Online Appointments (Fridays 9am-3pm):
https://calendar.app.google/R8GnJ8TL7NCMwkZT8
THEO 1432 (1 & 2)
The Religious Quest
Seeking Understanding in Christian and Hindu Traditions
Creation, Creativity, and Recreation
Spring 2025, Boston College
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30-11:45 AM in Stokes Hall 301N (32)
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:00-1:15 PM in Stokes Hall 301N (32)
Instructor: R. Brad Bannon (they/them)
Office: Stokes North 416
Email: richard.bannon@bc.edu
Phone/SMS: 617-645-1528
Office Hours
Tuesdays 1:30-2:30pm in Stokes N416
Random times on Discord (mostly Fridays): https://discord.gg/nHE5GqhcE3
Online Appointments (Fridays 9am-3pm):
https://calendar.app.google/R8GnJ8TL7NCMwkZT8
“There is no such thing as slow freedom. Freedom is like a birth. Till we are fully free we are slaves.” —M.K. Gandhi
“To action alone do you have a mandate; never at all to the fruits of action; do not consider yourself to be the cause of the fruits of action; do not become attached to inaction.” —Bhagavad-Gita 2:47
“In the beginning, God said: Word.” —Genesis 1 mashup with John 1
“The unmanifest is beyond words, yet manifests through them. —Raimon Panikkar”
—ChatGPT hallucination
“Neo, sooner or later, you’re going to realize just as I did that there’s a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.” —Morpheus
“Laptop computers, tablets with a keyboard, and all phones are prohibited in class.” —Brad
Course Description & Objectives
Objective 1: Creation and Cosmogonies
Objective 2: Ludic Theology (लीला)
Objective 3: Interreligious Dialogue
Objective 4: Samgraha-Vistara Method
Objective 5: Synthesis of Core Themes
Attendance, Participation, and Quizzes (20%)
Policy for Absences (Extra Credit)
Podcast Submission Instructions
Initial Meeting with Dr. Bannon (5%):
Final Comprehensive Podcast Exam (15%)
Bias-Related Incident Reporting
Artificial Intelligence Policy
The Religious Quest: Creation, Creativity, and ReCreation in Hindu and Christian Sacred Texts invites students to explore fundamental human questions through sacred scriptures, such as: Who am I? What is this world I find myself within? What is my purpose? By examining creation myths, epistemologies, ontologies, and ethical teachings from both Hindu and Christian traditions, this course fosters dialogue between diverse perspectives. Anchored in Sruti and Smriti on Tuesdays and Hebrew and Greek Testaments on Thursdays, students will closely examine the Fourth Gospel and the Bhagavad-Gita (भगवद्गीता) to engage with themes of divine play (लीला), non-dualism (अद्वैत), and ethical responsibility (धर्म). Integrating ecological, feminist, and liberation theologies, the course challenges participants to view sacred texts not merely as ancient records but as dynamic resources for meaning-making in a pluralistic world. Together, we will faithfully seek to understand the diversely creative ways that humans who identify as Hindu and Christian make meaning, value creation, respond to injustice, and playfully (re)create a sustainable future.
Satisfies Core requirement for: Theology (Sacred Texts and Traditions)
There are five primary learning objectives for this course (and one bonus). I have written each of the objectives below, first in Sanskrit in anuṣṭubh meter, then in a rather literal 4-quarter English translation, and then a more vernacular prose explanation.
सद्धर्शनेऽभिषिक्ते च | Within the saddarśana and abhiśikta traditions, |
Explanation: I want you to explore the profound creation narratives across Hindu and Christian traditions, understand how they shape ethical and spiritual frameworks, and reflect on their implications for how we view and care for our planet.
लीलां दिव्यां विमृश्यतां | May divine play be contemplated, |
Explanation: I encourage you to ‘seriously’ contemplate the idea of divine play, recognize its theological depth, and allow this playful approach to inspire new ways of thinking and creating.
नानादर्शेषु संवादः | Among diverse viewpoints, let there be dialogue; |
Explanation: I hope you'll engage meaningfully with different religious and philosophical viewpoints, incorporate diverse perspectives like feminist insights, and seek to contribute positively to a more just and compassionate world.
