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HU Credits:
2
Degree/Cycle:
1st degree (Bachelor)
Responsible Department:
Comparative Religion
Semester:
2nd Semester
Teaching Languages:
Hebrew
Campus:
Mt. Scopus
Course/Module Coordinator:
Eviatar Shulman
Coordinator Office Hours:
Tues 12-1, upon request by email
Teaching Staff:
Prof Eviatar Shulman
Course/Module description:
This is an introduction to the great religions of Asia, mainly of India and China, from a thematic and systematic perspective with certain historical emphases.
Course/Module aims:
This course delves into the central ideas and practices that constitute Asian religion, as an example of a primary religious system. These ideas and practices are treated historically, but the main focus of the course is thematic and systematic - the attempt to understand the Asian religions as cultural systems. This raises deep questions about the nature of divinity/ies and the role of human understanding and emotion in the its shaping.
Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
1. To understand the phenomenon of religion and its role in human society.
2. To compare the monotheistic and polytheistic world-views and question whether these categories are justified.
3. To better understand God and the human imagination of it.
Attendance requirements(%):
100
Teaching arrangement and method of instruction:
Lectures with powerpoints
Course/Module Content:
1. Introduction to religion in Asia.
2. Hinduism 1: Vedic Religion,
2. Hinduism 2, Jainism 1: Renunciation.
3. Buddhism 1: Ideology.
4. Buddhism 2: Buddhism as a religion.
5. Hinduism 3: The idea of Dharma.
6. Hinduism 4 (two classes): Puranic religion.
7. Hinduism 5: Bhakti.
8. Buddhism 3: Mahayana.
9. Confucionsism 1.
10. Daoism 1.
11. Chinese popular religion.
12. Shinto
Required Reading:
For all classes there is required reading in primary sources.
For all classes there is recommended reading from secondary literature.
Additional Reading Material:
• Durkheim, E., (1915). The Elementary form of Religious Life.
• Geertz, C., (1993). “Religion as a Cultural System.” In Geertz, C., The Interpretation of Cultures. Fontana, pp. 87-125.
• Flood, G., (1996). An Introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge University Press, Ch. 2.
• Dundas, P., (2002 [1992]). The Jains, 2nd Edition. London and New York: Routlegde, chs. 1,2.
• Harvey, P., (2013 [1990]). An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History, and Practices, 2nd Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ch. 1.
• Pollock, S., (1984). "The Divine King in the Indian Epic" Journal of the American Oriental Society 104.3: 505- 528.
• Ramanujan, A. K.. "Three Hundred Rāmāyaṇas: Five Examples and Three Thoughts on Translation." In Richman (1994 [1991]), pp. 22-49.
• Flood, G., (1996). An Introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge University Press, Ch. 3.
• Harvey, P., (2013 [1990]). An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History, and Practices, 2nd Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ch. 2.
• Eck, D. L., (1998). Darśan: Seeing the Divine Image in India. New York: Columbia University Press, ch. 1.
• Pinkney, A. M., (2013). “Prasāda, the Gracious Gift, in Contemporary and Classical South Asia.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 81, no. 3, pp. 734-756.
• Yocum, G. E., (1973). "Shrines, Shamanism, and Love Poetry: Elements in the Emergence of Popular Bhakti." Journal of the American Academy of Religion 41.1: 3-17.
• McDaniel, J., (1989). The Madness of Saints: Ecstatic Religion in Bengal. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, ch. 2.
• Harvey, P., (2013 [1990]). An Introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, History, and Practices, 2nd Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ch. 6.
• פינס, י., שלח, ג., שיחור, י. (עורכים), (2011). "כל אשר מתחת לשמיים": תולדות הקיסרות הסינית. כרך א: צמיחתה של הקיסרות הסינית. רעננה: האוניברסיטה הפתוחה, פרק 9.
Course/Module evaluation:
End of year written/oral examination 100 %
Presentation 0 %
Participation in Tutorials 0 %
Project work 0 %
Assignments 0 %
Reports 0 %
Research project 0 %
Quizzes 0 %
Other 0 %
Additional information:
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