Course Syllabus
Indian Philosophy IIThe Classical TraditionsSQ 2021 • University of Chicago Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:40–11:00am CST
|
Background: Here are a few glossaries and timelines to help you get oriented (besides the glossary we are compiling as a class):
- Timeline: “Indian Philosophy in a Hundred Thinkers,” from The Oxford Handbook of Indian Philosophy (Jonardon Ganeri, 2017)
- Chronology from The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Philosophy of Language (Alessandro Graheli, 2020)
- Glossary from The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Indian Philosophy of Language (Alessandro Graheli, 2020)
- Pronunciation guide for Sanskrit words
Schedule
| Dates | Assignments | |
| Week 1: Knowledge | ||
|
3/30 |
Required readings:
|
|
|
4/1 |
Required readings:
Chat transcript (sorry we didn’t record this one!) |
|
|
No discussion post this week! Additional readings:
Overviews/background:
Terms: pramāṇam, pratyakṣam, svalakṣaṇam, kalpanā |
||
| Week 2: Natural kinds | ||
|
4/6 |
Required readings:
|
|
|
4/8 |
Required readings:
|
|
|
Additional readings:
Overviews/background:
Terms: jātiḥ, vyaktiḥ, samavāyaḥ (“inherence”), sāmānyam (Jha “community”) |
||
| Week 3: Meaning | ||
|
4/13 |
Required readings:
|
|
|
4/15 |
Required readings:
|
|
|
Additional readings:
Overviews/background:
Terms: śabdaḥ, arthaḥ, dhvaniḥ, sphōṭaḥ, anvaya-vyatirēkau |
||
| Week 4: Exclusion | ||
|
4/20 |
Required readings:
|
|
|
4/22 |
Required readings:
|
|
|
Additional readings:
Terms: apōhaḥ, sāmānya-śabdaḥ, yadr̥ccha-śabdaḥ, vyatirēkaḥ |
||
| Week 5: Sentence Meaning | ||
|
4/27 |
Required readings:
|
|
|
4/29 |
Required readings:
Zoom recording and chat transcript |
|
|
Additional readings:
Terms: vākyam, anvayaḥ, svarūpam, abhidhānam |
||
| Week 6: Comparison | ||
|
5/4 |
Required readings:
|
|
|
5/6 |
Required readings:
|
|
|
Additional readings:
Terms: upamānam, sādr̥śyam, utprēkṣā |
||
| Week 7: Memory | ||
|
5/11 |
Required readings:
|
|
|
5/13 |
Required readings:
|
|
|
Additional readings:
Terms: smr̥tiḥ, śrutiḥ |
||
| Week 8: Error | ||
|
5/18 |
Required readings:
|
|
|
5/20 |
Required readings:
|
|
|
Additional readings:
Terms: bhramaḥ/bhrāntiḥ, khyātiḥ |
||
| Week 9: Taste and feeling | ||
|
5/25 |
Required readings:
|
|
|
5/27 |
Required readings:
|
|
|
Additional readings:
Terms: rasaḥ, bhāvaḥ Bonus: Here is recording of the sixth and final night of a week-long performance of the Tōraṇayuddham (“Battle at the Gate”), an act from the play Āścaryacūḍāmaṇi (“Crest-Jewel of Amazement”), performed at the University of Chicago Center in Delhi by the group Nepathya. I (Andrew) put in an English translation of the Sanskrit text in close captions; the script (Sanskrit with an English translation) is here. A recording of the accompanying workshop is available here. |
||
Format
This course will meet on Zoom (see the link to the left) on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:40am for 80 minutes. In preparation for our meetings, please:
- complete the required readings listed on the schedule for that meeting; and
- complete a brief discussion post on Canvas (see the guidelines below).
During the class meeting, we will divide the class up into smaller groups to discuss specific questions related to the readings for about 20 minutes. Someone from the group will be appointed to relate the upshot of the discussion to the class. We will use the remaining hour or so to discuss issues arising from the readings and the discussion posts.
Office Hours
Andrew will hold Office Hours at this Zoom link on Tuesdays at 11:00–12:00 CST. Please sign up in advance on Canvas’s calendar. If you need to meet at a different time, or all of the slots are filled in a given week, please reach out to me directly.
Anand will hold Office Hours on Wednesdays Tuesdays at 10:30–11:30 CST.
