HONR278Z: The Philosophy and Practice of Yoga
(Spring 2015)
Prof. Susan Dwyer MWF: 10:00AM-10:50AM
Skinner 1110B
301.405.7867 dwyer@umd.edu
Location (M&W): SPH 0305
Location (F): SPH 0128
Course description
Until the late 19th century, philosophy and psychology were not the distinct disciplines we know today. And until the late 17th century, what we now call science, was called ‘natural philosophy’. The separation – indeed, isolation – of philosophical study from practice, that is, from thinking about the nature of human beings and our relations to others and to our planet is a very recent phenomenon.
For most of its history, Philosophy (in the East and in the West) has been concerned with how to live a good life. Motivated by philo sophia, literally the love of wisdom, great thinkers and scholars of the past attempted to uncover the true nature of reality (metaphysics), to ascertain whether and how human beings could ever know anything about that nature (epistemology), and to articulate a set of moral precepts for being and doing good in the world (ethics).
The several schools of Yoga are among the most ancient of such ‘practical philosophies’. In the U.S. we tend to think of yoga as a form of gentle exercise or, less charitably, as a bit of New Age nonsense. But actually it encompasses a set of rich and comprehensive philosophical theories that have a point: understanding the distinction between appearance and reality and the nature of the self and of consciousness, all with an eye to discovering and an acting on the meaning of our lives.
In this course we will critically study several central works in the Yoga tradition, broadly construed, and attempt to understand them in their own terms and in conversation with each other and with some views in contemporary Western analytical philosophy. Uniquely, we will practice yoga together: each Friday’s class will be devoted to asana – the physical poses with which you probably associate the term ‘yoga’.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
 Identify the main epistemological, metaphysical, and ethical questions and issues in yoga philosophy.
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 Describe in a critical and comparative way the ancient and contemporary sources that address these epistemological, metaphysical, and ethical questions.
 Demonstrate an informed understanding of basic Sanskrit terms and yoga philosophy concepts such as samsara, samadhi, purusa, prakrti.
 Demonstrate an understanding of the historical context in which yoga philosophy arose, of the ways in which this ancient philosophy has been altered and exploited in the contemporary West, and of the ways in which the basic ethical principles of yoga philosophy might be used to tackle modern problems.
 Communicate major ideas and issues raised by the course through effective and regular written presentations.
 Articulate how this course has invited them to think in new ways about the connections between views about the nature of reality and views about the meaning of human life, and about how they can put ethical principles into practice – in their own academic, personal and professional lives.
Texts
A. Required:
Mitchell, Stephen 2000. Bhagavad Gita: A New Translation. New York: Three Rivers
Press.
Stiles, Mukunda. 2002. Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. San Francisco: Weiser Books.
B: Suggested:
Bryant, Edwin F. 2008. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali with Notes from the Traditional
Commentators. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
Broad, William J. 2012. The Science of Yoga: The risks and rewards. New York: Simon
& Schuster.
Das, Gurucharan. 2009. The Difficulty of being Good: On the subtle art of dharma. New
York: Oxford University Press.
Dass, Ram. 2004. Paths to God: Living the Bhagavad Gita. New York: Three Rivers
Press.
Evaluation
Your grade will be determined on the following basis (due dates are noted on the syllabus in bold.):
 3 take-home quizzes = 3 x 10 = 30 points.
 1 paper (2000 words) = 20 points
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 Weekly journal entries (reflecting on and connecting seminar reading and discussion and asana practice) = 15 x 2 = 30 points
 Final exam = 20 points
Maximum points = 100. A+ (95-100); A (90-94); A- (85-89); B+ (80-84); B (75-79);
B- (70-74); C+ (65-69); C (60-64); D (50-59); F (<50).
Please note the following:
 Work must be excellent to be assigned a grade in the “A” range; work must be
good to be assigned a grade in the “B” range; work that is merely acceptable will be assigned a grade in the “C” range; borderline work will fall in the “D” range; and “F” signifies failure and unsatisfactory performance.
 Your grade is assessed on the basis of the quality of your work, not in terms of ‘how many points are deducted’ from the maximum possible score.
Academic Integrity
Cheating, dishonesty, and plagiarism directly violate the core values of academe. We are enormously privileged to be part of this learning community, where we are free to explore things that interest us, to develop our own ideas, and to learn from others. Certain responsibilities come along with this privilege. In particular, the work you submit for grading must be your own. You must make every effort to ensure that you properly credit others when you use their ideas or their words in your papers. If you are in any doubt about how to do this, talk to me or to your
Teaching Assistant. Please familiarize yourself with the University’s Code of
Academic Integrity available at: www.president.umd.edu/policies/iii100a.html
Communications and Office Hours
I shall post courses materials (e.g., the syllabus, bibliography, assignments and additional readings), grades and announcements to the whole class on ELMS.
However, I do not like to use ELMS as a one-on-one communication medium. For this I shall use email, and I ask you to do the same. I shall let you know for each assignment whether you should submit it in hard copy or via email.
I will respond to email between 10:00AM and 6:00PM, Monday through Friday, and
VERY rarely (if at all) on the weekends.
Honors students are some of the busiest students on campus, and I have found that it is better to arrange office hours by appointment. I encourage you come visit to talk about the course material, and it’s perfectly fine to come in pairs. Please request an appointment at least 2 weekdays (M-F) days in advance, letting me know the days and times you CANNOT make a meeting. I shall schedule meetings for 15-30 minutes each.
