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World Religions in Greater Indianapolis Teaching Module
Teacher Name: Jonathan Arbuckle
World Religion: Hinduism
Humanities Discipline: Anthropology
Date: October 30, 2016
Teaching Module Title: Hinduism Part 2
Teaching Module Goals:
1. Explore ideas of ethnocentrism and cultural biases as it relates to Hinduism in America historically, as well as
differences between generations of practicing Hindus.
2. Explore the relationship between Hinduism and large cultural themes from the Indian subcontinent in practice
and perception.
3. Discuss racial and ethnic biases of immigrant communities and their cultural heritage.
Assigned Readings and/or Websites:
1. Bowker: World Religions, pages 20-43
2. Mann, Numrich, and Williams: Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs in America, pages, 62-93
Class outline/Study Questions and/or Discussions Prompts/Assessments for Students:
General Class Lecture/Discussion
a.
b.
c.
d.
Ethnocentrism review
Hinduism in America
Race and Ethnicity
The immigrant experience
Assessment:
Focusing on the readings and class discussion, students will watch, in class, an episode of the popular Netflix
series, Master of None. The episode focuses on the racial and cultural stereotypes of Indians and Hinduism in
American culture and the mainstream media. While watching the episode, students will write down what they
think are the five most important points/parts of the episode and why. Students will then find a partner, discuss
their points, and create a new list of five points. Each pair will then briefly present their main points to the
entire class, explaining why they think the points are important and fielding any questions from other students.
World Religions in Greater Indianapolis Teaching Module
Teacher Name: Rachel M. Barrett Knight
World Religion: Hinduism
Discipline: Composition
Date: October 25, 2016
Teaching Module Title: Hinduism Historical Module
Teaching Module Goals:
1. Discover current historical information related to Hinduism in the United States
2. Evaluate the rhetorical context of two different writers
3. Reflect on the purpose, bias, and context of writing and its effect on the reader
Assigned Readings and/or Websites:
1. Hajela, D. (2013, January 14). Hindus now have a fellow believer in congress. Newsday. Retrieved from
http://sks.sirs.com
2. Basu, T. (2015, March 5). Hindus are Thriving in America, but There’s Only One in Congress. The Atlantic.
Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/03/hindus-in-american-politics/386941/
Lesson Plan, Study Questions and/or Discussions Prompts for Students:
1. The students will read the Hajela (2013) and Basu (2015) articles prior to coming to class.
2. The instructor will put students into small groups and each small group will be given questions asking the group
to evaluate the rhetorical context of the one of the pieces of writing.
a. What is the writer’s purpose for writing the article?
b. What language choices did the author use to achieve this purpose?
c. How does the title of the article impact the way the information is perceived?
d. What information does the author provide to support the purpose for writing?
e. Is the writer effective at their purpose?
f. What additional information (if any) would help the author’s goal?
3. Students are given time to digest and evaluate the questions provided in small groups and are encouraged to
use examples from the text to support their responses.
4. The teacher leads a discussion by having the small groups share their responses to the above questions and
guides the conversation to more deeply understand the context, bias, and purpose of each piece.
Written Assignments and/or other Assessment Instruments:
1. Students will write a reflective journal discussing which of the articles they felt was more effective by providing
their own rationale. Students should be encouraged to consider whether informative tactics or persuasive
tactics were more effective.
2. An alternative assignment: students could be encouraged to seek out an additional article related to the topic of
Hinduism or religion and government and evaluate the article on the same basis that was completed in class by
providing the source and answering the questions.
World Religions in Greater Indianapolis Teaching Module
Teacher Name: Courtland Blade
World Religion: Hinduism
Humanities Discipline: Art History
Date: October 6, 2016
Teaching Module Title: Hinduism, Art and architecture in America taking a closer look
Teaching Module Goals:
1. Introduce students to Hinduism, Hindu art, and Hindu architecture in the United States
2. Address how Hindu ideas and culture are reflected in temples
3. Explore the meaning and function of the Hindu temples in the United States
Assigned Readings and/or Websites:
1. Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs in America: A Short History pgs. 79-93.
2. Watch the Temple Makers http://www.wfyi.org/programs/temple-makers/television/the-temple-makers
3. World Religions: the great faiths explored &Explained by John Bowker pg. 22-23, pg. 34-37
Study Questions and/or Discussions Prompts for Students:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What are Murtis?
