Overview

Schedule

"Elements of Religion"

Team Activities

Writing Assignments

> Source Analysis

> Site Observation

> Observation Reports

Extra Credit

iFAQs

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Observation Report

The observation report describes your observations and one interview among members of a local Hindu community during one of the annual celebrations, recorded at a local worship site, and relates these to the observations of other ethnographers who have observed the same celebration in India. You write as if you were articulating your thoughts not just for your own reflection for the professor to assess, but also to provide explanations for a peer (vs. a specialist) who is unfamiliar with the topic. NOTE: half a dozen student Observation Reports will be assigned as readings for the final TRA and application exercise.

Ethnographic Sources

Ethnographic sources providing accounts of other observers attending celebrations in India similar to those you will observe at local worship sites. These sources are listed as recommended books in the course overview; the first may be downloaded for free, and the other two are available from the bookstore. You'll need to read at least one of these to address section C(ii) of the ORW. Drawing on more than one can earn you extra credit.

CAUTION: These ethnographic sources are different from the **pre-modern** sources listed for Source Analyses, as they describe modern practices with some similarity to those you will observe locally. MAKE SURE TO USE ETHNOGRAPHIC SOURCES, not pre-modern ones, for the Observation Report.

Unit 2

Unit 3

Unit 4

  • Hindu Festivals in a North Indian Village, 5-14, 122-36 (free download)
  • The Camphor Flame, 48-54, 89-92, 99-105, 128-42
  • The Book of Hindu Festivals & Ceremonies, 75-86, 191-97
  • "The Goddess & the Demon" (on-line in SacCT
    --> see "Additional Sources" under the Learning Modules tab)

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