ASNST-141 Gurus, Godmen, Godwomen
What leads people to place unwavering faith in others? What are the ramifications of relationships between everyday people and those they revere as semi-divine? This course explores issues of faith and charisma within weekly case studies of Indian gurus, popularly referred to as “godmen” or “godwomen.” We will investigate how such figures gain, use, and sometimes lose popularity and power. The primary context of this course is Hindu India, but we also attend to international gurus such as Swami Vivekananda, Osho, and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (the Beatles’ guru). The final week explores the viability of the “guru” category to describe popular US influencers such as Oprah Winfrey and Kanye West.
Writing-Intensive (18)
Credits
1
Cross Listed Courses
RELST-141
Notes
Students will have the opportunity to conduct an in-depth archival project using Burke Library's special collections.