What are Yantras?
What is Darshan?
How often do Hindus in America usually gather in the Hindu temples?
What effect do Hindu temples have on the arts?
Written Assignments and/or other Assessment Instruments:
Paper: After doing the readings and watching the video “The Temple Makers”, discuss how the Hindu temple,
specifically the Hindu Temple of Central Indiana, reflects the culture and ideas of Hinduism. Address what the Hindu
temple is used for. What does the temple mean for Hindus living in Indiana and especially newly arrived Hindu
immigrants? How does it function in their lives? Finally discuss the iconography used in the temple. Answer the
question: why is the Hindu Temple of Central Indiana is unique among Hindu temples?
These questions should be addressed in a two-page or more essay in MLA, APA, or Chicago style.
World Religions in Greater Indianapolis Teaching Module
Teacher Name: Jeffrey Dodge
Humanities Discipline: Philosophy
Date: November 1, 2016
World Religion: Hinduism
Teaching Module Title: American Hindu Thought & Ethics
The Philosophy of Religion: Hinduism (PHIL 220)
Introduction to the Ethics of Hinduism (PHIL 102)
General Philosophy: Basic Hindu Thought (PHIL 101)
Teaching Module Goals:
1. (PHIL 220) Introduce students to Hindu thoughts on the religious Ideas and experiences, and how their
immigration to America has affected them.
2. (PHIL 102) Introduce students to Hindu moral thinking in America.
3. (PHIL 101) Introduce students to Hindu philosophy, especially on religion, and an American expression of their
belief systems.
Assigned Readings and/or Websites:
1. Bowker, World Religions: The Great Faiths Explored and Explained, Hinduism, pages 20-43.
2. Singh, Numrich, and Williams, Buddists, Hindus, and Sikhs in America, pages 43-95.
Study Questions and/or Discussions Prompts for Students:
1. What has shaped Hindu thoughts and practices in America, and give brief explanation of how they have changed
or adapted?
2. As Hindu peoples have immigrated to America, what events, beliefs, & practices shaped their identity? How
have those beliefs and practices changed in coming to America?
3. What are the major works of Hindu sacred texts? Explain a major Hindu belief from each of those sections, and
which groups/sects view a particular sacred text as the most important for them.
4. Which major deities do Hindus worship in America? How have worship practices changed for immigrants who
practice Hinduism?
5. How has Hindu philosophy affected Americans’ understandings of truth, the universe, and the meaning of life
(PHIL 101, PHIL 220)?
6. Explain the difference between the popular American understanding of Hindu beliefs and actual Hindu beliefs,
like moksha (release) and karma in moral law - ethics (PHIL 102, 220).
7. Are there parallels between Hindu practices in America and other religious communities? Explain similarities or
differences.
8. List some of the major moral values of Hinduism, and explain their similarity or differences with American moral
values (PHIL 102).
9. Sects (Groups – Vedic, Mother Goddess, Shiva, Vishnu) and castes (social status – priests, warriors, traders &
farmers, menials & servants, outcasts, untouchables) have had an important impact on Hindu society in India.
How has the experience of life in America changed Hindu understanding of caste/class structure? (PHIL 102,
220).
10. Explain missionary Hinduism. When did it begin in America? What are the basic beliefs that were taught? What
is the connection with American Transcendentalism and how did it impact American society through writers
such as Emerson, Thoreau, and other?
11. What is the International Society for Krishna Conscientiousness (ISKCON)? What is its origin and basic beliefs?
Why were Americans attracted to it? How does it differ from later India immigrant Hinduism?
12. How has the purpose of worship and pilgrimages to shrines and temples changed for American Hinduism? What
is the circuit of American temples?
13. How have the building of Hindu Temples, and celebrating Hindu festivals effected South Asian communities in
America, and what has been the interaction with the surrounding American communities.
Written Assignments and/or other Assessment Instruments:
1. (PHIL 220) Black Board Journal entries (essay minimum 500 words each).
2. (PHIL 102) Black Board Discussion Board (minimum 500 words).
3. (PHIL 101) Black Board Discussion Board (minimum 500 words).
