The Religious Traditions of Asia | RELS 255, Exams of World Religions

Download The Religious Traditions of Asia | RELS 255 and more Exams World Religions in PDF only on Docsity! Religious Studies 255 The Religious Traditions of Asia Fall 2006 Professor Mark W. Muesse Religion is a vital dimension of human culture and consciousness. Some have even argued that religion is what most profoundly shapes a society’s values, ethos, art, literature, economics, and politics. Since religion is so important in human life, and because we increasingly encounter persons and cultures with religious views not our own, it is crucial to understand the many varieties of religions in the world. This course is a beginning on that journey to deeper understanding. And it is only a beginning. What is meant by the word "religion" is too varied and too complex for this short course to be anything but a start to an odyssey that can take a lifetime. We will not attempt to assimilate the full range of religious phenomena during this semester; rather, we will sample only a few aspects of a limited number of religious traditions, focusing our attention on the religions of Asia. The goals of this course are far more than simply learning facts and data about Asian religions, although learning the important details is fundamental. Beyond the mere acquisition of data, the study of religion promises to sharpen our skills in the empathetic understanding of difference. And perhaps by learning more about other cultures and traditions we may learn more about ourselves. Says the poet Rudyard Kipling, "What should they of England know who only England know?" Texts and Films Primary Text: John Y. Fenton, et al., Religions of Asia, third edition. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1993. Supplementary Texts: The Upanishads. Trans., Juan Mascaró. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1965. Stephen P. Huyler, Meeting God: Elements of Hindu Devotion. Yale University Press, 1999. Bhagavad Gita: Krishna’s Counsel in Time of War. Trans., Barbara Stoler Miller. New York: Bantam Books, 1986. Michael Carrithers, Buddha: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1983, 1996. Hermann Hesse. Siddhartha. Trans., Hilda Rosner. Toronto: Bantam Books, 1951. Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of Understanding: Commentaries on the Prajñaparamita Heart Sutra. Ed., Peter Levitt. Berkeley, Calif.: Parallax Press, 1988. Confucius, The Analects. Trans., Raymond Dawson. Oxford University Press, 2000. 2 The Daodejing of Laozi. Trans., Philip J. Ivanhoe. New York: Hackett Publication Co Inc., Reprint edition, 2002, 2003. In addition, a collection of required readings is available for purchase in the College Bookstore. Films: Required The following films are also required for the course and are on reserve in DVD at the Barret Library Media Center. “The Altar of Fire” “330 Million Gods” “In the Footprints of the Buddha” “Requiem for a Faith” “A Question of Balance” “Land of the Disappearing Buddha” Recommended These videotaped series can provide excellent supplements to our study of these two religions. They are also available in the Media Center in VHS or for purchase as books, DVD, audio cassette, or CD from http://www.teach12.com. Mark W. Muesse, Great World Religions: Hinduism. Chantilly, VA: The Teaching Company, 2003. Malcolm David Eckel, Great World Religions: Buddhism. Chantilly, VA: The Teaching Company, 2003. Course Requirements Final course grades will be based on these components: • Participation and preparation. It is important that each person come to class adequately prepared, having read the assignments and thoughtfully considered them. The Course Outline details the readings that should be completed prior to class. • 10% Film synopses. You are required to view six films outside of class and write a one page, typed double-space synopsis of each. The synopsis should include a brief summary of the film and a statement indicating what for you was the most interesting, most informative, or most puzzling feature of the film. The synopses will be graded as √+, √, √-, or 0. • 40% Essays. There will be five brief writing assignments on various topics. The assignments follow the Course Outline on this syllabus. Each paper counts 8% of the final grade. • 30% Tests. Two tests covering the lectures, readings, and films for the first and second thirds of the course. The tests comprise objective identification and essay questions. Each 5 FILM SYNOPSIS ON “THE ALTAR OF FIRE” DUE. CLASSICAL HINDUISM 13 September The development of caste and dharma Fenton, Religions of Asia, 40-45a; Selections