printer friendly pageRELIGST 308A: Ex Oriente Lux: Orientalism and the Study of Religion (RELIGST 208A)
This seminar is designed to expose students to issues relating to discourse and subjectivity within the textual constructions of Oriental religions in the colonial era. We will begin with Edward W. Said¿s provocative work on notions of representation and power embedded in the discourse on the Orient that established, produced, and, ultimately, perpetuated western knowledge about the Other. We will then discuss the impact of the Oriental Renaissance and the vital role that Eastern wisdom played in constructing the field of Comparative Religious Studies. In addition, students will also read ethnographies, fables, and travelogues that both support and undermine Said¿s thesis of an active West constructing a largely passive East.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 3-5
Instructors:
Vevaina, Y. (PI)
RELIGST 308C: Architecture, Acoustics and Ritual in Byzantium (ARTHIST 208C, ARTHIST 408C, CLASSICS 175, MUSIC 208C, MUSIC 408C, REES 208C, REES 408C, RELIGST 208C)
Onassis Seminar "Icons of Sound: Architecture, Acoustics and Ritual in Byzantium". This year-long seminar explores the creation and operations of sacred space in Byzantium by focusing on the intersection of architecture, acoustics, music, and ritual. Through the support of the Onassis Foundation (USA), nine leading scholars in the field share their research and conduct the discussion of their pre-circulated papers. The goal is to develop a new interpretive framework for the study of religious experience and assemble the research tools needed for work in this interdisciplinary field.
Last offered: Spring 2014
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 9 units total)
RELIGST 309: Priests, Prophets, and Kings: Religion and Society in Late Antique Iran (CLASSICS 147, CLASSICS 247, RELIGST 209)
This course is designed as a broad introduction to the religious and social history of the Sasanian Empire, encompassing the period from 224-651 CE as well as the early years of Islamic rule in Iran. Among the topics we will discuss are: the lives and deeds of the powerful Iranian emperors such as Shapur I and II in relation to the the Roman emperors Diocletian and Constantine; the transformation of Zoroastrianism into a powerful official religion of the state and its subsequent orthodoxy; the emergence of the prophet Mani and the confrontation of Manicheism with the Zoroastrian priesthood; the conversion of Constantine to Christianity and its political and social ramifications in Iran; the establishment of an independent Iranian Christian church; the importance of Armenia in the Sasanian- Roman conflict; and a brief discussion of the history of the Jewish community under the Sasanians. We will end the quarter by examining the Arab¿Islamic¿conquests of Iran and the profound social changes experienced by the Zoroastrian communities in the early centuries of Islam in Iran.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4-5
Instructors:
Vevaina, Y. (PI)
RELIGST 309A: Sugar in the Milk: Modern Zoroastrianism as Race, Religion, and Ethnicity (RELIGST 209A)
Modern Zoroastrian experience¿as race, religion, and ethnic identity. Some 60,000 Zoroastrians now live in India and have resided there for a millennium. In the 19th century, these peoples from Persia¿Parsis¿became colonial elites yet were acutely aware that they were not quite Indian, British, or Persian. Diverse ways this experience of dislocation has served as a defining characteristic in Parsi communal identity and contrast these South Asian experiences with the minority socio-politics of those who remained in Iran. Survey the colonial and post-colonial communities in England, East Africa, Hong Kong, Australia, and North America and examine the expression of these global diasporic experiences in literature and the arts.
Last offered: Winter 2012
RELIGST 309D: `Crow Eaters' & `Fire Worshippers': Exploring Contemporary Zoroastrianism Thru Reading Parsi Lit (RELIGST 209D)
In the past three decades Parsi fiction has rapidly emerged as a unique and creative voice in modern Anglophone literature from South Asia. From Bapsi Sidhwa to Thrity Umrigar to Rohinton Mistry, Parsi novelists address the most poignant concerns of Zoroastrians living in an era of rapid social, political, and religious transformation. The erosion of tradition; the breakdown of the Parsi family; the demise of religion among the young; and the cultural losses and gains of living in diaspora are common themes in their works. The unique vantage point of the Parsis; neither Hindu nor Muslim, neither quite Indian nor quite British; will serve as a lens for examining the inherent tensions in multicultural societies both East and West.