संग्रहम् विस्तरं चापि | May one always practice both summary and expansion |
Explanation: I want you to understand the Indian theological method of condensing and expanding ideas (known as samgraha-vistara), as this will help you make sense of complex texts and apply their wisdom effectively in various contexts. (Also, though, this philosophy has deep and broad implications, imo.)
सृष्टिं सम्बन्धं ऐक्यं च | May one integrate creation, relationship, unity, and diversity as a shared foundation; |
Explanation: I aim for you to synthesize key themes like unity, diversity, and relationality into your discussions and reflections, allowing these insights to shape your personal growth and learning journey.
As a bonus objective, I aim for you to understand that the word karma means “action” or “work” or “Vedic ritual”; it is not any of the things that Taylor Swift says it is.
Final grades in this course consist of five components:
Attendance, Participation, and Quizzes 20%
Leadership Days 10%
Podcast Discussions 50%
Individual Meeting with Brad 5%
Final Comprehensive Podcast Exam 15%
Come to class prepared to say something about the assignment. Writing down your question or comment in advance is certainly encouraged (but is not required). If you have done the reading assignment, then it should be easy to come up either with something to say about it or at least a good, specific question. If you are struggling to complete the readings efficiently, please come to my office hours or email me for an appointment.
We will occasionally have quizzes during class. These serve a wide variety of pedagogical functions, only some of which are evaluative. You will not be notified in advance of quizzes (besides this note) and graded quizzes will not be returned.
Your daily attendance, participation, and quiz grade is calculated based on a scale of 0 to 1:
Undergraduate students are adults. As such, I intend to treat you as adults. It is up to you to decide for yourself what is and what is not a valid reason to miss class. That is not for me to determine. Your reasons for missing class are your business, not mine. I treat all absences the same. If you miss class for any reason, it will obviously have an impact on your attendance/participation grade since you were not in attendance and did not participate. However, you may ‘make up’ any absence to receive full credit for that class. To do so, please follow these steps:
There is currently no limit to the number of times a student can take advantage of this policy. Generally speaking, make-up for absences should be completed within 3 weeks of the absence, unless there is a very good reason to extend this already generous policy. In most cases, I will permit students to complete this make-up assignment together with another student. Your grade for this make-up assignment will range from 0 to 1 based on how well you follow the instructions written above and this will be added directly to your participation grade.
NOTE: You may not complete the make-up assignment until you have met with Brad for the initial meeting, but you can schedule two meetings back-to-back to do both.
Each student has been assigned a “leadership day” (A, B, C, or D). Click here to see your assignment. Each time that it is your leadership day, this simply means that you should come to class slightly more prepared than other days. You should make extra effort to lead small group discussions and extra effort to participate in large group discussions. Dr. Bannon is more likely to cold call on leaders during class.
The default grade for your leadership days grade is 90%. This grade will increase/decrease based on the quality of your leadership on your leadership days.
You may NOT lead podcast discussion on the same text that you discussed on your leadership day. For example, if you are in Leadership Group “A”, then you should come to class on March 18 prepared to lead a small portion of the class discussion about a passage from the Gita reading AND you should come to your podcast 4 team meeting prepared to lead your podcast team on a passage from John’s Gospel.
Why do this? Leadership days perform a variety of pedagogical functions. Some students are very comfortable speaking in class; many are not. If you are very comfortable speaking in class, it would be best to take a small step back on days that are not your leadership day. Students who are generally reluctant to speak in class often find this system helpful.
There is another significant reason that I use this system specifically for this comparative theology class. A core learning objective of this course is for students to become familiar with both the Hindu and Christian scriptures and theologies. The leadership day structure efficiently ensures that each student focuses appropriate intellectual energy towards each of these two traditions, sometimes in class and sometimes in the podcast discussions.
What if I am absent on a leadership day? If it is necessary for you to be absent on one of your assigned leadership days, you have two options: (1) Don’t sweat it. Each student can miss one of their leadership days without consequence (but it will still affect your attendance grade, of course). (2) Swap with someone else. However, group “A” leaders may only swap with group “C” (and vice-versa) and group “B” leaders may only swap with group “D” leaders (and vice versa). As long as the two of you agree, you can simply inform Dr. Bannon of the swap.
