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The best way to
survey "Hinduism Here" is to consult the
2003 or
2005 Course Syllabuses.
The
Course
Briefly, the course is intended to explore historical, theological,
social, and ritual dimensions of "lived Hinduism"
in the greater New York area. Common readings deal with diasporic
Hinduism in several locations and with the religious plurality
of contemporary New York. In the first year it was offered
(Spring, 2003), individual field projects focused on several
worshipping communities, a retreat center, and a foundation
(Research Sites).
The
Questions
Students are not encouraged to ask a single set of questions
of every "site." Rather, they are expected to learn
to ask the questions they think will be most fruitful - often
with advice from people active at the sites themselves. The
only general guideline is: "What do you need to know
to begin to understand this organization or community?"
Because students typically work in small groups, they are
encouraged to pursue a range of approaches, on the assumption
that no one can be definitive.
A
Student's Distance
Studying a religious group is rewarding but hard work. It
means listening as carefully as possible to the views of the
people directly involved and watching sympathetically. It
always means participating to some degree in the life of the
"site" being studied, but it also implies a certain
distance. Students are asked to think for themselves and articulate
their perspectives convincingly. Only rarely will these be
exactly the perspectives of persons involved in the communities
being studied, but it is very important that true communication
occur. In cases where there are differences of perspective
and they conflict, we make no prima facie judgment about who
is "right" - perhaps both, in some way.
Dialogue
For that reason, we especially value the chance to engage
with members of the communities we study. This happens from
the first moment a student visits a "site," and
it culminates in two ways at the end of the course. First,
there is a Course Conference, at which students present their
work to representatives of the communities they have been
studying and invite response. Interestingly, this also creates
the possibility of hearing an exchange of views between members
of different groups present at the conference. Second, and
simultaneously, students invite community members to read
the final drafts of their papers, which they then have the
chance to revise before posting them on this website.
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