Historical overview of the development of ideas that forms the basis of the south Asian religious culture. ASIA 103 / RLST 103 Introduction to Hinduism (3) (GH;IL)(BA). This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. We begin with a discussion of the pre-Vedic Indus Valley civilization reflecting upon its influence on later south Asian cultures. The course then traces how the Vedic ritual tradition, and the Vedantic philosophy gave rise to the concepts of Karma (individual action and its underlying motives), Samsara (the cyclical view of life), and the Atman (nature of the individual). Moreover, we pause here to explore the relationship between the emerging idea of civic responsibility (Dharma) and its relationship to the Vedic and Vedantic thought. Next we examine how the Vedantic philosophical tradition may have incorporated a diversity of philosophical views including both Brahmanical as well as non-Brahmanical traditions of Buddhism, Jainism, Lokayata, etc. The class will read excerpts from the religious literature of the era. The first part of the course concludes with selected readings from the Bhagavadgita, Mahabharata, as well as some Buddhist and Jaina texts. All of these readings will be in English. Class discussions focus on how the classical Hindu worldview may have emerged from the philosophical foundation of the Vedantas, and later built the groundwork for the Hindu Bhakti (devotion) movements. The second part of the course focuses on the various regional Bhakti traditions from the middle ages onwards, analyzing how the regional cultures may have related with the great classical Brahmanic tradition. The course concludes with a discussion of how Hinduism in the post 1800s responded to the forces of colonization, exploring how the different religious and cultural traditions of south Asia may have interacted with other religious cultures (both indigenous and foreign) like Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, and Christianity. We shall read excerpts from noteworthy thinkers and writers of nineteenth and twentieth century to understand the very interesting dynamics between religion and civil society of more recent times. This course concludes with a discussion of how Hinduism in the post 1800s responded to the forces of colonization, exploring how the different religious and cultural traditions of historical south Asia may have interacted with other religious cultures (both indigenous and foreign) like Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, and Christianity. We shall read excerpts from noteworthy thinkers and writers of nineteenth and twentieth century to understand the very interesting dynamics between religion and civil society of more recent times.