Comparative religions is the study of religions concerned with the systematic comparison of the doctrines, practices, and history of five of the world'smajor religions. There are many benefits to such a course of enquiry but in general the comparative study of religion yields a deeper understanding of the fundamental philosophical concerns of religion and of the differences and similarities in beliefs among people who practice these religions. A person who has undertaken such a course of study has a much richer and more sophisticated understanding of human beliefs and practices regarding religious practice.
In this class, we will be studying Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. |
Common Core
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Hinduism
short videos
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Common Core:
RH 9-10: 1-3, 9 WHST 9-10: 2 a,b,d,e,f; 6 |
Concepts and Objectives for the Unit
Celebrations, festivals, ceremonies and customs
identify major festivals and relate each to the beliefs they celebrate
identify at least one unique custom of the religion show some understanding of the Sacred Thread ceremony as the initiation into the first of the four traditional stages of life of the twice born Hindu show some understanding of the role of Lakshmi in the celebration of Divali |
Sacred writings, stories and key figures
show some understanding of the beliefs reflected in stories relating to the cycle of creation, maintenance and destruction of the world
be able to identify the role of the key characters in the Ramayana (Rama, Ravana, Hanuman, Sita, Lakshmana) be familiar with stories about Krishna with a particular focus on those associated with his childhood and adolescence know the story(s) of creation |
Beliefs
understand the nature of Hinduism as both polytheistic and monotheistic; a supreme power that may be represented in a variety of ways (ishta deva)
have some understanding of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva as the main representations of Brahman, and of the "families" associated with them have some understanding of the concept of avatars associated with Vishnu and that Rama and Krishna are the two main avatars |
Sacred places, worship and symbols
be aware of the concept of the ishta deva
recognize and show some understanding of the symbolism associated with the main deities be aware of the pattern of morning puja and of religious practices associated with food and how they influence Hindu family life |
Moral values and attitudes
show some understanding of the concept of dharma with particular reference to varna
compare and contrast the family life of a an average American family with that of a Hindu family, showing understanding of the role of dharma within Hindu family life as reflected in the Ramayana |
Challenges and Due Dates
Currently, the timeline is indicated by approximately the number of days spent on an activity. As we proceed with the unit, definite due dates will be posted.
Challenge #1—Individual: Create a display that shows the relationships among the major gods/goddesses (avatars) in Hinduism. Due January 23 Challenge #2—Individual: Create an illustrated dictionary of Hindu terms. Include any terms you find throughout the unit that are new to you or are used in a new way. Also include in your dictionary a map of the major world centers of Hinduism. Due February 11 Challenge #3—Group: Create a multimedia presentation using at least 3 tales from the Ramayana. In your presentation, tell the tales and compare/contrast the themes of the 3 tales with the modern world. Are these themes still relevant? Due February 1 (you may choose your own groups) Challenge #4—Group: Identify at least 5 basic beliefs of Hinduism and apply those beliefs to life at Twinfield. Show how people would behavior here if they practiced those 5 beliefs. Due February 11 (you may choose your own groups, but you cannot work with any of the people you chose for challenge #3) Challenge #5—Individual: Cook Dewali festival foods and bring to class to share. This is for extra credit points (up to 10 points possible) and may be completed any time during the Hinduism unit. Feel free to bring props to celebrate Dewali with your food. Due By February 11 ALL CHALLENGE-BASED PROJECT REFLECTION FORMS Due in my email--[email protected]--by February 11 |
Resources
These are some suggested resources. Please do not limit yourself to these sites. However, be sure the sites you use are reputable.
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