Additional Resource information:
1. Bhagavad Gita, Second, Third and Fourth Teaching (provide copies)
2. Upanishads, The Thirteenth Principle (provide copies)
3. Bina Gupta, “Bhagavad Gita as Duty and Virtue Ethics: Some Reflections”, Journal of Religious Ethics,
2006 , JRE 34.3:373–395.
4. Lise Vail, “Unlike a Fool, He is not Defiled: Ascetic Purity and Ethics in the Samnyasa Upanisads. Journal of
Relgious Ethics, 2002, JRE 30.3:373–397.
5. Arti Dhand, “The Dharma of Ethics, The Ethics of Dharma: Quizzing the Ideals of Hinduism,” Journal of Religious
Ethics, 2002, JRE 30.3:347–372.
6. Hinduism Today (Newspaper in English) http://www.hinduismtoday.com/
7. The Hindu (India Newspaper in English) http://www.thehindu.com/
8. Will Sweetman, HINDUISM” AND THE HISTORY OF “RELIGION”: PROTESTANT PRESUPPOSITIONS IN THE
CRITIQUE OF THE CONCEPT OF HINDUISM, Journal of the American Academy of Religion.
World Religions in Greater Indianapolis Teaching Module
Teacher Name: Amy Guess
Humanities Discipline: Art History
Date: November 10, 2016
World Religion: Hinduism
Teaching Module Title: Female Identity in Hindu Devotion
Teaching Module Goals:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Be able to discuss the core beliefs of Hinduism and how the relate to female identity.
Focus on femininity and gender fluidity in Hindu works of art.
Understand how Hindu women express core beliefs through their works of art.
Be able to understand how female identity has evolved in Hindu traditions.
Assigned Readings and/or Websites:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
https://theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles/the-top-10-female-contemporary-artists-from-india/
http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/17/world/asia/bharti-kher-indian-artist/
http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/goddess/
Dehejia, Vidya (ed.) Representing the Body (Gender Issues in Indian Art): New Delhi, 1999.
Leslie, Julia. Roles and Rituals for Hindu Women: Delhi, 1992.
Untracht, Oppi. Traditional Jewelry of India: London, 1997.
http://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=5566
Study Questions and/or Discussions Prompts for Students:
1. How does gender fluidity in Hindu art relate to modern day concerns? Do you believe Hindu art helps or
impedes the current struggle of gender fluid non-Hindus and why?
2. How do artistic depictions of female deities influence Hindu parishioners both female and male?
3. How do flowers prove to be associated with women in Hindu art?
4. What are traditional views of female identity and how are they expressed through art?
Written Assignments and/or other Assessment Instruments:
Consider the roles of women in Hindu tradition. How have/are female Hindu artists following these traditions or for
going against them? What are the implications of their works of art in relation to Hindu identity?
World Religions in Greater Indianapolis Teaching Module
Teacher Name: Douglas Hammerling
Humanities Discipline: U.S. History
Date: October 1, 2016
World Religion: Hinduism
Teaching Module Title: Hindu Religious Traditions in U.S. History
Teaching Module Goals:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Explore the religious practices and traditions of Hindus in the United States
Understand the history of Hindu Temples in the United States
Compare and contrast the diverse practices of Hinduism in the United States
Be able to discuss Hindus as part of U.S. History
Assigned Readings and/or Websites:
1. Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs in America A Short History by Gurinder Singh Mann, Paul Numrich, and Raymond
Williams.
2. Hindus in the United States Part 1 & 2 PBS www.pbs.org
3. “Gandhi Pilgrim of Peace.” You Tube.
Study Questions and/or Discussions Prompts for Students:
1. On page 50 of Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs in America, who does the text mention is the most famous Hindu?
Why is he famous? What form did his protests take? Does this aspect fall in line with the Hindu beliefs?
2. With which Hindu deities does this practice align?
3. What is a guru? What are their roles? How is the line between human and divine viewed by Hindus?
4. On page 52, explain how American society has affected the practice of Hindus in the United States.
5. What does the term Missionary Hindu mean? How is the Hare Krishna movement an illustration of this term?
6. What does the term Swami mean? Who was Swami Vivekananda? Name three prominent intellectuals who
immigrated to the United States and revived Vedanta on the West Coast.
7. What does ISKCON mean? How did it become a popular movement in the United States? What are some of its
unique American traits?
