Hindu Deities in Popular Culture

Writing Guidelines
Spring 2010
Format: 1 margins, double spacing, 12 point font, and a standard typeface (like Times
New Roman, Helvetica, Arial, etc.).
Citations: Whenever you use someone elses ideas, it is necessary to use proper
citations. Just to be clear, it is necessary to cite an author not only when you quote
them directly, but also when you paraphrase or summarize them. I am most familiar
with the MLA format, but you may use any standard format you prefer (others include
Chicago and APA). In this course, a bibliography will only be necessary when you are
citing sources other than course readings. Please note that I do not go easy on
students who are caught plagiarizing.
Style: I expect students to use standard English grammar in their writing. Avoid
excessive colloquialisms. Use spellcheck, and be careful about homophones (e.g.
their/there/theyre, to/too/two, etc.). Be sure youre clear on the difference between
possessive and plural forms of words. Use gender neutral language, rather than the
generic masculine, where appropriate. You may use I judiciously in your writing, but
dont start every other sentence with I think/feel/believe.
Structure: Good academic writing starts out with an introduction that lets the reader
know what the paper will be about and why the reader should care. It should include a
thesis statement, which the rest of the paper should support. Most academic writing
benefits from a brief conclusion which summarizes how the evidence presented
supports the originally stated thesis. The body of the paper should consist of any
number of paragraphs, each of which should advance your argument one step by
presenting a discrete, coherent unit of relevant information.
An excellent webpage with more detailed writing guidelines can be found at:
http://www.uoregon.edu/~munno/Writing/WritingGuide.html

Hindu Deities in Popular Culture

Essay Assignment
Spring 2010
The purposes of essay assignments in this course are twofold:
1) To allow you to systematically think through readings and class discussions to date
and solidify your own opinions about those materials.
2) To allow me to make sure you have been following allowing with required readings
and paying attention in class.
To this end, a good essay will not only demonstrate an understanding of the course
materials, but will also contain a significant amount of creative, insightful analysis and
argumentation. This can include not only critical engagements with scholarly texts we
have read, but also constructive arguments in support of your own original position.

Short Essay #1:

In the first unit of this course, we have discussed the historical development
of the Shakta tradition from a variety of scholarly approaches. Taking the
third episode (chapters 5-13) of the Dev Mhtmya as a focal point,
please tell me if you think the Dev Mhtmya represents a shift in the way
goddesses, and especially Kl, are seen in Hindu traditions. Please be
sure to explain why you take the position you do.
This essay should be at least one page long. It must make reference to the third
episode of the Dev Mhtmya, and should also make reference to some other
readings. Sources from outside this course should be used very sparingly. Please ask
my permission to use web based sources (Wikipedia will be an automatic no).

Hindu Deities in Popular Culture

Essay Assignment
Spring 2010
The purposes of essay assignments in this course are twofold:
1) To allow you to systematically think through readings and class discussions to date
and solidify your own opinions about those materials.
2) To allow me to make sure you have been following allowing with required readings
and paying attention in class.
To this end, a good essay will not only demonstrate an understanding of the course
materials, but will also contain a significant amount of creative, insightful analysis and
argumentation. This can include not only critical engagements with scholarly texts we
have read, but also constructive arguments in support of your own original position.

Long Essay #1
3 pages
Due 3/1
In the second unit of this course, we have explored the concept of
orientalism as developed in recent critical scholarship. We have also spent
substantial time with Flora Annie Steels popular novel The Law of the
Threshold, which is representative of Kls place in orientalist fiction. For
this essay, I would like you to evaluate the appropriateness of orientalism
as a descriptor for the film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Please
spend some time comparing and contrasting the film and the novel in your
essay. Please also reflect briefly upon the significance of the historical
context in which the novel and film were created in your argument.
Please make direct reference to the novel, the film, and at least one of this units
scholarly works (Said, Inden, Urban, Humes). Sources from outside this course should
be used very sparingly. Please ask my permission to use web based sources
(Wikipedia will be an automatic no).

Hindu Deities in Popular Culture

Essay Assignment
Spring 2010
The purposes of essay assignments in this course are twofold:
1) To allow you to systematically think through readings and class discussions to date
and solidify your own opinions about those materials.
2) To allow me to make sure you have been following allowing with required readings
and paying attention in class.
To this end, a good essay will not only demonstrate an understanding of the course
materials, but will also contain a significant amount of creative, insightful analysis and
argumentation. This can include not only critical engagements with scholarly texts we
have read, but also constructive arguments in support of your own original position.

