The course will provide through lecture, discussion and course readings a comprehensive introduction to the major texts, doctrines, beliefs and practices of classical Hinduism from antiquity to modernity. Special emphasis will be placed on Vedic and Āgamic traditions and on the rise and development of the major Hindu saṃpradāyas, including those of Vaiṣṇavism, Śaivism, Śaktism and Tantrism. Attention will be paid to Hinduism's relationships with non Hindu traditions of South Asia, the rise of political Hinduism and Hinduism in the Indian Diaspora.

In this course we will study literary and religious aspects of Hindu myths. Through the reading of primary sources in translation, the course covers the main divinities and many mythological themes of early Vedic as well as later Puranic literature. We will follow the development of mythology from the Rg Veda to the epics—The Mahabharata and the Ramayana—and up to the classical mythology of the Sanskrit Puranas.

This course considers the co-option, reinterpretation and dissemination of sacred texts and religious practices in various political and cultural projects in India during the colonial and post-colonial periods. Students are introduced to religious “reform” movements and cross-cultural debates during the colonial period. We also examine how the concept of a secular state in post-Independence India has shaped and continues to shape religious practice and public policy.

This course will introduce students to the rich heritage of devotional literature in pre- and early modern South Asia, often referred to as Bhakti. This course will include examples from medieval India as well as from many languages and regions, an area that encompasses modern-day India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Our focus will be the medieval and early modern periods, and the devotional literature composed in the South Asian languages. The characteristic feature of Bhakti is an intense, passionate relationship with the divine.