8. Why was Transcendental Meditation one of the most successful off shoots of Hinduism in America? Who
established it in the United States?
a. 8-What are samskaras? What are the five most common rituals performed in the United States?
b. 9-Explain why marriage marks a major transition in life for the Hindu? What customs and practices are
associated with marriage? Explain the concept of the arranged marriage. Describe a typical Hindu
marriage ritual.
c. 10-Describe Hindu practice regarding burials. How do Hindus view life and death? What is karma?
What does the term dharma mean?
d. 11-What is yoga? Is it popular with Hindus who have come to the United States?
e. 12-How do Hindus in the United States help their children practice their faith?
f. 13-Where are the major Hindu Temples in the United States?
Written Assignments and/or other Assessment Instruments:
1. Locate five major Hindu temples in the United States. Provide the location and illustration of the temple.
2. Explain why the temple is located there. How do Hindus practice their faith at these temples? Which gods do
they worship?
3. Select three of the following Hindu deities: Shiva, Ganesh, Vishnu, and Krishna. Write a three page paper
explaining who these various gods are and explain why they are important to Hindu religious traditions. How do
Hindu Americans regard the worship of these gods?
4. Watch the video on Gandhi’s biography. Explain how he used his faith in his political and civil protests. Compare
Gandhi’s activities to Martin Luther King’s civil right struggles in the U.S. South.
World Religions in Greater Indianapolis Teaching Module
Teacher Name: Barry LeBlanc
Humanities Discipline: Music Appreciation (HUMA 118)
World Religion: Hinduism
Teaching Module Title: Hindu Music

Date: November 3, 2016
Note: This module is intended as one lesson in a multi-lesson, auto-instructional unit on Religion & Music. The
unit is one of several Term Assignment options; others include Concert Report, Term Paper, and Global
Perspectives.
Teaching Module Goals:
1. The student will explore several expression of music created for or influenced by Hinduism, including Vedic
chant, bhajans, periya melam performance, and Indian classical music.
2. The student will demonstrate an understanding of Indian raga music, the sitar (instrument), and the structure of
the melody, basic scales, importance of improvisation, construction of phrases with simple notes, and the
absence of major harmony in Indian classical music.
Assigned Readings and/or Websites:
HUMA 118 Music Appreciation required textbooks:

Joseph Kerman and Gary Tomlinson, Listen, 8e
o pp381-409 (Chapter 24: “Music in America: Jazz and Beyond”)
Other books / websites:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
John Bowker, World Religions: The Great Faiths Explored & Explained, pp 20-43 (“Hinduism”)
YouTube: The Tradition of Vedic Chanting
YouTube: Periya Melam performance
YouTube: Understanding the Basics of Indian Raga Music
YouTube: Anoushka Shankar – Indian classical raga
Reading Quiz Questions:
1. Fill-in-multiple-blanks: According to Bowker (p 41), “the three main kinds of music used in Hindu festivals are
a. the chanting of a [ANSWER: Veda] that ritually relates to the festival;
b. the singing of communal [ANSWER: bhajans] (devotional songs); and
c. music made by a double reed instrument known as a [ANSWER: Shehnai] or a [ANSWER: Nagasvara].”
2. Essay: Besides the rich content of its oral literature, what is an important value of The Tradition of Vedic
Chanting?
ANSWER: The Brahmin priests use the tradition as a means of preserving the texts intact over thousands of
years. To ensure that the sound of each word remains unaltered, practitioners are taught from childhood
complex recitation techniques that are based on tonal accents, a unique manner of pronouncing each letter and
specific speech combinations.
3. Essay: Do an Internet search on bhajans videos. Sample a few (at least three) of these Hindu devotional songs.
(Try to get a variety—i.e. male and female singers, recent and not-so-recent performances, etc.) Write down
your impressions of these pieces.
4. Essay: View Understanding the Basics of Indian Raga Music. Compare its elements with comparable features of
Western art music, such as scales, 12-tone serialism, and functional harmony (to name a few possibilities).
