About

2009-2010. RLG245Y. Religions of the Silk Road

Tuesdays 11am-1pm, Jackman Humanities Bldg., Room 100A
Instructor: Amanda Goodman
Office hours: Tuesdays 1-2pm, 334 JHB
Email: amanda.goodman@utoronto.ca
Phone: 416-946-3350

Technical administrator: Nicholas Field (nicholas.field@utoronto.ca)
Web Developer: Travis McCauley

Course Description
This course is an introduction to the religious traditions that flourished along the ancient Silk Road, including Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Buddhism, Manichaeism, Nestorian Christianity, and Islam. We will focus on the spread, development, and interaction of these traditions through the medieval period. We will also consider the way in which the legacy of the ‘Silk Road period’ figures in contemporary debates over religion and politics in Central Asia. Our goal is to begin to think through some of the issues bound up in the study of religion on the Silk Road (and beyond), including what we mean by cross-cultural exchange, religious syncretism, ethnic and religious identity, and so on.

The year will begin with the founding of the early empires and end in China’s Xinjiang province. Along the way we will make stops in an early Greek outpost, the regions of present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan, numerous desert oases, as well as several Buddhist cave sites. To help us make the long journey, we will rely on textual sources as well as other types of evidence, including archaeological, numismatic, epigraphical, and artistic. Each class will incorporate both primary and secondary readings, maps, and slides. By the end of the course students are expected to be able to identify the key cultural regions on a map, as well as to synchronize the main historical events along the Silk Road.

Required Texts (available at Toronto Women’s Bookstore, 73 Harbord St.)
Christopher Dawson, comp., Mission to Asia (U. of Toronto Press, 1980)
Peter Hopkirk, Foreign Devils on the Silk Road (U. of Massachusetts Press, 1980)
Frances Wood, The Silk Road: Two Thousand Years in the Heart of Asia (UC Press, 2002)

There is also a required course reader (Parts 1 & 2) available for purchase at Quality Control Copy Centre (333 Bloor St. W).

Grading (covers full academic year)
Class participation, including: 20%
Regular attendance and active class participation
Creation and maintenance of a personal blog
Four online responses to assigned Group Topics
Map quiz 10%
Six short papers (two pages maximum, 5% each) 30%
Electronic Portfolios (due March 30, 2010), including: 40%
Ten informal blog entries (five per term, 2% each)
Final project (20%)

Class Participation
In order to receive the full participation grade, you must make a positive contribution to the class as a whole. That means coming to class prepared and participating in weekly discussions. You will also be required to contribute to two online Group Topics per term.

Group Topics
In order to encourage regular discussion of the weekly topics, students will be divided into several small groups. Twice each semester group members will be required to contribute to an online discussion on an assigned topic (see the Discussion Board on the course website). Individual contributions will not be graded, but participation is mandatory.

Reading Assignments
Generally speaking, class readings fall under two headings – historical materials, both primary and secondary, and theoretically or methodologically oriented pieces that reflect on the nature of the study of religion itself. You are expected to complete each reading assignment in full and are encouraged to make the most of supplementary course materials. Please bring each week’s readings to class.

Short Papers
Each term you will be asked to write three short papers (two pages maximum). Each paper will be graded on the quality of the writing and is worth 5% of your total grade. The format of individual assignments will vary, but most will take the form of critical summaries or précis of selected secondary sources. As short as they might seem, each paper is meant to be a coherent and elegant piece of writing. Please keep in mind:
* All papers are due at the start of class.
* You must submit a hard copy of your work. I will not print, read, or grade assignments sent over email.
* You must proofread your work before submitting it in class.
* No late work will be accepted without a documented medical excuse.

Electronic Portfolios
An electronic portfolio is a record of all the things that you have done over the course of the year on your personal blog. This includes your ten informal blog entries, as well as your final map project. You are encouraged to be as creative as possible with your personal blog, and to incorporate a variety of materials on your site (original written work, electronic files, images, multimedia resources, hyperlinks, and so on). All student blogs will be linked to the course website so that regular updates, individual comments, and posted items can be shared by all.

Blog Entries
This year you will be asked to post ten informal entries (each worth 2% each of your final grade) on your personal blog. All entries must be archived on your blog for evaluation. Rather than formal essays, blog entries are meant to be personal reflections on designated readings, typically primary texts in translation. Although you are free to experiment with different writing styles, you must proofread your work before posting it. Your entries must demonstrate (1) a thorough understanding of the assigned readings and (2) an attempt to situate those readings within the framework of that week’s theme or topic.

Final Map Project
Your final project will center on a single point on our virtual Silk Road map. At the start of the Winter term you will be asked to select a specific city, site, region, or theme from the map to research and design a project around. For example, you might choose to map out the ruins of an historic city, the religious art of a particular region, or the movement of a specific tradition along a specific trade route. At the close of the academic year all student projects will be linked to the course website, thereby “filling in” our virtual map (see sample “hot spots” on the course website).
Again, you are encouraged to be as creative as possible with your project. All map projects must include original student writing. Specific content requirements will be distributed in class. You must submit a final project proposal no later than Tuesday, January 26, 2010 for instructor approval. Final projects must be completed by the last class of the second semester (March 30, 2010). Note: no extensions will be granted and no late work will be accepted without a documented medical excuse.

A Note on Names and Terms
We will cover a good deal of material in this class. That means we will encounter a number of unfamiliar names and terms from numerous languages transcribed in a variety of romanization systems (Uyghur, Xiongnu). In addition, we will come across several official and academic designations that might be new to you (caliphate, philologist). Please do not be discouraged! One suggestion for dealing with the large number of unfamiliar terms is to keep a notebook handy to jot down new words as you read.

On-Line Resources
There are a number of excellent on-line resources for the study of the Silk Road, many of which are linked here on this website. You are especially encouraged to visit the following sites: International Dunhuang Project (IDP), Silkroad Foundation, Silk Road Seattle. Additional resources include: ARTstor (log in via Robart website), Studying Religion.

Cell Phones, Computers, and Other Gadgets
Please turn off all cell phones and music players before the start of class. If you do use a computer to take notes, please be considerate of those around you. Those found using the computer for reasons unrelated to this class will lose the privilege of using her computer in class.

Student Services
The University of Toronto has a wealth of resources for students, including help with writing and tips for studying at the Learning Skills site. Students with disabilities should also visit the Accessibility site. Everyone is encouraged to make use of the Writing Center website.

Academic Integrity
There is a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism or any other form of academic dishonesty in this course. Please refer to the University’s Code of Student Conduct and the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters.