REL 246 The Gendering of Religion and Politics in South Asia (Same as Women's and Gender Studies 246) (Not offered 2008-2009; to be offered 2009-2010)
This course applies feminist and critical theory to the relationship between religion, gender, and sexuality. Most broadly, it considers the social and symbolic construction of gender and sexuality in a variety of South Asian religious traditions including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. In particular, it considers the discourses and practices which construct ideas about the body, purity and pollution, and the nature of male and female. These discourses involve a disciplining of the body and sex through the use of moral codes, ethics, social institutions, ritual practices, and popular culture. This course also addresses post-colonial and post-structuralist debates about how class, caste, and race cut across the universality of gender as a category.
Format: seminar. Requirements: three current events presentations, final paper and presentation, and active class discussion.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 30 (expected: 20). Open to all.
GUTSCHOW