from “Laws of Manu” (Readings). [Muesse, TTC Lecture 5 and 6] 15 September Samsara and karma Fenton, Religions of Asia, 45b-52. [Muesse, TTC Lecture 4] 18 September Sexuality and gender in the Hindu world Kama Sutra, Parts I, III, IV (Chapter 1), V (Chapter 1) at: http://www.sacred-texts.com/sex/kama/index.htm [Muesse, TTC Lecture 6] 20 September Jñana-yoga Fenton, Religions of Asia, 53-65; Huyler, Meeting God, 232-250. In class film: “Hindu Asceticism” [Muesse, TTC Lecture 8] 22 September The Upanishads and Vedanta Mascaró, The Upanishads, 49-84. [Muesse, TTC Lecture 8] 25 September The Upanishads and Vedanta Mascaró, The Upanishads, 85-143. [Muesse, TTC Lecture 8] 27 September First Test 29 September Bhakti-yoga Fenton, Religions of Asia, 66-68b; Huyler, Meeting God, 10-63. [Muesse, TTC Lecture 9] 2 October Hindu theology Fenton, Religions of Asia, 69a-80; Huyler, Meeting God, 64-155. [Muesse, TTC Lecture 9 and 11] 4 October Hindu theology Huyler, Meeting God, 156-231. FILM SYNOPSIS ON “330 MILLION GODS” DUE. 6 6 October The Bhagavad-gita: On the field of dharma Miller, Bhagavad Gita: Krishna’s Counsel in Time of War, 1-75. In class film clip: “The Mahabharata” [Muesse, TTC Lecture 10] Saturday, 7 October 11:00 AM Field Trip to the India Cultural Center and Temple http://www.icctmemphis.org/ 9 October The Bhagavad-gita: On the field of dharma Miller, Bhagavad Gita: Krishna’s Counsel in Time of War, 77-154. [Muesse, TTC Lecture 10] ESSAY 2 DUE BUDDHISM 11 October An Introduction to Buddhism Fenton, Religions of Asia, 103-107a; Carrithers, Buddha, 1-27. [Eckel, TTC Lecture 1] 13 October The Life of Shakyamuni Buddha Carrithers, Buddha, 28-78. In class film clip: “Little Buddha” [Eckel, TTC Lecture 2] 16 October Fall Recess 18 October The Four Noble Truths Fenton, Religions of Asia, 107a-108a; Carrithers, Buddha, 79-102. [Eckel, TTC Lecture 3] 20 October The Noble Eightfold Path Fenton, Religions of Asia, 108b-109a. [Eckel, TTC Lecture 4] FILM SYNOPSIS ON “IN THE FOOTPRINTS OF THE BUDDHA” DUE. 23 October Early Buddhism Hesse, Siddhartha. ESSAY 3 DUE [Eckel, TTC Lecture 5] 25 October The rise and fall of Indian Buddhism Fenton, Religions of Asia, 109b-131. [Eckel, TTC Lecture 6] 27 October Second Test 7 30 October The development of the Mahayana Hanh, The Heart of Understanding. [Eckel, TTC Lecture 6, 7, and 8] 1 November Tantra and Vajrayana Fenton, Religions of Asia, 132-148a; “Introduction to Tantra,” 1-27 (Readings) [Muesse, TTC Lecture 11; Eckel, TTC Lecture 10] 3 November Tantra and Vajrayana Fenton, Religions of Asia, 148a-157; FILM SYNOPSIS ON “REQUIEM FOR A FAITH” DUE SMALLER TRADITIONS OF SOUTH ASIA 6 November The Jains Fenton, Religions of Asia, 89-94a; “The Basic Doctrines of Jainism” (Readings). 8 November The Sikhs Fenton, Religions of Asia, 94a-99; Readings TBA. [Muesse, TTC Lecture 12] RELIGIONS OF EAST ASIA 10 November Early Chinese culture Fenton, Religions of Asia, 160-167b; Other readings TBA. 13 November Early Chinese culture Readings TBA. 15 November Kong-zi and Confucianism Fenton, Religions of Asia, 167b-172a; Confucius, The Analects, 3-38. 17 November Religion in China Confucius, The Analects, 39-82. 20 November No class ESSAY 4 DUE 22 November Thanksgiving Break 24 November Thanksgiving Break 10 This list is meant to be suggestive, not definitive or exhaustive. Try not to impose an alien framework on the novel such as the Four Noble Truth or the Noble Eightfold Path. (2) Discuss the symbolic role of water in Hermann Hesse's novel Siddhartha. Consider, for example, the ways in which water serves as a metaphor for death and rebirth, the self, time, and nirvana. Essay 4 The Analects of Confucius Based on your reading of the Analects, write a character sketch of Confucius. What kind of person was he? What qualities best describe him? How was he regarded by others? How did he regard himself? Essay 5 Chapter 82 of the Daodejing For this assignment, I’d like you to try your hand at a little poetry. Write an additional chapter to the Daodejing, trying to replicate its style and philosophy. Then write a prose explication of your chapter, describing what makes it an appropriate addition to the book. How I Grade Essays Writing and critical thinking are, I believe, the most important parts of a liberal arts education. I therefore take essay writing very seriously and make it a significant part of your final grade. In grading students’ essays, I take care to mark them as accurately and as painstakingly as possible. My own experience tells me that one’s writing cannot improve unless mistakes are clearly pointed out. Learning to write well is hard work and takes much