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    Hello and welcome! This online class is mapped out into thematic sections. Here you will find assigned readings, supplemental readings, helpful links and videos, and more!

    Please also familiarize yourself with the documents in "Course Documents" and "Writing Resources."

    The books that you will need for the course are:

    Richman, Paula, ed. Performing the Ramayana. Oxford: Oxford University Pres, 2021.

    Sattar, Arshia, trans. Vālmīki's Rāmāyaṇa. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield, 2018.

    Sword, Helen. Stylish Academic Writing. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2012.


    • Forum

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  • Course Documents

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  • Writing Resources

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  • Chicago Style

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  • Hinduism

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    Helpful resources about Hinduism are below, including:

    1.  "Intro to Hinduism" (video)

    2. "Hinduism" from Living Religions (chapter from textbook) 

    3. "Buddha and Ashoka" Crash Course World History (Moodle link to video)




  • Beginning with the Rāmāyaṇa (intro materials)

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    These are resources to help you orient yourself within the world of the Rāmāyaṇa, as well as beginning to think about writing: 

    1.  The British Library's "Quick Guide to the Ramayana" (below)

    2. Names in the Rāmāyaṇa (below)

    2. Anne Lamott's "Shitty First Drafts" (below)


  • The Rāmāyaṇa

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    More Rāmāyaṇa resources as we dive deep into the story:

    1. "Crash Course: Ramayana" (link to video)

    2.  "Bare-bones Rāmāyaṇa" (video)

    3.  "Characters in the Rāmāyaṇa" (short document)



  • The Rāmāyaṇa discussion prompts

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    While Reading

    Note: If you find yourself stuck, it may help to go back over the Into to Hinduism video. Also let me know if I need to clarify the question or explain what I mean further.

    • What is interesting about the story? What is confusing?
    • Which character(s) in the Rāmāyaṇa thus far do you find the most interesting and why? Give at least 3 specific examples from the book.
    • What incidents (or forces) compel the narrative(s) in the text? Is it human emotion, karma, fate, something else? The answer may change depending on the particular incident.

    • What big thematic or character-driven questions do you have about the story? To clarify, I do not mean questions about small details or sub-stories within the epic, but rather larger issues about such things as consistent behavioral patterns of particular characters, how certain characters are treated, who is given (or not given) a voice in the epic, or larger issues within the world of the Rāmāyaṇa. Please note page numbers for example(s). The reason I am posing this question is that such thoughts are often the starting point for the questioning, rethinking, and rewriting of narrative traditions.

    • Why do you think that this story is such a compelling one? In other words, why do people tell it, retell it, change it, think about it, etc.? Is it because of its ubiquity in the South Asian world? Is there something about the quality of the story? The story itself? Something else?

    • Dharma is an important concept in Hinduism and especially in the Rāmāyaṇa. After reading the chapter on Hinduism, how do you understand dharma? Can you explain it in terms of your own life? Why do you think it is so important in Hinduism? Why do you think it is focused on so much in the Rāmāyaṇa? How do you think this converges with devotion (bhakti)?

    After Finishing the Book

    You have now completed a fairly detailed translation of Vālmīki's Rāmāyaṇa. Congratulations! This is a very important and visible textual tradition in south and southeast Asia. You should be proud of yourself for engaging thoughtfully with a difficult and unfamiliar text.

    •  Let's take a critical look at the story, how it's told, and what the messages are. Who benefits from this story? What are (some of) the major messages that you see in it? There are multiple ways to think about and answer this question, so don't get too hung up on a "correct" answer. Please give references to the story (page numbers) when you can.

    • Reflect on the "patterns of difference" that Ramanujan writes about in "Three Hundred Ramayanas." What overlaps do you see with his observations of regional Ramayanas and Sita Sings the Blues? Please give specific details, including references to page numbers and particular parts of the film.

    • How does/could caste affect how one might interpret the Rāmāyaṇa? Use specific examples from the Many Rāmāyaṇa chapters that you have read.