5. Multiple answer: In the Periya Melam performance, a periya meḻam (‘major ensemble’) is used in temple
worship. Watch the first 2:15 of this performance, and identify the musical elements you see/hear.
 ottu (drone) [CORRECT]
 double-reed nāgasvaram (oboe) [CORRECT]
 tavil (drum) [CORRECT]
 tāḷam (cymbals) [CORRECT]
 blowing of the conch-shell (śaṅkha)
 8-beat cycle [CORRECT]
 fast tempo [CORRECT]
 functional harmony
 polyphonic texture
 triple meter
 dynamic variation (i.e. changes in volume)
6. Essay: Traditionally, bhajans have been played to Indian classical raga (five- to nine-note melodic modes) and
tala (rhythmic beat patterns). As you listen to this performance by Anoushka Shankar, note the improvisational
sections that occur (e.g. violin, shehnai). How is this similar to jazz?
7. Matching: In Hinduism there are four yogas (deeds, or works, or ways of life), each of which has its own moral
code, and each code is similar—purification from all kinds of evil and impurity and selfishness—but the
psychological emphases differ. Match each yoga with its description. [CORRECT ANSWERS are shown]
a. Jnana yoga – Mental, intellectual path by which you learn to understand yourself differently and learn to
detach your thoughts from your body and your ego and its desires.
b. Karma yoga – Path to Brahman through ordinary daily work and fulfilling your duties with a new motive,
sheer obedience to your Karma or fate.
c. Bhatki yoga – Personal, emotional path of love and attachment to Brahman instead of yourself.
d. Raja yoga – A careful, difficult, experimental and detailed path that combines elements of all the others.
8. Short answer: What essential goal do all of the yoga paths have in common? [ANSWER: Detachment from
ordinary selfishness and self-consciousness and attainment of unselfishness and un-self-consciousness]
9. Fill-in-the-blank: The major specific difference between Hindu ethics and most Western ethics concerns the
value of individual human life. This difference is based on the Hindu belief in [ANSWER: reincarnation].
10. Multiple choice: To which Christian biblical concept does karma best compare?
a. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart …”
b. “By grace you are saved …”
c. “Whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” [CORRECT ANSWER]
d. “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment …”
11. Essay: What are the primary differences between the Christian idea of the Incarnation and the Hindu idea of
Reincarnation?
12. Essay: What is the caste system? How does Hinduism justify it? How has India’s government tried to improve
the condition of outcastes and untouchables? Explore some of the articles on the Opposing Viewpoints in
Context website, and comment on your impressions of this issue.
Hinduism World Religions in Greater Indianapolis Teaching Module
Teacher Name: Tanya A. Martin
Humanities Discipline: Philosophy: Philosophy of Religion, Ethics
Date: 10/31/2016
World Religion: Hinduism
Teaching Module Title: Hindus and the Celebration of Diwali in the United States
Teaching Module Goals: The aim of this module is to familiarize American students with the celebration of Diwali in
America and also to increase general knowledge of Hinduism.
Assigned Readings and/or Websites:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
http://hinduism.about.com/cs/diwali/a/aa102003a.htm
http://www.hafsite.org/media/pr/faith-diwali-celebrations-hindus-assimilate-america
http://time.com/3817133/india-muslim-assimilation-islam-us/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/hinduism-in-america/ [Scroll down and click on A Diwali Reflection: The
Exchange of Lamps by Vineet Chander | Posted 12.23.2014 | Religion]
http://time.com/3679945/barack-obama-india-narendra-modi-5-things/
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/us-lawmakers-celebrate-diwali-on-twitterfacebook/articleshow/55152549.cms
http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spiritual-living/how-should-we-greet/define-namaskar-namastemeaning/
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Obama-smacks-down-India-for-religious-intolerance-says-Gandhiwould-have-been-shocked/articleshow/46141742.cms
Study Questions and/or Discussions Prompts for Students:
1. What is Diwali and how did it get started?
2. What is the significance of compassion for Hindus?
3. What is the Hindu notion of making your heart a temple and its relation to light in general and Diwali in
particular?
4. What holiday in America is Diwali often compared to?
5. What was the aim of President Obama and the First Lady for advancing the Festival of Lights celebration in
America?
6. Define Namaste (namaskar) and explain the Hindu articulation of the spiritual benefits of its practice.
7. In your opinion, what is the significance of members of the US Senate shouting out “Happy Diwali!” and other
related sentiments on Twitter and Facebook this year?
Written Assignments and/or other Assessment Instruments:
1. Students will keep a journal that expresses their thoughts on the readings and above questions that will also be
addressed in class discussions.