Assignments
| 25% | Class meeting participation | |
| 25% | Discussion posts | |
| 15% | Terms | |
| 35% | Final paper |
Class meetings
Everyone should try to participate fully in our synchronous class meetings. This means, of course, being being present for all of the meetings at the very least. As a rule of thumb, you should try to contribute at least once per session. (Andrew and Anand will try to make this happen semi-organically, but if you anticipate that you’ll need to be invited to contribute — or that you might need to make space for others to contribute — you can let us know!) There are no stupid questions, but if you do have questions that you’d rather Andrew or Anand raise for you, you can send them to one of us in the Zoom chat.
We ask everyone’s patience and forbearance in conducting these meetings over Zoom. It can be difficult to gauge responses to a point or question, especially when everyone else is muted, so please feel free to be more deliberate and explicit about your (constructive and positive) reactions, as Andrew and Anand will endeavor to be. Please also see the section below on “Zoom etiquette”. We’ll be asking you all to keep your cameras on (unless you have a good reason not to), and to ask me (by raising your hand or waving at me) if you’d like to speak. You can also try some of the conversational moves outlined below.
Conversational moves (From Brookfield & Preskill, 2005. Discussion as a Way of Teaching: Tools and Techniques for Democratic Classrooms. San Francisco Jossey-Bass.)
- Ask a question or make a comment that shows you are interested in what another person has said.
- Ask a question or make a comment that encourages someone else to elaborate on something that person has said.
- Make a comment that underscores the link between two people’s contributions. Make this link explicit in your comment.
- Make a comment indicating that you found another person’s ideas interesting or useful. Be specific as to why this was the case.
- Contribute something that builds on or springs from what someone else has said. Be explicit about the way you are building on the other person’s thoughts.
- Make a summary observation that takes into account several people’s contributions and that touches on a reoccurring theme in the discussion.
- Ask a cause-and-effect question – for example, “Can you explain why you think it’s true that if these things are in place, such and such a thing will occur?”
- Find a way to express appreciation for what you have gained from the discussion. Try to be specific about what it was that helped you understand something better.
- Disagree with someone in a respectful and constructive way.
Discussion posts
By Monday night (11:59pm CST), you should complete a discussion post (which will be linked in the above schedule. These posts will allow us to direct the class discussion to the topics and questions that are most interesting or challenging. (They also tell us that you’ve read the texts.) You can choose from any of the required or additional readings that are on the schedule for that week (and feel free to touch on more than one of them). The posts need not be very long. You should use the discussion posts to:
- ask a question, either about ideas or about the historical context (did author x know about y, etc.);
- make an observation about how the argument works, what you think is at stake, what you think the argument applies or doesn’t apply to, etc.;
- connect the reading another idea, concept, or theory that you’ve encountered elsewhere (in this case please try to provide some background for all of us!).
In all cases you should provide a specific reference to one of the assigned (or suggested) readings.
The discussions are graded on a complete/incomplete basis. You are allowed to skip one discussion post over the course of the quarter.
Definitions
Throughout the course we will also ask you to define a few technical terms in a shared Google Document. You will be assigned these terms at the beginning of the quarter. Andrew and Anand have provided pratyakṣam (perception) and kalpanā (conceptual construction) as examples. Please give specific references to the readings in your definitions. The definitions should be philosophical, that is, they should describe a certain concept or phenomenon without either failing to account for certain instances (avyāptiḥ) or including instances that shouldn’t be included (ativyāptiḥ).
The definitions will be due at 9am on the assigned day. They are graded on a complete/incomplete basis. We will discuss them in class.
Papers
You will write one essay for this course on a topic of your choosing in Indian philosophy. The papers should be roughly ten pages long. You should have a conversation with Andrew and/or Anand by the beginning of May at the latest regarding your topic. we may ask to see an outline of the paper in week seven or eight.
The paper will be due by the end of the day on June 1.
Policies
Online learning
This class will be taught online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When participating in “synchronous” sessions online, you might keep the following guidelines in mind:
- Please mute your microphone when you are not speaking. I will not mute the microphones centrally, so you can unmute yourself anytime you would like to speak.
- If you would like to speak, just wave at me or use the “raise hand” feature in Zoom and I will call on you. Please try not to interrupt me or others in the class.
