Module THEO2501: Sacred India: Land, Politics & Identity

Department: Theology and Religion

THEO2501: Sacred India: Land, Politics & Identity

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To discuss historical and ethnographic works on religious communities and practices in South Asia.
• To conduct a critical examination of essentialised and orientalist accounts of complex religious phenomena in the region.
• To introduce a spatial approach to the study of religious communities and practices in South Asia and the politics around them.
• To explore possibilities for the entanglement of distinct religious practices in this region, past, present, and future.

Content

• This course explores key historical and ethnographic works on modern religious communities and practices across South Asia. Although the focus is on the present day the course aims to understand how historical trends both prior and during British colonialism inform current interfaith relations and tensions in the region. Thus, this course also aims to interrogate common-places in the study of religion and identity, both in South Asia and beyond.
• The course also introduces key theoretical trends in the social scientific study of religion and enables students to trace the development of schools of thought and apply them to the study of religion and identity in modern South Asia. The lecturer’s own research and fieldwork experiences in the region constitute a resource too. Some of those theoretical trends include the so-called spatial turn in the study of religion, the material turn in the study of religion, and the emphasis on media theory in the field
• In short, we will grapple with several key questions: How has the colonial legacy impacted religious identities in South Asia and the understanding we have of the boundaries between them? How do ethnographic accounts of religious practices differ from the many popular and orientalist accounts? Why is the study of religion in India so often assumed to be the study of Hinduism? What role has the western academy played in the creation of modern Hinduism? Why are recent studies questioning if India can be considered a religious country at all?

Learning Outcomes

• A knowledge and critical understanding of the wide range and variety of religious practices in India, and of the main issues and debates surrounding these practices.

• Skills in the critical evaluation and use of ethnographic research methodologies and data appropriate to study of the region, including the spatial analysis of religious communities and practices.

• The acquisition and analysis of information through reading relevant academic materials.
• The structured presentation of information in both written and oral form during seminars.
• The generation of insights through both individual reflection and group discussion during lectures and seminars.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures convey information and exemplify an approach to the subject-matter, enabling students to develop a clear understanding of the subject and to improve their skills in listening and in evaluating information.
• Seminars enhance subject-specific knowledge and understanding both through preparation and through interaction with students and staff, promoting awareness of different viewpoints and approaches.
• Examinations assess subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in the structured presentation of information in written form under time constraints.
• Formative and summative essays of 2000 words each assess subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in the acquisition of information through reading and research, and in the structured presentation of information in written form. Teaching Methods and Contact Hours

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

2,000 word formative essay.

■ Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University.