Readings in Humanities and Social Sciences (Letters, English)B-E1
| Numbering Code | U-LAS03 10003 SB48 | Year/Term | 2022 ・ Second semester | |
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| Number of Credits | 2 | Course Type | Seminar | |
| Target Year | 2nd year students or above | Target Student | For liberal arts students | |
| Language | Japanese | Day/Period | Tue.4 | |
| Instructor name | VASUDEVA，Somdev (Graduate School of Letters Professor) | |||
| Outline and Purpose of the Course |
The course presents a structured, close reading of a recent collection of historically significant sources on the development of Yoga. We will study scholarly English translations of source texts in Sanskrit, Pali, Avadhi, Tibetan, Persian, Arabic, Chinese, Kashmiri, Old Marathi, and Tamil. Since these works span nearly 3500 years of development, we will see first hand how different academic disciplines approach problems related to cultural history. What was yoga in the past? What is yoga now? Who was/is interested in yoga? Why has yoga been so successful as a commodity of cultural exchange? These are some of the questions we will be considering. |
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| Course Goals |
The course provides a concise historiography of yoga, beginning around 1500 BC and ending with Modern Yoga as a major part of modern religious movements and the global wellness industry. Students will learn what criteria are helpful to evaluate scholarly translations. The course will help students become familiar with the language and style of carefully prepared academic translations. Since so many different languages have been translated in our text book, we will be able to see how the authors approached related passages in texts from different places, time periods and cultural backgrounds. |
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| Schedule and Contents |
week 1: Introduction to the course materials. What are the main problems in using primary sources to study the cultural history of Yoga. week 2: Definitions of Yoga, competing types of yoga. week 3: Why are Preliminaries necessary? week 4-5: Breath and the mind. week 6: The esoteric or subtle body and its role in yoga. week 7: Yogic Seals and internal stances week 8-9: Mantra and sonic mysticism week 10-12: Sense Withdrawal, Concentration Fixation of attention and Meditation week 13: Samādhi week 14: Supernatural Yogic Powers week 15: Review |
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| Evaluation Methods and Policy | attendance: 30% and participation in class: 50%; 2 page Essay in English on any selected reading of the text, to be submitted at the end of the course: 20% | |||
| Course Requirements | None | |||
| Study outside of Class (preparation and review) | Approximately 45–60 minutes preparation of the reading before each class. One 2 page essay at the end of the course. | |||
| Textbooks | Textbooks/References |
The Roots of Yoga, James Mallinson, (Penguin Classics), ISBN:0141394447
授業時に講読箇所を配布する |
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