Discourse is a centrally important part of theology (in particular) and the humanities (in general). Discussion is also profoundly important for good citizenship and the functioning of a democratic society. Having sincere, meaningful discussions with people who are different from you is not easy, particularly in relation to topics about religion, theology, and ethics. Fortunately, discourse is a skill which can be practiced and honed. The “podcast” assignment is designed to do just that.
Near the beginning of the semester, students will be placed into small teams of (usually) 4 or 5. I attempt to diversify the teams as much as possible, especially in terms of gender, year (freshman, senior, etc), and college major.
In general, podcast meetings should last 20-25 minutes long (about 5x minutes where x=number of people on your team that are present). Please feel free to meet in person OR by video conference using something like Zoom or Google Meet, etc.
Record the meeting. If you meet in person, audio-only recordings are perfectly fine, but please try to use one another’s names as often as possible so that I know who is speaking. If you meet by Zoom or Google Meet, etc., then please record the video and audio. Have one person share the recording with me by saving it in your team’s shared folder, which I will create for each team. ONLY I and people in your group have permission/access to your team folder. Your recordings will be kept entirely private and will not be shared by me and should not be shared by you unless you have express, written consent from every single person on your team.
For some podcast episodes, I will give you some discussion prompts – but please feel free to deviate from these suggestions. If there is something in the course material that you want to discuss with the group, then please bring it up!
The format of the podcasts is very important: Each and every student on the team should take a turn leading the discussion in each and every podcast. All students are expected to share the leadership role equally. For example, in a 20 minute podcast with 4 people, each person on the team should lead the discussion for about 5 minutes (NOT monologue for 5 min!). The BEST way to do this is by:
(1) Select a SPECIFIC passage from a reading assignment AND/OR a specific topic discussed in class. IMPORTANT: The passage you choose MUST NOT be from the same religious tradition as your leadership day in that unit. For example, if you are a group “A” leader and led discussion about a Christian text in class during that unit, then you must focus on a Hindu text in your podcast for that unit.
(2) Explain why you chose this particular passage.
(3) Start a discussion about the passage in which everyone on your team will participate.
Your performance in this assignment will be evaluated not only on how well you have engaged the course content, but also how well you listen and respond to other students on your team. A key objective of this assignment is to enable students to practice and model the phenomenological method of discourse. ALL GRADES ARE INDIVIDUAL.
The podcast “episodes” are not equally weighted. For the first few podcasts, students generally receive full credit by simply following the instructions above and participating in each recorded discussion. The middle podcasts are worth slightly more and are also graded on the quality of your contribution to the discussion. The final podcast is weighted most heavily. Having good, meaningful discussions takes practice and comfortability with your podcast teammates. I expect to see improvement and growth of understanding as you gain experience. If you follow these instructions, listen carefully to my feedback, and make adjustments accordingly, then you will not only earn a good grade but will also take much away from each discussion with your peers. In most cases, podcast mates bond closely with one another and find the overall experience to be both enlightening and enjoyable.
After each student is placed on a team, as explained above, I will create a folder for each team GoogleDrive. Only I and the members of your group can access this folder. You will ONLY be able to access YOUR team folder.
You must save each of your podcast recordings in your folder. ALL members of the team are equally responsible for making sure that your podcast recording has been submitted properly, so please check to be sure that your team members have submitted the file properly, even if you are not the person uploading the file. You MUST change the name of the file.
Naming the file incorrectly will not affect your grade, but will annoy your professor and should therefore be avoided. It should be named exactly like this:
BC_T{#}_E{#}.{ext} (but replace the first # with your team number and the second # with the episode number and leave the file extension as it is).
Only three file extensions are acceptable: .mp3 or .m4a for audio files and .mp4 for video files.
