RELI 385 - American Gurus

Semester Offered: Spring
1 1 unit(s)

(Same as ASIA 385) The Sanskrit word guru has long been part of the English lexicon. It literally means “heavy,” though it is shorthand for “teacher”—a heavyweight, we might say. In this course students examine the lives and legacies of three major figures who sought to popularize Hinduism in America: Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977), and Ram Dass (1931-2019). We ask how these celebrity gurus reframed Hinduism for American audiences and American media, we consider which aspects of their teachings and popular images were distinctly “Hindu” and/or “American,” and we investigate how the encounters between America and Hinduism that these individuals negotiated have had lasting effects on the global practice of Hinduism as well as religion (or perhaps “spirituality”) in America today. Nell Hawley.

One 2-hour period.

Course Format: CLS