    • Using multiple examples from the readings on politics, discuss how the Rāmāyaṇa story has been and is used for political ends. Why has the epic (and especially the figure of Ram (Rāma) been so successful for this end? Why is this problematic?

    • What is the "different pattern of relationship between the story of Rāma and Muslims elsewhere in India?" How does acknowledging these contributions disrupt the political narrative about Rāma and India discussed in Tuesday's articles? ("The Ramayana and its Muslim Interpreters")

    • Rewatch critically the Crash Course video on the Ramayana and give a brief analysis of it. What does it get right, gloss over, get wrong, or misunderstand? Why do you think it is placed under the subheading of "mythology?"

    • Reflect on the readings that we have done on the Rāmāyaṇa, specifically on the articles that have discussed retellings, questionings, subversions, or otherwise investigated the story in critical ways. (By the way, the body of literature that consists of these retellings or alterations is collectively called the Rāmāyaṇa tradition, or the story of Rāma.)

      Then, discuss two ways these pieces have made you think (or might make you think in the future) critically or differently about the narratives that you have chosen to investigate in your research papers.




    • Many Rāmāyaṇas: Questions of Caste and Gender

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      Here we go further down the rabbit hole and begin to explore how people have rewritten, retold, subverted, and questioned the classic Rāmāyaṇa story. Below you will find pdfs of a number of chapters from Many Rāmāyaṇas (although you have the book, too).



    • The Rāmāyaṇa and Politics

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      Here we begin to look at the ways that the Rāmāyaṇa has been involved in modern politics. We will read:

      1. Tuesday, October 25:  "Myth, History, and Hinduism" (linked below) 

      2. Thursday, October 27: "The Rama Temple Incident" (linked below)

      Discussion question: Discuss how the Rāmāyaṇa story has been and is used for political ends. Why has the epic (and especially the figure of Ram (Rāma)) been so successful for this end? Why is this problematic?


    • Reflecting on the The Rāmāyaṇa

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      Now we're going to reflect on the Rāmāyaṇa more broadly. For this, we'll read the article "Yes to Sita, No to Ram" (below) in addition to other fascinating pieces. We'll also rewatch the Crash Course video about the Rāmāyaṇa and analyze it more carefully.

    • Stylish Academic Writing Discussion Questions/Writing Activities

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      • Voice and Echo (ch 4): Give a before/after example from your research paper (a few sentences to a short paragraph) where you change the voice you use in your paper (using suggestions from chapter 4). Does it improve your work in any way? Why or why not?
      • Smart Sentencing (ch 5): Give a before/after example from your research paper (a few sentences to a short paragraph) where you apply some of the suggestions from chapter 5, such as replacing "be" verbs with more vivid ones, rewriting passive constructions, reducing distance between subjects and verbs, or getting rid of unnecessary adjectives and adverbs. Does it improve your work in any way? Why or why not?
      • Tempting Titles (ch 6): Give a before/after example of possible alternate titles for your research paper, using suggestions from chapter 6. Do you prefer any of these alternatives? You may also try to rewrite your subheading titles, if you are using them.
      • Hooks and Sinkers ( ch 7): Rewrite your opening paragraph(s) using some of the techniques discussed in chapter 7 (give before/after). Remember that catchy openers must directly relate to the content and purpose of your paper; avoid using "hooks" that are provocative but too broad/vague or do not directly relate to the rest of the paper.
      • The Story Net (ch 8): Try one of the exercises from the list of things to try on pp. 96-98 and show us the before and after. 
      • Show and Tell (ch. 9): Add extra examples to your essay using some of the techniques on the things to try list on pp. 109-111. Make sure that they are relevant and come from your research. Post the before and after here.
      • Jargonitis (ch 10): Find and replace unnecessary jargon somewhere in your essay or "make sure you give your readers a secure handhold" if you decide that it is necessary (121). Remember, jargon is defined as "special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand." Show us the before and after.
      • Structural Designs (ch 11): Make an outline of your essay as it is written, place it here, and then comment in two or three sentences on whether the argument or flow of your paper might be improved by adding information, rearranging parts of your essay, or deleting unnecessary information.
      • Points of Reference (ch 12): Check your citations, making sure that you are using Chicago style consistently and correctly. Give an example of an error in your essay and the correction. 
      • The Big Picture (ch 13): Write an abstract for your paper, using the tips that Sword gives in Chapter 13.
      • The Creative Touch (ch 14): Free write a short paragraph about all the ways your essay resembles one of the BSC campus cats to share with us.


