India’s long and rich history of religious diversity is both well known and highly complex. Nearly equally well publicized is the juggernaut that is the Indian educational system. Popularly known for producing stellar graduates in mathematics and the natural sciences, it also boasts the third largest publicly funded higher education system in the world. During our month in India, the focus of our study will be threefold: education, religion, and culture. Our study of the educational system will bring us into direct contact with a host of educational settings from primary through collegiate in a variety of settings from a village of 2,000 people to a city of 21 million. We’ll study a host of religious traditions (Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Parsi, and Christianity) within a wide variety of their historical and cultural settings. Our study will examine both individual traditions and the complex history of their interaction. We’ll also examine how both education and religions interact with political, social, and economic systems in historic and contemporary settings that contribute to Indian culture. Our study will take us from some of the world’s largest metropolises—Mumbai (aka Bombay) and New Delhi—to remote Himalayan villages—McLeod Ganj—to cities, towns, and villages in between. In Mumbai we’ll study Parsis with their dramatic Towers of Silence, which are used in lieu of burial or cremation. Our travels will also lead us to south western India, to the relaxed coastal setting of Goa, a state heavily influenced by 15th century Catholic Portuguese settlers, to investigate the forms of Christianity spawned by these colonists and their interaction with Indian religious and cultural forces. And, we’ll have the opportunity to see the “incorruptible body” of Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552, co-founder of the Jesuit order) whose remains are on display in a glass coffin in the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa. Our study will also take us north to investigate exquisite examples of Islamic Mogul architecture and religious syncretism, seen most dramatically in the Taj Mahal in Agra, as well as in striking examples in a number of Rajasthani cities. We’ll also enjoy a camel ride in the desert and a leopard safari and overnight stay in the Jawai nature preserve, visiting Jawai, India. In New Delhi, we’ll tour the famous Islamic mosque, the Jama Masjid, as well as the vast Hindu Swami Narayan temple complex, and include stops at important sites in the life of Mahatma Gandhi. An investigation of Tibetan Buddhism in “Little Lhasa” (home of the Tibetan Government in Exile) located in the hill station of McLeod Ganj in the foothills of the Himalaya & a visit Sikhism’s Golden Temple in Amritsar round out our stay in the far north. Our trip east includes Varanasi (aka “Benares”), Hinduism’s most sacred city, which will provide opportunity for a boat ride on the sacred river Ganges and a visit to Bodhgaya (the site at which the historical Buddha is said to have realized the true nature of reality and won enlightenment) as well as a number of other important Buddhist pilgrimage sites. We’ll move between extremes not only in religious and cultural configurations but also in terms of geography and climate as well. Please note that the itinerary is tentative and locations are subject to change. This trip is recommended for hearty travelers with intrepid curiosity and a real sense of adventure.

What is the nature of this course?

This is an academic course. Our reason for going to India is to investigate the interaction of religions in and with Indian society. If you’re coming for that reason, this trip is for you. Though we will be sightseeing, exploring cultural patterns, and very occasionally relaxing in exotic locales, this is not a vacation. If you are looking for a “month off” – find another course, seriously. We certainly meet more often and for longer periods of time than on-campus Jan Term courses. With that said, most of our class time occurs in the course of the day and may not seem overly burdensome to those who are truly interested.

What will we be reading for the course?

1. Two Course Readers related to: (a) the Indian educational system and (b) the religions of India

2. Eck, Diana. Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India, Third Ed. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1998.)

3. Narayan, R. K. The Ramayana. (New York: Penguin Books, 1977.)

4. Hesse, Hermann. Siddhartha. (New York: Bantam Books, 1951.)

What is the basis for the final grade?

There is a mid-term covering the basic outlines of Indian religious traditions (prior to travel, 25%); development and presentation of a research paper (1,500 – 2,000 words) investigating an aspect of the course we’ll be studying (written prior to travel with additional notes after travel, 25%); active, thoughtful participation in every aspect of the course as demonstrated by contributions, behavior, and within an analytical journal integrating on-the-ground experiences with theoretical components of the course (30%); final exam (completed on return flight 20%).

What other requirements are there?

There are several other requirements for the course but for pre-registration purposes, two are most important. One, you need to have taken and passed a college-level course in theology or religious studies to register. Second, you must be available to attend three course meetings during the Fall Semester. These meetings will consist of both organizational and instructional matters. The tentative dates (to be confirmed) for these MANDATORY meetings are:

• TBD

IF you register for this course, it is understood that you will be available for these meetings and will attend.

At the end of this course students will demonstrate an understanding of the world from a specific non-U.S. and non-Western European viewpoint by focusing on Indian education, religion, and culture. More specifically, students will: (a) demonstrate not only knowledge of but also comprehension of the central themes of the Indian religious traditions studied, (b) articulate (i) similarities and differences between these traditions and (ii) the historical development of their interaction with one another and with broader Indian social structures, (c) analyze significant ramifications of this interaction on these traditions, (d) apply categories of understanding to new instances of the interaction of religious traditions with themselves and/or other social structures, and (e) evaluate the adequacy of such categories as used in this analysis.