Hinduism Through Its Scriptures
Instructor: Professor Neelima Shukla-Bhatt, Wellesley College
Teaching Assistant: Jason Smith, Harvard University
Course Description:
Whether you are new to the study of Hinduism or you have been studying and/or practicing the tradition for years, this course will provide you with the opportunity to familiarize yourself with a variety of Hindu texts—both oral and written—that we might classify as “scripture” today. We will provide you with a variety of frameworks to study, analyze, and reflect on this rich and diverse body of scriptural texts that inform the spiritual and social dimensions of life for the third largest religious community in the world.
Through a combination of carefully selected readings, both from scriptures and other sources, as well as an exposure to a variety of non-textual materials such as video clips of rituals, chanting, performances, and television drama, this course will introduce you to the rich sources from which millions of Hindus have drawn religious inspiration for millennia. You will read passages from classical Hindu texts, including the Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita, and explore some of their modern interpretations. You will also read some of the vernacular texts considered sacred by different groups. You will see that sacred texts are interpreted for a variety of purposes – spiritual, moral, social, and political. Religion is not a stand alone area of human experience; it intersects with all dimensions of life. You will have the opportunity to reflect upon the teachings that you may find relevant to broader human experience including your own. You will engage with these texts through reading, written reflections on the material, and discussion forums in which you will have the opportunity to explore the meaning of Hindu scriptures with other students.
What You’ll Learn:
- The range and diversity of Hindu scriptures
- Religious and philosophical insights conveyed in Hindu texts
- How scriptures are interpreted to diverse ends in different historical contexts
- Sensitive appreciation of world religions
Expectations and Assessments for Certification
35% Engaging every component of each day, including videos, readings, and writing prompts
35% Contributing regularly to discussion boards and responding to peers
15% Mid-term assessment assignment
15% Final assessment assignment
A final grade of 80% or higher qualifies you to receive a certificate.
Approach to the Study of Hinduism:
This course attempts to place the diversity of Hindu texts and practices within their broader cultural and historical contexts. It helps students appreciate the many Hindu sacred texts that have emerged over the course of three millennia and examine a range of their interpretations through history.
The course takes an inclusive approach in the selection of texts that are deeply meaningful for diverse groups. We will examine scriptural texts that were produced by elite writers in Sanskrit, the prominent language of literary texts in ancient and early medieval India, as well as texts that have been written and performed by everyday people throughout South Asia and beyond.
In the next few weeks, we will look at how sacred texts with enduring influence are rooted in the particular contexts of history but have broad spiritual and moral appeal. We will also consider diverse ways in which people engage with them and interpret them, without promoting or privileging any single Hindu text, interpretation, or perspective over another. Rather than asking questions such as “Is this interpretation right?” or “Whose interpretation is true?” we will ask questions like “Why is this author making this claim?”; “What is the significance of interpretations of this text for Hindus today?”; and “What does the text offer that may speak to the human experience beyond the Hindu context?”
In this way, through an examination of selected Hindu texts and their interpretations, we will try to understand what makes a written or oral text sacred and how such a text gains the status of scripture.
Pedagogy:
One of the main reasons for offering an online course on Hindu scriptures is to provide an opportunity for people from diverse backgrounds to interact constructively around topics that often divide us and challenge us as the human family. Our effort is to help students understand analytically yet sensitively rich texts that have profoundly influenced lives of a large section of that family. There are a large number of texts in multiple genres that Hindus in different contexts call “scriptures.” The texts and topics of this course have been chosen to highlight some of this diversity and to offer an opportunity to fruitfully engage with this diversity in conversation with the teaching staff and other students. As a result, the course is highly interactive in nature. You will have many opportunities to engage with others by participating in discussion boards. Although you are not required or obligated to participate in these forums, we encourage you to take advantage of this unique opportunity to explore the vast range of Hindu texts in conversation with people from around the world.
The edX Platform:
For those who would like to become familiar with the platform of the course beforehand, please feel free to explore this tutorial class. Participation in all aspects of the course is free of charge (unless you signed up to earn a certificate).
Course Schedule:
Week One:
Day One – Introduction
Day Two – The World of the Vedas and the Upanishads
Week Two:
Day Three – Shastras and Texts on Dharma
Day Four – The Ramayana
Mid-Term Assessment
Week Three:
Day Five – The Bhagavad Gita
Day Six – The Puranas
Week Four:
Day Seven – Vernacular Devotional Texts and Bhakti Traditions
Day Eight – Interpretations of Hindu Texts on the Internet and Conclusion
Final Assessment