Last offered: Winter 2013
RELIGST 309E: Imperishable Heroes and Unblemished Goddesses: Myth, Ritual, and Epic in Ancient Iran (CLASSICS 148, CLASSICS 248, RELIGST 209E)
Designed as a broad introduction to the world of ancient Iran, students will be introduced to the Indo-European inheritance in ancient Iranian culture; the shared world of ritual, religion, and mythology between Zoroastrianism in Iran and Vedic Hinduism in India; and to the contours of early Zoroastrian religious thought. We will also survey mythoepic literature in translation from the archaic Avesta through the late antique Zoroastrian Middle Persian corpus to the early medieval national epic of Iran, the Book of Kings of Ferdowsi.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 5
Instructors:
Vevaina, Y. (PI)
RELIGST 310: Islam, Art, Modernity (RELIGST 110)
Taught in conjunction with a major exhibition of modern Islamic art at the Cantor Museum. We will consider theoretical discussions regarding art and modern Muslim identities and examine the use of Islamic motifs in art and architecture in detail.
Last offered: Winter 2013
RELIGST 312: Buddhist Studies Proseminar
Research methods and materials for the study of Buddhism. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: reading knowledge of Chinese or Japanese.
Last offered: Spring 2007
| Repeatable
for credit
RELIGST 312X: Knights, Monks, and Nobles: Masculinity in the Middle Ages (FEMGEN 212X, FEMGEN 312, HISTORY 212, HISTORY 312, RELIGST 212X)
This course considers masculinity as historically and culturally contingent, focusing on the experiences and representations of medieval men as heroes, eunuchs, fathers, priests, husbands, boys, and fighting men. Recognizing that the lives of men, like those of women, were governed by gendered rules and expectations, we will explore a wide range of medieval masculinities, paying close attention to the processes by which manhood could be achieved (e.g. martial, spiritual, sexual), and to competing versions of manliness, from the warrior hero of the early middle ages to the suffering Christ of late medieval religion.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4-5
Instructors:
Griffiths, F. (PI)
RELIGST 313: Graduate Seminar in Chinese Buddhist Texts
Graduate Seminar in Chinese Buddhist Texts: An in-depth reading of Zongmi's Chanyuan zhuquanji duxu ("Preface to the Collected Writings on the Source of Chan") (T#2015). Written in 833, the "Preface" is Zongmi's most ambitious and well-known work. It seeks to delineate the historical and doctrinal origins of the Chan tradition. In doing so, it is the first work to formulate the paradigm of a multi-branched genealogical tree that becomes the template in terms of which the subsequent Chan tradition described itself. It also tries to harmonize Chan (the practice of meditation) with the canonical teachings (doctrinal study) by adapting a Huayan philosophical framework to correlate different Chan traditions with different Chinese Buddhist doctrinal schools. In addition, it is particularly noteworthy for its analysis of the so-called sudden/gradual controversy, in which Zongmi develops an overarching scheme in which the different contending positions can all be seen to fit.nnnThe text is an excellent vehicle for giving students a grounding in both Tang-dynasty Chan history and teachings as well as the teachings of the main philosophical schools of Chinese Buddhism. The seminar will focus on a close reading of selected sections from Zongmi¿s text¿especially those bearing on his strategies for harmonizing Chan and doctrinal teachings as well as his analysis of the sudden/gradual controversy. In doing so it will pay special attention to problems of translation.nnnMeetings will be held in Buddhist Studies Library, located in Bldg 70 (Main Campus Quad)
Last offered: Spring 2015
Filter Results: