History and Methods

The History and Method area takes a deep dive into the evolution of European thought as it emerged through what has been called the “Enlightenment”, “Renaissance” and “Reformation” eras. It offers a collection of courses that explore the key ideas that gave rise to our contemporary mainstream understanding of the nature and place of history, historical process and the method of knowing the world through historical master narratives. Ranging from the origins of the Aryan Race theory to the emergence of Anti-Semitism, Protestant Christianity and its interactions with Enlightenment, the rise of German identity and interest in Sanskrit, the emergence of German Indology, the European split between Science and Religion, the evolution of contemporary ideas of rationality, morality, intellectual progress, the relationship between the individual and the state, liberty, secularism and religious tolerance, these courses enable the student to trace the arc of development of contemporary mainstream western thought. Focusing on the ways in which European (now western) thought creates fundamental polarization and conflict between religion and science, reason and revelation, religious and secular, tradition and modernity, progressivism and regressivism, private and public, white and non-white and so on – these courses allow students to reflect on how these foundational sets of ideas have “set the table” of contemporary debate, well into our 21st century. By reviewing specific Philosophers and Thinkers and the critical writings that set this table, students will be enabled to inquire into the role and purpose of the field of contemporary Humanities as a special stream of study for self-cultivation, aesthetic appreciation and the development of a wider intellectual horizon and explore to what extent the promise of the humanities and the modern university have been thwarted by special and entrenched interests, leading to fundamental disconnects between the university and the wider public. Ultimately, this area of study, aims to enable students to engage with contemporary social and political debates, from a place of thoughtful and critical reflection and adequate historical context. 

The Vedic Origins of Hinduism

The Vedic Origins of Hinduism

HSF5001 - In order to understand the roots of Hinduism which for many thousands of years has kept the fundamentals Read More
Readings in Western Philosophy

Readings in Western Philosophy

HAM7405 - How can we know anything? What is the relationship of knowledge to the soul? Does the state of Read More
Philosophy of Race

Philosophy of Race

HAM7402 - This course traces the construction of “race” in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Europe, beginning with the theological, political, and Read More
History of German Indology

History of German Indology

HAM7400 - Few European nations developed such a broad spectrum of research on India or sought so strongly to defend Read More
Readings in Modern Hinduism

Readings in Modern Hinduism

HAM6403 - Who were the thinkers and architects of modern India? How did their views of Hinduism and of the Read More
Mahabharata Textual Criticism

Mahābhārata Textual Criticism

HAM8401 - This course covers the two parts of criticism: lower criticism and higher criticism. We will first look at Read More
Reconstructing Hindu History – The Omissions

Reconstructing Hindu History – The Omissions

HAM4202 – (C.P.H.S – Core Course) Reconstructing Hindu History - The Omissions course is the second of a two-quarter course Read More
Reconstructing Hindu History - The Commissions

Reconstructing Hindu History – The Commissions

HAM4201 – (C.P.H.S – Core Course) This course is the first of a two-quarter course sequence that examines the scientific Read More
How Hindu Dharma Transformed America

How Hindu Dharma Transformed America

HAM2100 – (CPHS – Core Course) How Hindu Dharma Transformed America - This course explores the history and impact of Read More
Philosophy of History

The Philosophy of History

HAM8400 - This course introduces students to the philosophy of history, that is, the philosophical inquiry into the meaning, nature, Read More
Race and Hindu Reform

Race and Hindu Reform

HAM6405 - This course is the second part of a two-part course sequence that begins with HAM6403-Race and Modern Hinduism. Read More
Distortions in Indian Historiography

Distortions in Indian Historiography

HAM4301 - This course traces the distortions in the historiography of medieval and modern India, discernible since the Independence of Read More
Bhagavadgita and the West

The Bhagavadgita and the West

HAM6404 - This course traces the history of the Western reception of the Bhagavadgītā, a central text of classical Hinduism. Read More
Hunamities

The Humanities and the University – II

Inspired by neo-humanism, the research university was to facilitate self-cultivation, aesthetic appreciation (especially through knowledge of classical antiquity), and a Read More
Historicism and the Humanities

Historicism and the Humanities

HAM8402 - Historicism may be defined minimally as “the belief that an adequate understanding of the nature of anything and Read More
Research and Writing Preparatory Seminar

The Humanities and the University – I

Inspired by neo-humanism, the research university was to facilitate self-cultivation, aesthetic appreciation (especially through a knowledge of classical antiquity), and Read More
Historical Methods and Sources

Historical Methods and Sources

As a mode of knowing, history has acquired unparalleled prestige. We now think that to know when, where and under Read More
The Enlightenment

The Enlightenment

The Age of Enlightenment or, simply, the Enlightenment extended from the late seventeenth to the eighteenth century. This epoch had Read More
Aryanism and Indology

Aryanism and Indology

The idea of an Aryan “master race” has an enduring hold on the racist imagination. But when and how did Read More