Readings:
(available in Seminary bookstore)
Required:
Cowan,
Paul. An Orphan in History. Woodstock VT: Jewish Lights
Publishing, 1982/2002.
Esack,
Farid. On Being a Muslim. Finding a religious path in the world
today. Oxford: Oneworld, 1999.
Mackenzie,
Vicki. Cave in the Snow. Tenzim Palmo’s Quest for
Enlightenment. Bloomsbury, 1998.
Reymond,
Lizelle. My Life with a Brahmin Family. Baltimore: Penguin
Book, 1957.
Optional:
(student must choose one of these)
Feld,
Merle. A Spiritual Life. A Jewish feminist journey. Albany,
NY: SUNY, 1999.
Hanh,
Thich Nhat. My Master’s Robe. Memories of a Novice Monk. Berkeley:
Parallax Press, 2002.
Mernissi,
Fatima. Dreams of Trespass. Tales of a Harem Girlhood.
Class
Sessions:
September
15: NO
CLASS
September
22: Introduction
September
29: Questions
for consideration; introduction to Hinduism
October
6:
Devotional Hinduism; discussion of reading
Reading:
My Life with a Brahman Family
October
13:
Introduction to Buddhism; discussion of reading
Reading: selected passages from Sri
Aurobindo (distributed
in Xerox)
October
20: Developments
in Buddhism; discussion of reading
Reading:
Cave in the
Snow
October
27:
Film or speaker; discussion of reading
Reading:
My
Master’s Robe (optional)
November
3: NO
CLASS
[ON-LINE CLASS
DISCUSSION]
November
10: Visit
to synagogue
November 17:
Guest speaker
on Judaism; discussion of reading
Reading:
An Orphan in
History;
A
Spiritual Life (optional)
[ON-LINE
CLASS DISCUSSION]
December
1:
Introduction to Islam; Islam in the West; women in Islam
December
8:
Discussion of reading
Reading:
On Being a
Muslim; Dreams
of Trespass (optional)
December
15:
Conclusion
Requirements:
1.
Reading all
required texts in
time to participate in class discussion.
In addition, each class participant must read one of the optional
texts in time for relevant discussion in class (total of 5
books).
2.
Writing 5
short essays. For each book read (including one optional text)
students must write a 3-4 page paper, double spaced, responding to
one of the questions distributed.
3.
Leading
class discussions. Each person will share with others in leading
the discussion on a particular text, assignments to be made at the
beginning of class.