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Policies
These policies apply to everyone enrolled for credit in this course. In order to avoid any unpleasantness later, please read them carefully now.
1.
You are strongly discouraged from using a laptop in class. However, since several of our readings will be available electronically and since printer ink is expensive, you may use your laptop as a ‘text’ device on the relevant days.
For a variety of reasons, I encourage you to take handwritten notes. Please do not check your email or surf the web during class.
2.
NO active electronic devices are permitted into the studio for asana
practice on Fridays.
3.
You must have serious grounds for an extension. Work in another class does not count as a sufficient reason for an extension in this class. When the need for an extension for medical reasons arises, you must present a medical note.
In any case, you must request an extension at least 2 weekdays prior to the due date. Extensions requested after that will not be granted. Please note that work that is late without an extension will not be accepted for a grade.
4.
There will be a 24-hour “cooling off” period after the return of all graded work. You must take at least a day to read over the comments before coming to me to discuss your graded work.
5.
Work for submitted for a grade in another class may not be submitted for a grade in this course.
6.
I have a zero tolerance policy regarding academic misconduct. If I suspect you of cheating or plagiarism, I will send a report to the Honor Council. If you are found guilty of cheating or plagiarism, severe penalties, including expulsion, may result.
Class attendance and participation
I expect 100% attendance for all meetings. On Mondays and Wednesdays, we will meet as a seminar. On Fridays we will meet for asana practice. For the seminar meetings, if you will be late or need to leave early for academic or professional reasons, please let me know in advance.
You will neither be admitted late nor permitted to leave asana practice early (with the exception of a serious health emergency). In the seminar, I expect each of you to participate and to speak directly to your peers. In other words, it is not the case that everything ‘goes through me’, so to speak. It should go without saying for Honors students, but I’ll say it anyway: I’ll expect you to have the done the reading for each class in advance and always have the day’s assigned reading with you in class.
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02.27
03.02
03.04
03.06
03.09
03.11
03.13
01.26
01.28
01.30
02.02
02.04
02.06
02.09
02.11
02.13
02.16
02.18
02.20
02.23
02.25
SYLLABUS
“Hi, I’m ….”
What is this class about? Syllabus, assignments, policies.
Schrank, “American Yoga: The Shaping of Modern Body Culture”.
Vivekananda’s speech to the World Parliament of Religions (1893).
Asana
Easwaran, “Introduction”.
Katha Upanishad
Yoga Sutras, I, Samadhi Pada, 1-16.
Asana
Quiz 1 POSTED
Yoga Sutras, I, Samadhi Pada, 17-51.
Larson, “Pātañjala Yoga in Practice”.
Quiz 1 DUE
Yoga Sutras, II, Sadhana Pada, 1-55.
MacNeill, “Yoga and ethics. The importance of practice”.
Yamas: Ahmisa, satya, asteya, brahmacarya, aparigraha.
Asana
Niyamas: Sauca, santosha, tapas, svadhyaya, Isvara-pranidhana.
Bhagavad Gītā, Chapters 1-8.
Malinar, “Yoga Practices in the Bhagavadgītā”.
Asana
Quiz 2 POSTED
Bhagavad Gītā, Chapters 9-12.
White, “Human Perfection in the Bhagavadgītā”.
Excerpt from Mulla & Krishnan, “Karma Yoga: The Indian Model of
Moral Development”
Quiz 2 DUE
Bhagavad Gītā, Chapters 13-18.
Asana
Famarin, “Taking Desirelessness (Niskāmakarma) Seriously”.
Continued.
Asana
Quiz 3 POSTED
Kwak and Han, “The Issue of Determinism and Freedom as an
Existential Question: A case in the Bhagavad Gītā”.
Quiz 3 DUE
Continued.
Asana
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04.29
05.01
05.04
05.06
05.08
05.11
03.25
03.27
03.30
04.01
04.03
04.06
04.08
04.10
04.13
04.15
04.17
04.20
04.22
03.16 - 03.23 SPRING BREAK
*** Let’s talk about paper topics the first week back ***
03.23 Excerpts from Larson & Bhattacharya, Sāmkhya: A Dualist Tradition in
Indian Philosophy
Gupta, Chapter 8 (The Sāmkhya Darsána)
Murty, Chapter 10 (Sāmkhya and Yoga)
Continued.
Asana
Rao, “The gunas of prakrti according to the Samkhya philosophy”.
Continued.
Asana
Rao, “Perception, cognition and consciousness in classical Hindu
philosophy”.
Continued.
Asana
Yoga Sutras, Chapter 4, Kaivalya Pada, 1-34.
Whicher, “Nirodha, yoga praxis and the transformation of the mind
Asana
04.24
04.27
Continued.
Burley, “’A Petrification of One’s Own Humanity’? Nonattachment and
Ethics in Yoga Traditions”.
Asana
Jeste and Vahia, “Comparison of the Conceptualization of Wisdom in
Ancient Indian Literature with Modern Views”.
Continued.
Paper DUE
Asana
Jain, “Who is to Say that Modern Yoga Practitioners Have it All Wrong?
On Hindu Origins and Yogaphobia”.
Continued.
Asana
Last day of class – review for exam
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