Harshita Mruthinti Kamath
Assistant Professor of Religion
Email: hkamath@middlebury.edu
Phone: work802.443.5627
Office Hours: Spring Term: Tuesdays 2:00-4:00 and Wednesdays 3:00-4:00
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Harshita Mruthinti Kamath teaches courses on South Asian religious traditions, including Hinduism and Islam. Her research focuses on the construction of gender in classical textual and performance traditions in the south Indian language of Telugu. Trained in the Indian classical dance style of Kuchipudi, Professor Kamath incorporates a broad range of methodologies and disciplines into her research and teaching, including performance theory, South Asian studies, gender and sexuality studies, and ethnography. Professor Kamath came to Middlebury College in January 2013.
Courses
Courses offered in the past four years.
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
DANC 0242 - Dance & Knowledge India ▲
Dance & Embodied Knowledge in the Indian Context
In this theory-practice course in religion, dance, and South Asian studies we will analyze the nature of embodied knowledge and the creative power of performance in the Indian context. During two class sessions per week we will contextualize embodied movement with discussions of Hindu mythology, Hindu devotionalism (bhakti), Sanskrit aesthetic theory (rasa), western performance theories, and Indian classical dance history. One class session per week will be devoted to learning basic movements in south Indian classical dance, culminating in an informal performance of one dance piece. We will highlight the difference ways in which the body and dance are perceived in religious mythology, aesthetic theory, historical context, and dance movement. No dance experience required. 2 hrs. lect./disc., 1 hr. dance
Fall 2013
RELI 0140 - Hindu Traditions of India ▲
Hindu Traditions of India AT
In this course we will identify and examine key themes and issues in the study of Hindu religious traditions in India, beginning with the defining of the terms Hinduism, religions, and religious. We will primarily focus on the ways Hindu religious traditions—texts, narratives, and practices—are performed, received, and experienced in India. Essential aspects of Hindu religious traditions will be examined, including: key concepts (darsan, dharma, karma and caste), key texts (the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana), and major religious deities (Shiva, Devi and Vishnu). The course will also cover contemporary Hindu-Muslim encounters, and the emerging shape of Hinduism in the American diaspora. 2 hrs. lect., 1 hr. disc.
Spring 2013, Fall 2013
RELI 0242 - Dance & Knowledge India ▲
Dance & Embodied Knowledge in the Indian Context
In this theory-practice course in religion, dance, and South Asian studies we will analyze the nature of embodied knowledge and the creative power of performance in the Indian context. During two class sessions per week we will contextualize embodied movement with discussions of Hindu mythology, Hindu devotionalism (bhakti), Sanskrit aesthetic theory (rasa), western performance theories, and Indian classical dance history. One class session per week will be devoted to learning basic movements in south Indian classical dance, culminating in an informal performance of one dance piece. We will highlight the difference ways in which the body and dance are perceived in religious mythology, aesthetic theory, historical context, and dance movement. No dance experience required. 2 hrs. lect./disc., 1 hr. dance
Fall 2013
RELI 0341 / WAGS 0341 - Gender Sexuality S. Asian Rel
Gender and Sexuality in South Asian Religions
In this course we will focus on historical and ethnographic scholarship on Hinduism and Islam in South Asia. We will initially draw on the theories of Judith Butler, Michel Foucault, and third world feminists to examine issues of gender and sexuality. Then we will examine a range of case studies—including colonial interpretations of the Hindu practices of sati, the experiences of devadasis in Telugu south India, an account of a female Muslim healer in Hyderabad, and the religious practices of third-gendered hijras—to address how gender and sexuality are constructed in the religious landscape of South Asian Hinduism and Islam. Prior study of religion or women’s and gender studies is required. 3 hrs. sem.
Spring 2013
RELI 0500 - Independent Research ▲ ▹
Independent Research
(Approval Required)
Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
RELI 0700 - Senior Project in Religion ▲ ▹
Senior Project
(Approval Required)
Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
RELI 0701 - Senior Thesis in Religion ▲ ▹
Senior Research for Honors Candidates
Approval required
Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014