The idea of an Aryan “master race” has an enduring hold on the racist imagination. But when and how did the concept arise? This course shows how nineteenth-century German Indologists such as Friedrich and August Wilhelm Schlegel fostered the image of the Aryans. The emphasis in this course is on understanding how Indology is essentially linked with Aryanism: the discourse on Aryans underpins all efforts at the dating of texts and periodization, including the history of Indian and explanations of Hinduism.
The idea of an Aryan “master race” has an enduring hold on the racist imagination. But when and how did the concept arise? This course shows how nineteenth-century German Indologists such as Friedrich and August Wilhelm Schlegel fostered the image of the Aryans. The emphasis in this course is on understanding how Indology is essentially linked with Aryanism: the discourse on Aryans underpins all efforts at the dating of texts and periodization, including the history of Indian and explanations of Hinduism.
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CPS7507 – How does a Vedanta perspective widen our understanding of the current predicaments, and help us explore solutions to them? While exploring solutions to international conflicts, the Vedanta perspective goes beyond surface dimensions of conflicts. For example, Vedanta philsopher Sri Aurobindo argued, like individuals, states have egos– amplified through national habits, prejudices, and idiosyncrasies.
When applied to international politics, they lead to jingoism, exploitation, and wars, leading to practices like colonialism and imperialism. Colonialism and imperialism were only manifestations of an exploitative substructure. Though colonialism and imperialism belong to the past, the root, the ego, is intact, and its manifestation has acquired new shapes. The Vedanta perspective would also argue that state ego is not static, and it can evolve when state leaders think in terms of human unity and factor that thinking into policymaking.
The establishment of the United Nations, after the failure of the League of Nations, was hailed a right step in this direction. The UN was established with a promise to ensure dignity and equality to all states. Has this happened? The course explores all these dimensions while mainstreaming the Vedanta perspective and aims to design a Vedanta approach to international politics.
In stock
(SAN5104) – Vedic texts constitute the foundation of the worldview and way of life that informs Hindu life and culture. The vast body of texts based on the Vedas is broadly classified into 18 vidyāsthānas i.e. knowledge disciplines. These literary resources are in turn deeply aligned with living traditions and practices that constitute the Vedic way of life. This course provides a survey of the Vedic literary corpus and the ways in which it permeates Hindu culture and civilization spanning numerous traditions.
Prerequisites:
1) The medium of Instruction is Sanskrit
2) Only currently enrolled Sanskrit master’s certificate students can register for these courses.
3) Admission into Master Program in Sanskrit.
4) Completed previous MA Sanskrit Course if applicable
In stock
CPS7503 – The relevance of Mahatma Gandhi for the contemporary world, characterized by turbulence, is indisputable. Gandhi’s principles of Ahimsa (non-violence) and Satyagraha (love for the truth) stemmed from his religious tradition, and he applied these principles to political action in South Africa and India.
Gandhian ideas such as frugal economy, Gram Swaraj (grass-roots democracy), Ram Rajya (ideal state), trusteeship, social service, Swadeshi (self-reliance), bread-labor, social and religious harmony, and optimal use of resources will also be explored in the course. The course, while evaluating Gandhian perspective on conflict resolution and peacebuilding, critically examines ideas of Gandhi in academic and policy debates towards the development of rich and multiple perspectives and pathways to address the gap between principles and practice.
It also proposes Gandhian solutions to contemporary global issues including, but not limited to, inter-state and intra-state conflicts, climate change, religious extremism, rich-poor divide, education, economic development, and women empowerment. The students taking this course will apply a Gandhian perspective on the prevailing discourses on human life and society and appreciate the significance of dialogue among civilizations and cultures.
This course is currently unavailable for registration
This course teaches the fundamentals of textual criticism. Alongside a historical survey of scribal and editorial practices, we shall explore different approaches to editing texts. Of particular interest will be debating over whether to edit the best manuscript or to reconstruct a historical archetype using “Lachmann’s method” (i.e., the genealogical – reconstructive or the common-error method). Throughout, we shall be especially concerned with the correct interpretation of the critical edition—from the working hypothesis (Contini) to eclecticism (Barbi) to scientific text (Leonardi).
In stock
CPS7507 – How does a Vedanta perspective widen our understanding of the current predicaments, and help us explore solutions to them? While exploring solutions to international conflicts, the Vedanta perspective goes beyond surface dimensions of conflicts. For example, Vedanta philsopher Sri Aurobindo argued, like individuals, states have egos– amplified through national habits, prejudices, and idiosyncrasies.
When applied to international politics, they lead to jingoism, exploitation, and wars, leading to practices like colonialism and imperialism. Colonialism and imperialism were only manifestations of an exploitative substructure. Though colonialism and imperialism belong to the past, the root, the ego, is intact, and its manifestation has acquired new shapes. The Vedanta perspective would also argue that state ego is not static, and it can evolve when state leaders think in terms of human unity and factor that thinking into policymaking.
The establishment of the United Nations, after the failure of the League of Nations, was hailed a right step in this direction. The UN was established with a promise to ensure dignity and equality to all states. Has this happened? The course explores all these dimensions while mainstreaming the Vedanta perspective and aims to design a Vedanta approach to international politics.
In stock
(SAN6104) – The course provides an overview of the features, structure, and contents of the Ṛgveda as well as provides illustrations from the Saṁhitā, Brāhmaṇa, Āraṇyaka and Upaniṣad sections of the Ṛgveda to understand how they vary in their features and content from each other.
Pre-requisite:
1) The medium of Instruction is Sanskrit
2) Only currently enrolled Sanskrit master’s certificate students can register for these courses.
3) Admission into Master Program in Sanskrit.
4) Completed previous MA Sanskrit Course
In stock
(SAN7106) – In the Hindu knowledge traditions, the science of interpreting various Vedic injunctions and aphorisms, and methods of reconciling apparently conflicting systems and statements in the Vedas was developed by the school named Pūrva-mīmāṁsā. The vast body of sūtras authored by Jaimini analyze thread-bare the methods of interpretation of Vedic injunctions and provide insight into the interpretation of these Vedic verses within various contexts of discourse.
This vākya-śāstra, which is a Veda-upāṅga, develops the principles of Vedic hermeneutics which is elucidated for beginners through a text called Arthasaṅgraha.
Prerequisites:
1) The medium of Instruction is Sanskrit
2) Only currently enrolled Sanskrit master’s certificate students can register for these courses. (MIT-SVS)
3) Admission into Master Program in Sanskrit through MIT-SVS
4) Completed previous MA Sanskrit Course
In stock
PHS7304 – This course studies Edward Said’s Orientalism and its critiques, offering ways to reclaim and apply his discourse in the postcolonial Hindu context.
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