For example, if you are on Team 4, then this is what you should see in the folder after you submit podcast episode 3:
BC_T04_E1.mp4 OR BC_T04_E1.mp3 OR BC_T04_E1.m4a
BC_T04_E2.mp4 OR BC_T04_E2.mp3 OR BC_T04_E2.m4a
BC_T04_E3.mp4 OR BC_T04_E3.mp3 OR BC_T04_E3.m4a
If you are meeting via Zoom or Google Meet, then please record both video and audio and upload the mp4 file. If you are using Google Meet, please note that it sometimes takes up to an hour after you finish recording before Google will share the .mp4 file with you. If you are meeting with your team in person, then you can submit an audio-only recording, which is usually an m4a or mp3 file. If you do not understand these things, then now is the time for you to learn. If you need tech support, please contact the IT Help Desk and give them a copy of these instructions so they can teach you how to submit the assignment properly.
Podcast recordings must be properly submitted into your team folder by MIDNIGHT on the day they are due. If they are not, the late penalty applies equally to everyone in the team. (For details, see the Late Policy later in this syllabus).
Every human person is unique. We learn differently. We have different backgrounds, interests, skills, talents, and beliefs. As such, I find that it is critically important that I get to know each of my students individually and that I am also similarly open about myself. Hence, I begin every semester by meeting individually with each of my students. Whenever possible, I try to meet with each student during the first month of class. The initial meeting will last about 10 minutes. The purpose is for me to get to know you and learn: What makes you tick? What drives you? What are your career goals/aspirations? What about this course interests you most? What do you hope to take away from it? Of course, it is also an opportunity for you to ask questions about the syllabus and content! 5% of your final grade comes from this meeting, and students earn full credit for it simply by scheduling the meeting before March 1, coming on time for it, and engaging sincerely. To complete this assignment, simply visit Brad’s office hours on campus or on Discord OR schedule an online video meeting with Brad.
If a student completes this assignment after March 1, they will only receive partial credit for it. If a student schedules an online meeting with Brad but does not show up, this will affect the grade they receive on this assignment. Like all graded assignments in this course, the initial meeting may be recorded.
Near the end of the semester, I will meet with each team for your oral exam.
The Boston College community functions best when its members treat one another with honesty, fairness, respect, and trust. The college promotes the assumption of personal responsibility and integrity, and prohibits all forms of academic dishonesty and misconduct. All cases of academic misconduct will be referred to the associate dean and the Committee on Academic Integrity. For more information, including examples of behaviors that are considered academic misconduct and potential sanctions, please see Boston College’s academic integrity policy.
I am committed to supporting the learning of all students in my class. If you have already registered with Connors Family Learning Center (learning disabilities and ADHD) or Disability Services (all other disabilities) and have your letter of accommodations, please meet with me early in the course to discuss, plan, and implement your accommodations in the course. If you have or think you have a disability but are not registered, the Connors Family Learning Center and Disability Services websites provide information on the registration process.
This class brings attention to the dynamics of power and oppression in society. In the event that you experience or witness a hate crime or bias-related incident on campus, I want you to know about your options for reporting the incident and seeking support. The bias-related incident reporting form is intended to make it easy for community members to report hate crimes or bias-motivated behavior. The Hate Crimes & Bias-Related Incidents Protocol website contains more information, including definitions and available support services. If you share about a hate crime on campus in an assignment or class discussion, I will follow up with you to offer my own support and to share the bias-related incident reporting form in case you do want to report. You do not have to use the form if you do not want to and you do not have to use the form to access support services on campus.
Artificial Intelligence has become widely available and is becoming increasingly powerful. While this technology is not especially new, its capability and availability are rapidly evolving. Like any powerful tool, AI is having an enormous impact on education, theology, and ethics, both positive and negative. In this course, I will make use of this new technology, often in the form of experimentation and exploration, and students will be actively encouraged to make use of this new and powerful tool, as well.
However, Dr. Bannon emphasizes that this new technology is unpredictable: It can hallucinate, it can provide false information, and it is deeply encoded with cultural, historical, religious, and other biases that sometimes (but not always) reflect its training models and frequently mirrors the biases and assumptions of users. In part, our engagement with and use of these technologies is motivated by a need to dis/cover these hidden biases. Dr. Bannon emphasizes that they are not responsible for any content generated by these tools and encourages all students to think critically and skeptically about any AI generated content.