practice. In this sense, we are all beginners. To help you in your writing practice for this course, I have outlined below the general principles I use in assessing grades for essays. I readily admit that grading essays--especially papers in the humanities--involves subjective judgments, particularly in the area of content. Ultimately, the grade you receive is the consequence of a judgment part objective and reasonable, part intuitive and aesthetic. In general, I try not to evaluate the particular position or point of view you express; rather, I look at how well you have argued that position, how fully and sympathetically you have considered alternative views, how logical and coherent your point of view is. In the final analysis, I am not really interested in whether or not you believe in God, for example, but I am very interested in why you believe or do not believe. A--The A paper is, above all, interesting and effectively written. It demonstrates knowledge of the subject and evidences much thought about it. It is clearly structured and has a carefully argued thesis. The A paper is outstanding in all respects: it is devoid of any mechanical, grammatical, or typographical mistakes. Formal errors will reduce a paper’s grade, regardless of content. B--The B paper is missing some element that distinguishes the A essay. Perhaps the paper demonstrates sufficient knowledge and thought, but the presentation is pedestrian. Perhaps the content is thoughtful and interesting, but the essay suffers from mechanical or typographical mistakes. 11 C--The C paper fulfills the terms of the assignment without distinction. D--The D paper is uninteresting, lacking in comprehension, and flawed by mechanical errors. F--The F paper is without merit. It is flagrantly lacking in insight and comprehension, and appears insufficiently acquainted with academic standards for written work. Some Hints for Better Writing I expect proper form for papers in the humanities (MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, fourth edition). I prefer footnotes, but endnotes or parenthetical notes are acceptable. Parenthetical notes should be included within the sentence (the period follows the closed bracket, like this). Feel free to use the first person. Do not use the passive voice unless it is absolutely necessary. Use inclusive language: that is, do not use “man” or “mankind” as the generic term for all of humanity (humankind, humans). Create an interesting title. Use “that” and “which” appropriately. (“Which” generally follows a comma.) Use “who” when you are talking about a human being. If a quotation is more than three lines long, it should be indented and single-spaced, omitting the quotation marks. Use two spaces between sentences. Avoid vague abstractions like “the Church.” Specify exactly what you mean. Paginate (Number the pages!). Do not use the word “feel” as a substitute for “think.” Try to avoid inappropriate use of slang (e.g., “It really sucked to be a slave in Egypt.”) Quote the dictionary only if absolutely demanded by the context. Ordinarily, Webster is not an authority in this course. Never begin an essay with “According to Webster’s Dictionary….” Always edit. I rarely receive a paper that cannot be improved by eliminating verbiage. Get a pencil (or edit online) and see how many words you can cross out. At the same time, watch for typos, misspellings, and grammatical mistakes. Remember, a computer spell-checker will help with many words, but does not help with the specialized vocabulary that is part of this course. 12 Always keep a copy of your paper. Please staple the paper in the upper left corner. Do not waste your money on plastic or paper report holders. They are useless, and I will merely throw them away. When you receive your graded paper, read it carefully. I spend much time and energy grading these essays and usually provide detailed commentary. You will not profit by our efforts--yours and mine- -unless you review the graded essay. Always feel free to talk to me about the paper, both before and after it is graded. If you do not understand why the paper receives the grade it does, then we should talk. The essay is only part of what I hope is a semester-long dialogue. If you are serious about improving your writing skills, you may wish to consult: William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White, The Elements of Style, 3rd edition, New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1979. Walters and Kern, “How to Eschew Weasel Words,” Johns Hopkins Magazine (December 1991). Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within, Boston: Shambhala, 1986.