- Try to find a relatively quiet place. Using headphones sometimes helps with minimizing echoes.
- Generally I will expect that you keep your video on, except for brief periods. This tells me that you are present and paying attention. If you turn your video off for long periods of time, expect me to bother you about it.
- Be respectful of your fellow students, and in particular, don't make your own recordings or share recordings with anyone outside of this class. (Recordings of each session will be available on this site.) This should go without saying. I will implement security settings to minimize the chance of getting Zoom-bombed, so make sure you access the meetings from Canvas, which will use your UChicago credentials.
- Don’t do anything else. Resist the temptation to check the news (as I often do in boring meetings...), check social media, whatever. We have a very limited amount of synchronous class time and I want you to be 100% present. I will be able to tell if you’re not paying full attention. Trust me.
If you encounter any difficulty whatsoever in participating fully in the class, whether due to poor internet connectivity, being in a different time zone, etc., please let me know as soon as possible. We'll find a way for you to participate.
In addition, the University has recommended that I include the following statement in order to be perfectly clear about what can and cannot be recorded and/or shared. By participating in this course, students agree that:
- They will not: (i) record, share, or disseminate University of Chicago course sessions, videos,transcripts, audio, or chats; (ii) retain such materials after the end of the course; or (iii) use such materials for any purpose other than in connection with participation in the course.
- They will not share links to University of Chicago course sessions with any persons not authorized to be in the course session. Sharing course materials with persons authorized to be in the relevant course is permitted. Syllabi, handouts, slides, and other documents may be shared at the discretion of the instructor.
- Course recordings, content, and materials may be covered by copyrights held by the University, the instructor, or third parties. Any unauthorized use of such recordings or course materials may violate such copyrights.
Any violation of this policy will be referred to the Area Dean of Students.
Attendance
You are expected to attend every synchronous session and to be on time. Absences are allowed in cases of family emergency, sickness, and other life crises, but you must notify us in advance if at all possible. Similarly, if you have a religious obligation that requires you to miss our session, you must inform us now at the beginning of the quarter. In other cases, we will not follow up with you if you are absent. If you miss a session and do not communicate with us in a timely manner, you will be marked absent.
Deadlines
The papers are due by the end of the day on June 1. If you think you will need more time to complete a discussion post or define a term, or to complete the final paper, please let us know in advance. Otherwise, late submissions will not be counted.
Academic integrity
I expect everyone to adhere to the College’s guidelines for Academic Integrity and Student Conduct. In particular, the following will be considered violations of academic integrity and may be referred to the College:
- Cheating on assignments;
- Passing off the work of others as one’s own (including group work);
- Using tools or services that are against the spirit of the course.
If you have any doubt about what constitutes a violation of academic integrity, please contact me. I take cases of academic dishonesty very seriously, and so does the College.
Inclusivity
The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law (including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972). For additional information regarding the University of Chicago’s Policy on Harassment, Discrimination, and Sexual Misconduct, please see: http://harassmentpolicy.uchicago.edu/page/policy.
Accommodations for students with disabilities
The Office of Student Disability Services (disabilities@uchicago.edu, 773-702-6000/TTY 773-795-1186, disabilities.uchicago.edu, located at 5501 S. Ellis Ave.) is the official channel for requesting accommodations. If you already have an Accommodation Determination Letter from that office, please provide it to me as soon as possible. If you have a documented disability, or think you may have a disability, and would benefit from accommodations to participate in class, complete course requirements, or avail yourself of the University’s programs or services, please contact the Office of Student Disability Services. The presence of an accommodation will have no effect on your grade. Disability information, including instructional accommodations as part of a student’s educational record, is confidential and protected under FERPA.
Mental Health
Your College Advisor, your Resident Heads and Resident Assistants, and the staff at Student Counseling are available to you should you need or want to talk. Please see the university’s I encourage you to make use of Chicago's resources for student mental health if it becomes necessary over the course of the quarter.
Name and pronouns
Your name and pronouns should appear on roster that is provided to instructors. Note that students can elect to change their pronouns of reference at my.uchicago.edu. Please feel free to indicate your preferred name and/or pronouns to me in any case.
Dean of students
If you have any other concerns about your ability to participate in class or meet the requirements, please discuss them with me as soon as possible, or get in touch with your Dean of Students.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|