2. President Obama has visited India several times during his presidency. Discussing Article 25 of the Indian
Constitution, Obama has pointed out that India claims to extend freedom of religion to its constituents. He has
been strongly criticized for saying Mahatma Gandhi would be shocked at the acts of religious intolerance in
India.
3. Do you think Obama’s criticism diminishes, counters, or outweighs his efforts to include Hindus as part of the
American tapestry of faiths? Why or why not?
a. Students will write a 3-4 page essay reflecting their view of President Obama’s statement.
World Religions in Greater Indianapolis Teaching Module
Teacher Name: Patrick Meegan
Humanities Discipline: World History
Date: October 7, 2016
World Religion: Hinduism
Teaching Module Title: Hindu Immigrants in the United States
Teaching Module Goals:
1. Introduce students to basic information regarding Hindu immigration to America.
2. Familiarize students with the basic historical events related to Hinduism in the modern United States.
Assigned Readings and/or Websites:
1. Duiker and Spielvogel, The Essential World History, Volume II: Since 1500, Chapter 21, pp545-548.
2. Mann, Gurinder Singh, and Paul Numrich, and Raymond Williams, Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs in America,
Chapters 4, 5, and 6.
Study Questions and/or Discussions Prompts for Students:
1. What was the cultural background of the first American Hindus?
2. What was the historical situation in the Indian subcontinent at the beginning of Hindu immigration to America?
3. How have American Hindus responded to their presence amid the greater American culture? What changes
have they adopted, and what impact has this had? Discuss the differences among first- and second-generation
immigrant Hindus.
Written Assignments and/or other Assessment Instruments:
Come to class with written responses to these questions. We will discuss the answers together and have a brief lecture
in preparation for a quiz, which I will give the students after this class session.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Important points to stress in classroom discussion:
1. India under the British Raj connected India to the greater world of the British Empire, facilitating early Hindu
immigration.
2. There have been challenges that Hindus in America faced, and some still face.
3. American Hindus have interacted with and become a part of the larger American society.
World Religions in Greater Indianapolis Teaching Module
Teacher Name: Joshua M. Phillippe
World Religion: Hinduism
Humanities Discipline: Art History
Date: November 3, 2016
Teaching Module Title: Hindu Traditions in the Contemporary Era
Teaching Module Goals:
1. Discuss reading on Swami Vivekananda and the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893.
2. Screen documentary on construction of the Hindu Temple of Central Indiana in Indianapolis.
3. Familiarize students with contemporary Bombay born artist Anish Kapoor with specific reflection on his public
sculpture Cloud Gate in Chicago’s Millennium Park.
Assigned Reading and Videos:
1. Mann, Numrich & Williams, Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs in America, emphasis on pages 60-61.
2. The Temple Makers, PBS, WFYI, 2016, 1 hour: http://www.wfyi.org/programs/temple-makers/television/thetemple-makers
3. Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor, 2 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOfwsy5kxyI
Study Questions and/or Discussions Prompts for Students:
1. What was Vivekananda’s primary message at the World Parliament of Religions in 1893?
2. After screening the film The Temple Makers what are some of the goals, themes, and challenges in building the
Hindu Temple of Central Indiana? What decisions were made so that all Hindus feel welcome?
3. Anish Kapoor often relies on tenets of Hinduism in his art and says that "The experience of opposites allows for
the expression of wholeness." Primal dualities that are one, such as the linga and yoni, are important to Indian
culture, and Cloud Gate represents both the male and female in one entity by symbolizing both the vagina and
testicles. Thus, it can be said to represent tension and balance between the masculine and the feminine. What
are your opinions of this sculpture?
Hindu Temple of Central Indiana, 2015
Cloud Gate, 2006
World Religions in Greater Indianapolis Teaching Module
Teacher Name: Janet Rhodes-Carlson
Humanities Discipline: Human Services
Date: November 1, 2016
World Religion: Hinduism
Teaching Module Title: An Introduction to the Hindu Faith
Teaching Module Goals:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Provide a historical perspective of Hinduism in the United States.
Familiarize students with the basic doctrines of the Hindu religion.
Compare and contrast Hinduism and Christianity.
Introduce students to gods and goddesses of the Hindu faith.