    • Upload your three possible topics here

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    • Upload Proposal and 5-source annotated bibliography here

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    • Upload 8 source annotated bibliography and 5 page draft here

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      • Turnitin Assignment 2

        Eight Sources Annotated Bibliography and Five Pages Due

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        Just a note, if you have eight annotated sources (you can use your five previous sources if they are appropriate and add three more) and five pages then you will be fine. 

        This is only graded in order to get you to put words on the page! Although you should put some thought into this, do not try for perfection or to get an "A." 

        This, my friends, is the beginning of your shitty first draft.  

        And, just as an FYI, I have similar expectations for the "rough draft" due next. It needn't be a completed draft, it just needs to be 8-15 pages of prose using academic, peer-reviewed sources. It should be a longer shitty first draft. In fact, if it is too good or too polished I may have to mark you down and/or invoke Vishnu's wrath down upon your head. smile

    • Upload 8-15 page rough draft here

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      • Turnitin Assignment 2

        8-15 Pages Due

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        Please include a bibliography, but it no longer needs annotations (get rid of the summaries). The bibliography does not count toward the 8-15 pages.

        REMEMBER: SHITTY ROUGH DRAFT!!!

    • Upload midterm paper here (midterm paper)

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      • Turnitin Assignment 2

        Midterm Paper Due

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    • Upload Creative Summary here

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      • Turnitin Assignment 2

        Creative Summary (only complete once; see description)

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        One creative piece that summarizes or explores a weekly subject and/or reading of your choice.  You only need to do it once during the semester. It is 10% of your grade.

        This is a chance to take a particular concept, system, figure, practice, or idea and creatively present it to the class. Previous students have given demonstrations and explanations of yoga, have created pieces of art, created videos, and given explanatory lectures on particular subjects.

        It may be created using a medium of your choice (powerpoint, prezi, song, interpretive dance, artwork, short play or film, lecture, music video, etc.) If what you choose to do is not written, you should write a brief summary of your project and upload it to Turnitin during the appropriate week.

        If you have questions or need direction, please email me for inspiration or direction. You may also choose to do a group project with your assigned small group (with prior approval; please contact me).


    • Upload Retelling of the Rāmāyaṇa here

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      • Turnitin Assignment 2

        Retelling of the Ramayana Due

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        As you know, there is a long tradition of retelling the Rāmāyaṇa, episodes from the Rāmāyaṇa, or characters’ experiences in the Rāmāyaṇa in highly creative ways for a variety of reasons. Sometimes retellers explore troubling issues in the epic or use the epic to examine current societal issues or find lessons to apply in their own lives. Others subvert it to show the inequities in South Asian society(-ies) while others rewrite it as a literary or devotional exercise.

        For this exercise, choose an episode from the Rāmāyaṇa and retell it. If you are feeling particularly ambitious, you may attempt to retell the entire Rāmāyaṇa. One format that you may use is that of a haiku. As you probably remember, a haiku is a three-line poem in which the first line is comprised of five syllables, the second seven syllables, and the third five syllables.

        In addition to this three-line poem, please create a 2-page double spaced document explaining the scene that you have chosen to retell, why you choose it, and the significance of each word or element in the haiku. If possible, you should contextualize the poem by referring to previous class readings.

        If any of you would like a little more space for your retelling, you may also compose a longer poem, screenplay, short story, or other creative endeavor, but try to not let your retelling exceed 2-4 double-spaced pages, and you should still include the supplemental document described above.


    • Upload Final Paper Here (end of term paper)

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      Upload your final project here!

    • Supplemental Readings

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