Impressum

Courses SS 2008:

Courses WS 2007:

Vorlesungen WS 2007:

Vorlesungen WS 2006:

Geschichte der Politischen Ideen

Vorlesungen SS 2006:

Non-Western Religions (Phil. 120)

M W F: 11:00-11:50 (LW 329)
T Th: 11:00-12:20 (MC 154)
Instructor: Dr. Darrell Arnold

Office: Psych 165
Tel. 2620
Office Hours: Monday thru Friday 9:45 - 10:45

Course Description: Given the developments of globalization, expressed, for example, in the increased trade with India, China, and various other countries of the world, and the increased need for cooperative work to address common political concerns such as global warming and global terrorism, an understanding of the diverse cultures of the world is now more pertinent than ever. Fundamental here is also an understanding of the basic value systems of the cultures, idealized in their religions.

This course is an introduction to the various world’s religions, excepting Judiasm and Christianity. The first week will offer a quick overview of theories of religion. Are the various world religions merely different, but all more or less effective inroads to a genuine relgious experience, as William James thought? Are they functional elements of cultural systems that provide a society with a useful mechanism for generating cooperation among its members? Or are they all in their own way illusions, as Freud and Marx maintained, hindering individual and/or social development? Do they all reflect something universal in the human spirit, as early theoreticians of religious studies such as Tylor and Frazer thought? Or are they local expressions of local culture, as Evans-Pritchard and Geertz think?

After this short introduction to methodological questions of this ilk, the course will focus on the beliefs and practices of the dominant non-Western world religions. Though various smaller religions such as Sikhism and Jainism will be covered, the emphasis is especially on the major living religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Islam. As far as possible, these will be examined with reference to their respective socio-historical contexts, thus enabling the study of these religions to serve as something of a vista to the world’s main cultures.

Each of these major religions is a long, multifaceted tradition, with divergent tendencies and at times even contradictory movements. As they have developed historically, they have changed and adapted to the societies they are part of. This course will introduce the student to those developments and so to these religions as dynamic systems.

Objectives: The students should learn the basic beliefs and practices of the religions studied and develop a sensitivity to their socio-historical developments. They should also gain an acquaintance with some of the major methodological views of religious studies and the philosophy of religion.

Course work: Regular reading is expected. (Supplementary readings will be announced.) There will be regular quizzes, an academic journal of 10-15 pages addressing study questions, and a final exam, consisting largely of essay questions. The jouranls are to be typewritten. (A page is defined as 300 words.) They are to deal with study qeustions provided through the course of the semester at class or other topics approved by the instructor.

Grading: Quizzes: 20%. Exam: 40%. Journal: 35%. Class participation: 5%. Academic dishonesty will be penalized, and may result in your failing the course.

Texts: Lewis M. Hopfe and Mark R. Woodward, Religions of the World. The Bhagavad-Gita, The Damipadishans, The Koran

Students with Disabilities: This university abides by the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which stipulates that no students shall be denied the benefits of an education solely by reason of a handicap. If you have a documented disability that may impact your work in this class and for which you may require accommodations, please see the instructor to make arrangements. In order to receive accommodations, you must be registered with and provide documentation of your disability to the Disability Services Office, which is located in the Psychology Building, Room 232.

Readings
This is a provisional list of readings, course topics and due dates. It is subject to change at the instructor’s discretion.

Week 1: Aug. 27-31
Introduction to theories of religion
Reading (Hopfe, Introduction)

Week 2: Sept. 3-7
Introduction to basic religions, religion of Africa
Reading (Hopfe, Chapters 1-3)

Week 3: Sept. 10-14
Hinduism
Reading (Hopfe, chapter 4)

Week 4: Sept. 17-21
Hinduism
Reading (Hopfe, chapter 4)

Week 5: Sept 24-28
Hinduism

Week 6: Oct. 1-5
Jainism, Sikhism
Reading (Hopfe, chapter 5, chapter 7)

Week 7: Oct. 8-12
Buddhism
Reading (Hopfe, chapter 6)

Week 8: Oct. 15-19
Buddhism

Week 9: Oct. 22-26
Buddhism

Week 10: Oct. 29 - Nov. 2
Religions of China (focus on Taoism, Confucianism)
Reading (Hopfe, chapter 8)

Week 11: Nov. 5-9
Religions of China