Assigned Readings and/or Websites:
1. Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs in America: A Short History pgs. 79-93 by Gurinder Singh Mann Paul Numrich, and
Raymond Williams
2. “The Temple Makers” Video
3. http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/deities/shiva.shtml
4. http://www.himalayanacdemy.com/monastery
Study Questions and/or Discussions Prompts for Students: (In-class discussion)
1.
2.
3.
4.
What was the work of “Missionary Hindus” in the United States and what impact did they have?
What was the Hare Krishna movement?
What is ISKCON?
After reading the article Hindu-Christian Point-Counterpoint, discuss the differences that the article outline.
What reactions do you have? Using the “seven dimensions” of religions approach, try to show how Hinduism
and Christianity are also similar.
5. How are the Hindu and Christian belief and ethics different or similar to your own beliefs and ethics?
6. After watching the video “The Temple Makers,” discuss how the temple is used and how it was created to meet
the needs of Hindus of all traditions.
Written Assignments and/or other Assessment Instruments:
1. Students will write a reflective journal that provides an overview of what they have learned about the Hindu
religion in regard to having more than one deity, the belief in Karma, and the idea of reincarnation.
2. In addition, students will choose to do one of the following activities:
a. Visit the Bharatiya Temple & Cultural Center of Greater Lafayette and participate in an activity or
event and then give an oral report to the class.
b. Research three (3) Hindu deities and write a 3-5 page paper describing their history, importance and
what they represent. Paper is to be in APA format.
c. Research where other Hindu temples are located throughout the U.S. and create a map with a
picture of seven of them. Create a class presentation that describes the history and any interesting
facts about each of the seven.
World Religions in Greater Indianapolis Teaching Module
Teacher Name: Allen Smith
Humanities Discipline: U. S. History II
World Religion: Hinduism
Teaching Module Title: Hinduism and Counterculture
Date: October 7, 2016
Teaching Module Goals:
1. Introduce students to the different concepts of Hindu religion and religious practices in American society of the
late 20th century.
2. Discuss how settlement patterns of Asian immigrants changed in the late 20th century.
3. Discuss which practices of Hinduism became popular with members of the counterculture.
4. Introduce students to four traditional paths of Hindu practice known as meditation/knowledge (jnana yoga),
devotion (bhakti yoga), and action (karma-yoga)
Assigned Readings and/or Websites:
1. James A. Henretta, Eric Hinderaker, Rebecca Edwards, Robert O. Self, America A Concise History, Volume 2:
Since 1865, Sixth edition. (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s 2015), p. 832-833, 872
2. Eric Foner, Give me Liberty, Fourth edition, (Norton: New York, 2014) p. 993, 1066-1067
3. Gurinder Singh Mann, Paul Numrich, Raymond Williams, Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs in America: a short history
(Oxford University Press, 2008) p. 43-95
Study Questions and/or Discussions Prompts for Students:
1.
2.
3.
4.
What are the three traditional yogas of Hindu practice?
How was the counterculture influenced by Hindu practices or beliefs?
Which Hindu practice became a mainstream part of American society?
What other Hindu practices have shaped American life in the late 20th century?
Written Assignments and/or other Assessment Instruments:
1. Discuss the historical impact of Hinduism upon the movement known as Counterculture in a 20 slide PowerPoint
with notes or a 750-word essay.
2. Discuss the historical significance of the location of Hindu temples in America in the late 20th century in a 20
slide PowerPoint presentation with notes or a 750-word essay.
3. Discuss the primary means in which Hindu traditions are maintained from one generation to another in a 20
slide PowerPoint presentation with notes or a 750-word essay.
World Religions in Greater Indianapolis Teaching Module
Teacher Name: Joe Skvarenina
World Religion: Hinduism
Humanities Discipline: History
Date: Oct.2, 2016
Teaching Module Title: Missionary Hinduism and Intellectual Hinduism in the
United States
Teaching Module Goals:
To understand how missionary or intellectual Hinduism and how it became woven into American culture in the
mid-nineteenth century and beyond. Also students should gain an appreciation of Hindu practice adopted by
non-Asians in the United States. Discuss how philosophers and writers Ralph Waldo Emerson and David Thoreau
were influenced by Hindu thought and sacred texts.
Arranged Readings and/or websites:
1. Buddhists, Hindus, and Sikhs in America : A Short History by Gurinder Singh Mann, Paul Numrich, and Raymond
Williams.
