gita. Penguin Books, 1986.

"Introduction–The Bhagavad Gita: Context and Text," pp. 1—13

supplementary readings

•R. C. Zaehner, trans. The Bhagavad Gita. New York: Oxford University Press, 1973.

chapter introductions (SB)

optional background reading

•Subash Mazumdar. Who is Who in the Mahabharata? Bombay: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, 1990.

"Arjuna," pp. 18—24 (SB)

•A. L. Basham. In The Concise Encyclopaedia of Living Faiths, edited by R. C. Zaehner. Boston: Beacon Press, 1959.

"Hinduism," pp. 225—261 (SB)

ii. Hinduism: The Bhagavad Gita (lecture by Andy Rotman)

•Barbara Stoller Miller, trans. The Bhagavad Gita. Penguin Books, 1986.

The Third Teaching—The Ninth Teaching, pp. 41—87

WEEK 3 (9/20, 9/22)

i. Hinduism: The Bhagavad Gita (lecture by Andy Rotman)

•Barbara Stoller Miller, trans. The Bhagavad Gita. Penguin Books, 1986.

The Tenth Teaching—The Eighteenth Teaching, pp. 89—154

ii. Hinduism: The Path of Devotion (guest lecture by Vrindavana-dasa Thakura-dasa)

note: readings to be announced

WEEK 4 (9/27, 9/29)

i. Buddhism: A Modern American Buddhist Ritual (lecture by Peter Gregory)

•Bernard Glassman and Rick Fields. Instructions to the Cook. A Zen Master’s Lessons in Living a Life that Matters. New York: Bell Tower, 1996.

Preparing the Supreme Meal to Feed all Hungry Ghosts, 1—5 (SB)

ii. Buddhism: Basic Buddhist Teachings (lecture by Peter Gregory)

•Rupert Gethin. The Foundations of Buddhism. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.

"Four Truths: The Disease, the Cause, the Cure, the Medicine," pp. 59—84 (SB)

"The Buddhist Cosmos: The Thrice-Thousandfold World," pp. 112—132 (SB)

WEEK 5 (10/4, 10/6)

i. Buddhism: Hungry Ghosts and Buddhist Cosmology (lecture by Peter Gregory)

•Stephen Teiser. In The Ghost Festival in Medieval China. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1988.

The Ghost Festival, pp. 1—5 (SB)

•Victor Mair, trans. Tun-huang Popular Narratives. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press.

•Charles Orzech, trans. Adapted from Religions of India in Practice. Edited by Donald S. Lopez, Jr. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996.

ii. Buddhism: Tradition, Transformation, and Modernism (lecture by Peter Gregory)

•Chogyam Trungpa. In The Essential Chogyam Trungpa. Edited by Carolyn Gimian. Boston and London: Shambhala Books, 1999.

"The Five Buddha Families," pp. 162—170

WEEK 6 (10/11, 10/13)

i. no class–Fall Break

ii. to be announced

WEEK 7 (10/18, 10/20)

i. Judaism: The Exodus Narrative (lecture by Joel Kaminsky)

•timeline of important dates in Jewish history (SB)

•The HarperCollins Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha/ Deuterocanonical Books. General editor, Wayne A. Meeks. Associated Editors, Jouette M. Bassler, et al. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1993.

Exodus, chapters 1—15

ii. Judaism: Israel Receives the Torah (lecture by Joel Kaminsky)

•The HarperCollins Study Bible

Exodus, chapters 19—24

Leviticus, chapter 11

10/22 at 4:30 pm in the Earle Recital Hall:

workshop with the Yuval Ron Ensemble on sacred music of the Middle East

WEEK 8 (10/25, 10/27)

i. Judaism: Reading with the Rabbis (lecture by Joel Kaminsky)

We will examine various rabbinic excerpts from the SB and look at the types of interpretation employed within the Haggadah (also found in the SB). Please glance through the following materials:

•Inner-Biblical Midrash.

Compare Leviticus 19:19 to Deut 22:9—11 in The HarperCollins Study Bible

Compare Exodus 22:29—30 to Exodus 13:11—16 in The HarperCollins Study Bible

Compare 2 Samuel 24:1 to 1 Chronicles 21:1 in The HarperCollins Study Bible

•Excerpts from The Soncino Classics Collection (CD ROM). Davka Corporation, 1991—1996. Electronic version of text originally printed by Soncino Press.

•The Mekilta de-Rabbi Ishmael, vol. 2. Translated by Jacob Lauterbach. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1933.

•Excerpts from The Soncino Classics Collection (CD ROM). Davka Corporation, 1991—1996. Electronic version of text originally printed by Soncino Press.

•Nahum N. Glatzer, ed. The Schocken Passover Haggadah (with Hebrew and English translation on facing pages). Introduction and commentary based on the commentaries of E. D. Goldschmidt. New York: Schocken, 1996.

Excerpts, pp. 24—59 (SB)

ii. Judaism: The Passover Haggadah (lecture by Lois Dubin)

•Nahum N. Glatzer, ed. The Schocken Passover Haggadah (with Hebrew and English translation on facing pages). Introduction and commentary based on the commentaries of E. D. Goldschmidt. New York: Schocken, 1996.

