Students

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Learning Objectives

  1. Define "Hinduism."
  2. Discuss the evolution of the Indian subcontinent’s geography.
  3. Summarize the arguments in favor of and against the theory of Indo-Aryan Migration.
  4. List and define the divisions of Varna, the caste system during the Vedic Age.
  5. Assess the importance of the Brahmin caste in the Vedic Age.
  1. Discuss the importance of Vedic rituals and recall their essential elements.
  2. List the principal gods of the Vedic pantheon.
  3. Differentiate between Veda and Vedas.
  4. Explain the Doctrine of Rita.
  1. Interpret the "secret teachings" of the Upanishads.
  2. Understand the central thrust of Vedanta philosophy.
  3. Explain why avidya is considered the "human problem."
  4. Discuss the relationship between the Brahman and the atman.
  5. Discuss how moksha breaks the great wheel of samsara—birth, death, and rebirth.
  1. Distinguish the Mahabharata from the Bhagavad Gita and explain why they are not part of the shruti tradition.
  2. Describe the overall narrative structure of the Mahabharata and identify the main characters and actions that set the scene for the Bhagavad Gita.
  3. Summarize the emotions and moral conflicts that Arjuna experiences when he and Krishna visit the no-man’s-land between the armies before the battle of Kurukshetra.
  4. Discuss how the events described in the Bhagavad Gita can be interpreted from a metaphorical perspective and what roles both Arjuna and Krishna play in this interpretation.
  5. Enumerate the characteristics of an awakened person as described by Krishna and relate these to the way of life he recommends for Arjuna.
  6. Compare and contrast Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga, and Bhakti Yoga and place them in the framework of the themes of “selfless service” and “the way of devotion” in the Bhagavad Gita.
  1. Define yoga and distinguish between the approaches to yoga in the Bhagavad Gita and in the Yoga Sutras.
  2. Describe the prominent schools of yoga and elaborate on Patanjali’s contribution in consolidating them into a recognized system of philosophy and practice.
  3. Differentiate between the concepts of purusha and prakriti and discuss their importance in the Samkya-based philosophy of yoga.
  4. List the ascending levels of the mind and compare and contrast the connection between buddhi and purusha.
  5. Summarize the eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga and explain their intended role in achieving liberation from the wheel of samsara.
  1. State what a darshana is, explain how the darshanas came into existence, and analyze the main philosophical differences between the orthodox and heterodox camps of darshanas
  2. Identify the six orthodox darshanas and discuss why they are traditionally arranged in three pairs.
  3. Summarize the tenets of the three heterodox darshanas of Buddhism, Jainism, and Charvaka and describe the ongoing impact in India today of each darshana.
  4. Assess the philosopher Adi Shankara’s contribution to Vedanta and explain why Vedanta consistently occupies the central place among the orthodox Hindu systems.
  5. Examine the tradition of Tantra, its teachings, and its influence on Hinduism and Buddhism and identify the prominent role of the body in Tantra.
  1. Discuss the roles of faith and reason as sources of knowledge, and explain how this duality was perceived in Western and Indian thought.
  2. Explain the significance of the Hindu Trimurti in the Indian pantheon, and summarize how worship of the Hindu Trimurti has evolved within present-day devotional movements
  3. State what a devotional movement is, paraphrase the evolution of Vishnu and Shiva worship in the Indian devotional movements, and analyze the transition in the conception of the Trimurti.
  4. Express Ramanuja’s Vedanta position, and evaluate it against Shankara's position.
  5. Describe the progress of the Hindu temple, and interpret its structure with reference to a devotee’s path toward fulfillment.
  1. List the principal Mughal emperors who ruled India during the Mughal era and discuss their influence over the events of the period.
  2. Discuss the efforts made by Kabir and Nanak in narrowing the gap between the Hindu and Muslim religions.
  3. Describe the spiritual philosophy and basic tenets of Sikhism and outline the myriad struggles faced by the Sikhs during their history.
  4. Compare and contrast the contributions of the six most prominent Indian figures of the modern era and their roles in shaping Indian society.
  5. Explain the unique perspectives of satyagraha and ahimsa offered by Mahatma Gandhi and identify the motivation behind his beliefs.
  1. Outline the major events of Siddhartha’s opulent life at the palace and during his sadhu years and explain the significance of these two periods on his "awakening."
  2. Interpret Mara's efforts to disturb Siddhartha’s meditation and discuss Siddhartha’s reactions to these temptations.
  3. Define nirvana from the Buddhist perspective and describe the process of how Shakyamuni Buddha experienced nirvana.
  4. Analyze why Buddha concluded that there is no self-fulfillment through self-indulgence or through self-denial and explain under what circumstances he came to this realization.
  5. Summarize what Buddha did during his teaching years, how he organized followers of both genders, and why he refused to appoint a successor.
  1. Summarize Buddha’s "awakening" and describe how Buddha’s experience related to Hindu traditions of his time.
  2. Discuss the Doctrine of Anatman, appraise whether it is in conflict with Upanishadic teachings, and identify why it remains a revolutionary concept.
  3. Describe the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path and establish the relation between the two.