2. Hinduism in North America by Jacob Neusner
3. http://pluralism.org/timeline/hinduismiinAmerica.
4. http://religionfacts.com/hare-krisna.
5. https://parliamentofreligions.org/parliamant/Chicago-1983.
6. https://www.transcendentialists.com//what.htm.
7. http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/10/immigrtaion-act-1965/408409/.
Students Questions and/or prompts for students:
1. Define missionary Hinduism or intellectual Hinduism. How did it get started in America during the midnineteenth century?
2. How did Ralph Waldo Emerson and David Thoreau become attracted to Hinduism? What is transcendental
meditation?
3. What did Swami Vivekananda do at the World’s Parliament of Religions in 1893? How did he provide an
alternative to the “materialism of the west?” Why did he establish Vedanta Societies? What role do the ashrams
play in the Vedanta Society? What is the primary focus of the Vedanta Society?
4. How did Hinduism develop in the United States before the Immigration Act of 1965?
5. What is the International Society for Krishna Consciousness? Why was it popular during the 1970’s?
Written Assignments and/or Assessments Instruments:
Establish three groups to further study and discuss Transcendentalism, the World Parliament of Religion, and Krishna
Consciousness and how they became woven into American culture and society. How did these non-Asians function as
intellectual Hindus in these organizations? How did they adapt Hindu practice in their movements? Ask all three groups
to present their findings to the class as a group presentation. After the conclusion of the presentation ask students to
write an essay on their understandings.
World Religions in Greater Indianapolis Teaching Module
Instructor: Joanna H. Woś
Humanities Discipline: Art Appreciation
Date: October 7, 2016
World Religion: Hinduism
Teaching Module Title: Sculpture of S. Nandagopal
Teaching Module Goals:
To compare and contrast the work of contemporary Hindu sculptor, S. Nandagopal, with the traditional bronze
Hindu sculpture of Shiva Nataraja from the Chola period.
Assigned Readings and Websites:
1. View the images below: Reaching for the Moon by S. Nandagopal and the Shiva Nataraja from the Art Institute
of Chicago
2. View video on S. Nandagopal. Conversations with Artists. Regarding India.
3. http://regardingindia.com//portfolio/s-nandagopal/
4. Read Chattopadhyay, Pallavi. (April 20, 2016). Mythology Meets Metaphysics. The Indiana Express:
http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/art-and-culture/mythology-meets-metaphysics-2761177/
5. Read Cholamandal: Artists’ Village. Sections: “About Us” and “Nandagopal, S. Sculptor” under “Artists”
www.cholamandalartistvillage.com
6. Read Art of Cholas http://www.indianartcircle.com/arteducation/page_14_artofCholas.shtml
7. Read Koeli Mukherjee Ghose. In the Domain of Drama Sculptures of S. Nandagopal.
http://www.artnewsnviews.com/view-article.php?article=-in-domain-of-drama-sculptures-of-snandagopal&iid=15&articleid=317
8. Read S. Nandagopal. “Profile” and “Summary”. Saffron Art. http://www.saffronart.com/artists/s-nandagopal
9. Read Stutley, Margaret. (1985). Nataraja in The Illustrated Dictionary of Hindu Iconography. Routledge & Kegan
Paul. London, Boston, Melbourne and Henley. Pp. 100-101.
Study Questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Review Hinduism Module 1 (Shiva Nataraja)
Compare the size, shape, and materials of the two sculptures.
Compare the methods used to create the two sculptures.
Describe any iconography that they appear to share.
Is there any congruity in the geographic area where the two sculptures were made?
Who is S. Nandagopal? What were his artistic influences?
What differences do you see between Nandagopal’s sculpture and the Shiva Nataraja?
Written Assignment:
Write a one page narrative comparing and contrasting the sculpture Shiva Nataraja at the Art Institute of Chicago with S.
Nandagopal’s sculpture Reaching for the Moon.
S. Nandagopal
Reaching for the Moon
2011
Silver plated copper, brass & bell metal
24” high
India
Tamil Nadu
Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraja),
Chola period, c. 10th/11th century
Bronze
69.3 x 61.8 x 24.1 cm (27 1/4 x 24 1/4 x 9 1/2 in.)
Art Institute of Chicago