CLHUMRE002 - Four Religions From the Indian Subcontinent
Four world religions began in the Indian subcontinent: Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. Over the last 3,500-plus years, these religious traditions have developed a wide array of religious ideas and practices. They advance visions of the world, humanity and the sacred that are often radically different from those embraced within European thought and cultures. Religion scholar Dr. Sravana Borkataky-Varma examines how these traditions arose and developed over time in response to social, cultural and historical influences. This course offers a unique opportunity for comparative reflection on the diverse histories, functions and roles of religion in human civilizations and contemporary geopolitics.
Course Details
Sravana Borkataky-Varma, Ph.D., is a historian and an educator. She studies Indian religions focusing on esoteric rituals, gender and bodies, particularly in Hindu Sakta Tantra traditions (Goddess Tantra). Dr. Borkataky-Varma is an instructional assistant professor at the University of Houston and a research associate at the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School. Previously, she has taught at Harvard University, the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, the University of Montana and Rice University. Dr. Borkataky-Varma has coedited two volumes: “Living Folk Religions” and “Religious Responses to the Pandemics and Crises: Isolation, Survival and #Covidchaos.” A cowritten book, “The Serpent’s Tale: Ku??alini and the History of an Experience,” and a coedited volume “Embodied Pedagogy in Religion: Transforming the Classroom” are under contract. Dr. Borkataky-Varma is a board of trustee member for Esalen Institute and serves as an advisory board member for Compassionate Houston.
Online--Synchronous
This course will be delivered in a synchronous format online. Participants will receive login instructions to the course page which will provide access to the virtual classroom link and other resources. All online classes are held at Central Standard Time.
- History of the Land (Indus valley civilization to nation building)
- Hinduism
- Jainism
- Buddhism
- Sikhism
Department of Religion, Rice University