Reading Guide for Topic 1A

I've decided that instead of trying to post reading guides by week I will post them by topic as that is how Professor Harlow has things organized. This way it is easier for you to do the readings before the lecture. I will still try and announce what we will go over in discussion. There will be some overlap between readings/lecture/discussion but there will also be things that we cover in only one.

Here is the reading Gudie for Topic 1A. We started this in the last five minutes on Thursday the 14th and will continue it next week:
Topic 1A India

Textbook (Murphey)
Pages 21-25
What is the relationship between dharma and caste/jati/duty?
What is the relationship between kharma and reincarnation?
How is karma used to explain/justify caste/jati distinctions?
How has Hinduism changed over the centuries? What were the causes of these changes?
Murphey tries to separate Hindu religion from Indian culture when talking about caste/jasti. Do you think his is correct in making this separation?
What is Murphey’s attitude towards Hinduism?

I have a lot of problems with the way Murphey talks about religion and will address those in a later post. For now, try and be aware of things that Murphey says that might not be quite right.

Pages 64-72
How does Murphey define civilization (page 64)? How does this relate to Professor Harlow’s view on history as given in the Introduction to Topic One?
What is the importance of division of labor and the rise of civilization? How is agricultural production related to this?
What is the relationship between agriculture and geography and the rise of the Indus Valley Civilization?
Why did the Indus Valley Civilization decline?
Who were the Aryans? What are the Vedas? When was the Vedic period culture and where did its culture come from?
Was Aryan domination something that happened quickly or slowly?
How did the Aryan Vedas portray the people of the Indus Valley Civilization that the Aryans conquered?
What is the relationship between Northern and Southern India?
What are some of the accomplishments of the Vedic period?

Sourcebook (my page numbers are different from yours so I will give the title of the reading rather than the pages)

Chapter One
What is the importance of memory?
How do Chinese and Indian views of history differ?
How are texts used differently in China and India?

Gods and Myths
Indra
What are some of the characteristics attributed to Indra?
Who does Indra protect and who does he punish?

Soma
What does soma do for the one who partakes of it?

Goddess Earth
How do Indra and the Goddess Earth reflect gender roles?

Speculations and Rituals
Creation
What is the relationship between creation and the gods?
What is known of the “He” who is “the first origin of this creation”? Would it be possible to say “It” instead of “He”?

Agni
What is Agni the god of?
What is the relationship between Agni and sacrifice?

Sacrifice: acts and words
What is the purpose of the first part of this reading (labeled 1)?
What is the importance of “speech” in the second part (labeled 7)?