  1. Discuss the role of the Great Councils in the consolidation of the Buddhist tradition and explain the importance of the Pali Canon in the context of Theravada Buddhism.
  2. Compare the three tipitakas of the Theravada tradition and list the Five Dedications of vinayana.
  3. Describe the development of the Buddhist tradition during Ashoka’s reign and summarize his contribution to its worldwide expansion.
  4. Distinguish between samatha and vippasana and explore the character of vippasana meditation as conveyed by Buddhaghosa’s teachings in Visuddhimagga.
  1. Summarize the similarities and the distinctions between the philosophies of a Theravadin monk and a Mahayanist monk.
  2. Examine the Buddhist perspective on the difference between reality and the ways of knowing reality, and analyze why Nagarjuna concluded that there are no two different kinds of reality.
  3. Analyze the criticisms of the opponents of Yogacara and evaluate the scholar-monk Vasubandhu’s defense, "Principles of Lightness," of these criticisms.
  4. Discuss why a fully realized bodhisattva does not experience the samyak-sambodhi (true enlightenment) or pass to the parinirvana (final extinction).
  5. Explain how Mahayana Buddhism inspired a tremendously rich and varied output in the arts, and identify how this art was different from art in the Theravadin tradition.
  1. Summarize Confucianism, explain its effect on Chinese civilization, and evaluate its evolution in the modern era.
  2. Discuss the life and teachings of Confucius, elaborate the concepts of junzi and ren, and contrast Mencius’s philosophy with that of Confucius.
  3. Relate how Confucianism was adopted by Xun Zi, Mo Zi, Han Fei Zi, and Wu Di, and differentiate how the subsequent philosophers adapted Confucianism to serve their needs.
  4. Enumerate the conditions existing at the end of the Han dynasty, describe how Confucianism was re-invented to meet the challenges of Buddhism, and appraise its penetration vis-à-vis Buddhism’s presence in the Chinese populace.
  5. Specify how the Confucian system of competitive examination did not meet its original purpose, and enumerate the changes in Chinese governance in the twentieth century.
  1. Explain the content of the Dao De Jing and the Zhuang Zi, and summarize the core concepts of Daoism.
  2. Compare and contrast Confucius’s philosophy with Lao Zi’s and Zhuang Zi’s.
  3. Differentiate between Philosophical Daoism and Religious Daoism, and outline the increase in importance of Religious Daoism in the context of immortality.
  4. Explain the role of the fundamental elements Dao, yin and yang, and qi in the theoretical basis of Religious Daoism.
  1. Describe the basis on which Shinto can be defined as a "religion" and the prominence of this "religion" in modern Japan.
  2. Define kami, and explain why Shinto is more properly identified as "the way of the kami."
  3. Describe the typical setting and architecture of the shrine (jingo) in Shinto, and analyze the role of the shrine and the festival in daily practice.
  4. Summarize the main features of Fukko Shinto, and describe why the government promoted this particular sect and stressed the emperor’s divinity.
  5. Analyze how Shinto has historically been affected by Chinese culture, Buddhism, Western influence, and totalitarianism, and how it continues to inspire modern Japan.
  1. Relate how Buddhism entered China, and discuss Buddhism’s persecution and subsequent recovery in China.
  2. Summarize the philosophies of Tiantai Buddhism and Huayan Buddhism, and highlight the similarities and differences between these philosophies.
  3. Explain the philosophy of Pure Land Buddhism in detail, and appraise how it represents the emotional, artistic, or “spiritual” side of Buddhism.
  1. Identify the major physical and geographic features of Tibet and detail how they affected the development of Tibetan Buddhism.
  2. Explain the establishment and general character of Buddhism in Tibet in the Yarlung era, and evaluate the roles of prominent figures like Padmasambhava and Songtsen Gampo in Buddhism’s initial development.
  3. Identify the connection between Tantrayana and Vajrayana, and compare and contrast the basic beliefs of Vajrayana with those of Pure Land Buddhism.
  4. Describe the nature of Tibetan Buddhism, and explain the development of its various sects in the historical backdrop of the Sakya era.
  5. Describe the procedure for the selection of the Dalai Lama, and summarize the history of the Dalai Lama in the third era.
  1. Analyze why it is difficult to properly define the term satori, and describe Bodhidharma’s perspective on how a person can experience ultimate satori.
  2. Explain the state of mind during the practice of meditation, and interpret how the practice of meditation would lead to awakening.
  3. Discuss whether awakening is a gradual process or a sudden experience, and examine the value of meditation for the "sudden" school of awakening.
  4. Distinguish between real self-knowledge and conceptual knowledge about the self, and define the meaning of the term prajna in the Zen tradition.
  5. Summarize the events that led to the decline of Chinese Buddhism, and discuss the Tang Emperor Wu Zung’s arguments supporting the Great Persecution.
  6. Illustrate the methods used by masters in Rinzai Zen Buddhism to jolt their students into satori, and analyze why the koan exercise became both effective and popular.
  1. Describe how Buddhism entered Japan, and discuss the various Japanese schools of Buddhism.
  2. Summarize the tenets of Rinzai Zen and Soto Zen, and evaluate the contributions of Eisai, Dogen, and Hakuin to the field of Zen Buddhism.
  3. Explain the structure of a Zen monastery, enumerate various Zen practices followed in a monastery, and appraise the effect of Zen on the arts of Japan.