Excerpts, pp. 5—97 (SB)

WEEK 9 (11/1, 11/3)

i. Christianity: The Gospel according to St. Luke (lecture by Carol Zaleski)

•The HarperCollins Study Bible

The Gospel according to St. Luke, Chapters 1—24

•Sigrid Undset. Christmas and Twelfth Night. Translated by E. C. Ramsden. New York and Toronto: Longmans, Green and Company.

"Christmas and Twelfth Night," pp. 1—31 (SB)

ii. Christianity: The Paschal Mystery (lecture by Carol Zaleski)

•Christian creeds (SB)

•The Gregorian Missal for Sundays: Notated in Gregorian Chant by the Monks of Solesmes. Solesmes: Abbaye Saint-Pierre, 1990.

The Easter Vigil, pp. 323—355 (SB)

•The Harrowing of Hell, from an ancient Greek homily included in the Liturgy of the Hours for Holy Saturday (SB)

WEEK 10 (11/8, 11/10)

i. Christianity: Faith Seeking Understanding (lecture by Carol Zaleski)

•Saint Anselm. St. Anselm’s Proslogion with A Reply on behalf of the Fool by Gaunilo and the Author’s Reply to Gaunilo. Translated, with and introduction and philosophical commentary, by M. J. Charlesworth. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1979.

Excerpts, pp. 111—121, 152—155 (SB)

ii. Christianity: Jesus of Montreal

Screening: Jesus of Montreal. Written and directed by Denys Arcand. 119 minutes. In French with English subtitles. NY: Orion Home Video, 1991.

note: We will begin the movie at 12:15.

WEEK 11 (11/15, 11/17)

i. Islam: Introduction to Islam and the Quran (lecture by Dan Brown)

•The Meaning of the Holy Quran. Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali. Beltsville, MD: Amana Publications.

Excerpts, pp. 14—15, 414—435, 1376—1385, 1672—75, 1686—88 (SB)

ii. Islam: The Prophet Muhammad (lecture by Dan Brown)

•The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah. With an introduction and notes by A. Guillaume. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1955.

Excerpts, pp. 3—6, 69—87, 104—107, 155, 112—121 (SB)

note: paper assignment distributed

WEEK 12 (11/22, 11/24)

i. no class–American Academy of Religion Conference

11/23: paper assignment due

ii. no class–Thanksgiving Break

WEEK 13 (11/29, 12/1)

i. Islam: Sufism (lecture by Dan Brown)

•Farid Ud-Din Attar. The Conference of the Birds (Mantiq Ut-Tair). Rendered into English from the literal and complete French translation of Garcin de Tassy by C. S. Nott. London: The Janus Press, 1954.

Excerpts, pp. 11—24, 32—33, 44—46, 128—133 (SB)

•Paul Losensky and Michael Sells, trans. In Early Islamic Mysticism-Sufi, Qur'an, Mi'raj, Poetic and Theological Writings. Classics of Western Spirituality Series. Edited by Michael Sells. New York: Paulist Press, 1996.

•Eric Shroeder, trans. In Anthology of Islamic Literature. Edited by James Kritzeck. New York: New American Library, 1969.

"Al-Hallaj: The Crucifixion of a Mystic," pp. 96—104 (SB)

ii. to be announced

WEEK 14 (12/6, 12/8)

i. "Santería" (regla ocha/ Lucumí) (lecture by Elizabeth Pérez)

•Robert A. Voeks. Sacred Leaves of Candomblé: African Magic, Medicine, and Religion in Brazil. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1997.

Excerpt, p. 3 (SB)

•Michael Mason. Living Santería: Rituals and Experiences in an Afro-Cuban Religion. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2002.

Excerpt, pp. 4—9 (SB)

•Luis Manuel Nuñez. Santería: A Practical Guide to Afro-Caribbean Magic. Woodstock: Spring Publications, 1992.

Excerpt, pp. 7—9 (SB)

•Raul Canizares. Walking with the Night: The Afro-Cuban World of Santería. Rochester: Destiny Books, 1993.

Excerpt, p. 52 (SB)

•Miguel Ramos. In Santería Aesthetics in Contemporary Latin American Art. Edited by Arturo Lindsay. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1996.

"Afro-Cuban Orisha Worship," pp. 56—74 (SB)

•David H. Brown. Santería Enthroned: Art, Ritual, and Innovation in an Afro-Cuban Religion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.

Excerpt, pp. 242—250 (SB)

ii. "Santería" (regla ocha/ Lucumí) (lecture by Elizabeth Pérez)

•David H. Brown. Santería Enthroned: Art, Ritual, and Innovation in an Afro-Cuban Religion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.

Excerpt, pp. 179—189 (SB)

Miscellaneous color plates (inserted between pp. 244—245)

note: These will be emailed to the class.

•Ysamur Flores-Peña and Roberta J. Evanchuk. Santería Garments and Altars: Speaking Without a Voice. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1994.

Excerpts, pp. 7—11, 27—38 (SB)

optional

WEEK 15 (12/13)

i. Final Roundup and Discussion

12/20: ethnographic paper due