Long Essay #2
3 pages
Due 3/22
In this unit, we have explored how Kl comes to be celebrated in
contemporary popular Western spiritualities (both Feminist and NeoTantric). At the outset of this unit, I suggested that while this might seem to
be a stark contrast to the representations of Kl we covered in unit two,
there are actually some intriguing similarities as well. In your essay, please
consider the continuities and discontinuities between the representations of
Kl we have covered in units two and three of this course. Please make a
significant effort to evaluate these continuities and discontinuities by
considering the changing historical context.
Please make direct reference to at least two sources from unit three and at least one
source from unit two. Sources from outside this course should be used very sparingly.
Please ask my permission to use web based sources (Wikipedia will be an automatic
no).

Hindu Deities in Popular Culture

Essay Assignment
Spring 2010
The purposes of essay assignments in this course are twofold:
1) To allow you to systematically think through readings and class discussions to date
and solidify your own opinions about those materials.
2) To allow me to make sure you have been following allowing with required readings
and paying attention in class.
To this end, a good essay will not only demonstrate an understanding of the course
materials, but will also contain a significant amount of creative, insightful analysis and
argumentation. This can include not only critical engagements with scholarly texts we
have read, but also constructive arguments in support of your own original position.

Short Essay #2
1 Page
Due 4/5
In this unit, we have focused on the various ways the concept of dharma
appears in the Rmyaa. Please pick an incident from the text and
consider the role of dharma in that incident. Please also consider whether
the incident is intended to provide a model for dharmic behavior or if it is
intended to show that the conventional concept of dharma is flawed.
You must cite at least one sources from this unit (from the abridged or unabridged
Rmyaa). Sources from outside this course should be used very sparingly. Please
ask my permission to use web based sources (Wikipedia will be an automatic no).

Hindu Deities in Popular Culture

Essay Assignment
Spring 2010
The purposes of essay assignments in this course are twofold:
1) To allow you to systematically think through readings and class discussions to date
and solidify your own opinions about those materials.
2) To allow me to make sure you have been following allowing with required readings
and paying attention in class.
To this end, a good essay will not only demonstrate an understanding of the course
materials, but will also contain a significant amount of creative, insightful analysis and
argumentation. This can include not only critical engagements with scholarly texts we
have read, but also constructive arguments in support of your own original position.

Long Essay #3
3 pages
Due 4/21
In the fifth unit of this course, we have considered two adaptations of the
Rmyaa. Sita Sings the Blues was created by an American filmmaker
whose primary concern was her own personal experience of the
Rmyaa. Ramayan 3392 AD was a comic series created by Indian
authors with the financial backing of Richard Branson, who wanted the
series to have a global audience. We considered these phenomena in the
context of a world that is shrinking due to globalization, bringing about the
reemergence of cosmopolitanism. In this essay, I would like you to take
either Sita Sings the Blues or Ramayan 3392 AD as your case. In what
ways does your chosen case adapt the Rmyaa to fit a global or
cosmopolitan framework? What are some of the ethical implications of
these adaptations?
Your essay should focus on either Ramayan 3392 AD or Sita Sings the Blues, but not
both. You should also cite Aravamudan, Klein, or Appiah at some point in your paper.
Sources from outside this course should be used very sparingly. Please ask my
permission to use web based sources (Wikipedia will be an automatic no).

Hindu Deities in Popular Culture

Research Paper Proposal
Spring 2010
This research paper is an opportunity to take the analytical approach to pop culture that
I have been utilizing and apply it to a piece of pop culture that interests you. Your paper
should explore the relationship between religion and pop culture in a specific case, but
need not be focused on Hinduism specifically. Your paper should not just explain that
there are religious themes in a given piece of pop culture, but should also consider the
historical and cultural context of its composition, its authors intent, and the work religion
is doing in the narrative.
Over the next two weeks, please think of a topic which suits your personal interests.
You are welcome to consult with me during this time if you need help coming with an
idea.
On Monday, 3/8 please submit a proposal of approximately 100 words describing your
idea for a research project.

Hindu Deities in Popular Culture

Research Paper Bibliography
Spring 2010
The next step toward the final paper is a proposed bibliography. The purpose of this
assignment is to demonstrate that you have found appropriate sources for your final
paper. By requiring you to think about what sources you will need early, it will also
encourage you to avoid cobbling your paper together at the last minute from whatever
sources happen to be readily available. This bibliography is merely preliminary,
meaning that it is not expected to be exactly what you use on your final paper.
Nevertheless, it should be fairly similar, and if significant changes to your bibliography
after it is approved, please notify me.
Your bibliography should include the primary piece of pop culture you are examining
and at least two scholarly sources. Many of you may wish to consult blog posts,
journalistic articles, etc. for your research. A good bibliography should include about
four sources beyond your primary source.
Due: Monday, 4/12