Weblinks

All links provided below were active on website launch. However, due to the dynamic nature of the Internet, links do occasionally become inactive. If you find a link that has become inactive, please try using a search engine to locate the website in question.

  • Language Tip of the Week
    June Casagrande, author of Grammar Snobs are Great Big Meanies. This site offers a useful language, usage and style tips on a weekly basis.
  • Dave's ESL Café
    Professor Dave Sperling This site offers a wide range of resources for students and teachers of English as a second language, including language learning resources, job postings, and discussion forums.
  • MLA Style
    This page includes a description of Modern Language Association (MLA) style guidelines for documenting a research paper with a link to frequently asked questions about the style.
  • CMS Style
    This site includes a description of Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) guidelines for documenting with a comprehensive Q&A section.
  • Research and Documenting Sources
    Purdue University Online Writing Lab This section of the Purdue University OWL offers guidelines for finding, evaluating, and documenting sources, as well as advice on writing research papers.
  • Internet Public Library
    University of Michigan School of Information This site offers an interactive tutorial on identifying the argument of an essay.
  • Librarians' Index to the Internet
    The Library of California Created and maintained by librarians, this site offers a searchable annotated subject directory of Web resources that have been selected and evaluated.
  • American Memory
    Library of Congress This site offers links to the digital versions of selected holdings relevant to American history and culture, including photographs, manuscripts, rare books, maps, and recorded sound and moving pictures.
  • NYPL Digital Gallery
    New York Public Library This site offers access to more than 275,000 digitized images from the collections of the New York Public Library. You can search collections or browse by topic to find illustrations, photographs, posters, maps, and manuscripts.
  • The New York Times
    This online version of the The New York Times includes searchable archives.
  • Online Writing Lab
    Purdue University A well-respected online resource, this site features handouts with examples of the writing process, from planning and drafting to proofreading.
  • Writing CSU Writing Guides
    The Writing Center at Colorado State University This site offers a wide range of resources for students and teachers of English as a second language, including language learning resources, job postings, and discussion forums.
  • Identifying the Argument of an Essay: A Tutorial in Critical Reasoning
    Dr. Frank Edler, Metropolitan Community College This site offers an interactive tutorial on identifying the argument of an essay.