That said, Dr. Bannon makes frequent use of AI tools and strongly encourages students to learn to use these tools so as to be competent to enter the workplace after graduation. These tools are especially powerful and useful as tools to parse, lemmatize, analyze, translate, and understand language, including sacred texts. Hence, students who are able to competently deploy these powerful tools to better analyze and interpret sacred texts in Sanskrit, Hebrew, and Greek are likely to cultivate deeper understanding of these ancient repositories of human wisdom in contrast to students lacking competency in these rapidly advancing artefacts.
As these technological tools advance, they become increasingly pedagogically valuable and potent. Hence, Dr. Bannon continues to explore and innovate new ways to harness and deploy these technes to teach more efficiently and effectively. I do so mindful of potential downsides, privacy concerns, and FERPA. I make every attempt to use AI tools responsibly, mindfully, and fairly.
If any student has any questions about how I use AI, I am more than happy to devote time and effort outside of class (in office hours, online meetings, or Discord hours, etc.) towards that end.
This class or portions of this class will be recorded by the instructor for educational purposes. These recordings will be shared only with students enrolled in the two sections of this course taught by Dr. Bannon. This is intended to supplement the classroom experience. Students are expected to follow appropriate university policies. Recordings may not be reproduced, shared with those not in the class, or uploaded to other online environments. If the instructor plans any other uses for the recordings, beyond this class, the instructor will ensure that absolutely no students are identifiable in the recordings. Class recordings folder
This course is a combined lecture and discussion course. This means that, in part, all students are responsible for contributing to both their own learning experience and the learning experience of others. Because the contribution of ideas from each student is critical to the learning process, any behavior that makes other students feel uncomfortable in their learning environment will not be tolerated. This includes interrupting others while they are talking, carrying on conversations separate from the class discussion, or making comments that could be perceived as offensive in terms of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, nationality, social-economic status, ability, etc. Please make every effort to maintain an atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable sharing and responding to ideas. (Resources for Gender-Inclusive Language in the Classroom 3 CITL Presentation, March 15, 2016)
A note on cell phones, texting, and checking one’s email during class: Research has shown us that even having our cell phones on the table in front of us diminishes our ability to learn well; further, taking notes via computer diminishes one’s ability to process information. Checking texts, emails, and messages is also unprofessional and disrespectful to our class community. Please turn off your phone, email, and computer during class; I will do so as well. I appreciate your cooperation with this important aspect of creating a class of which we all want to be a part.
Boston College is committed to upholding standards that promote respect and human dignity in an environment that fosters academic excellence and professionalism. Sexual misconduct and relationship violence in any form are antithetical to the university’s mission and core values, violate university policies, and may also violate federal and state law. Faculty members are considered “Responsible Employees” and are required to report incidents of sexual misconduct and relationship violence to Melinda Stoops, Boston College’s Student Affairs Title IX Coordinator. If you or someone you know has been impacted by sexual assault, intimate partner violence, stalking or sexual exploitation, please visit https://tinyurl.com/bc-sanet-support to access information about university support and resources.
If you are feeling stressed or are having challenges managing your time, sleep, or substance use, the Center for Student Wellness has resources available to support you. Among other programs, they offer peer Wellness Coaching appointments to help you create an actionable plan to reach your wellness goals. Visit CSW’s website to schedule a meeting with a trained peer Wellness Coach, or to learn more about resources to help you prioritize your mind, body, and soul this semester. (provided by the Center for Student Wellness)
As an instructor at Boston College, I welcome students of diverse religious backgrounds into my classroom as part of my larger commitment to educating whole persons. I also know that when students are able to bring all of themselves into the classroom, everyone benefits from the diversity of perspectives and backgrounds present, resulting in more robust scholarly engagement. Additionally, under Massachusetts law, students have the legal right to religious accommodation. Please let me know if a requirement for this course conflicts with your religious observance so that we can figure out a way for you to observe your religious practice and complete the requirements for this course. If at all possible, please contact me about any potential conflicts within the first two weeks of the course. As noted above, I treat all absences the same and offer a generous policy for making up missed absences.
Podcast 1 due Sunday, Feb 2
Podcast 2 due Sunday, Feb 16
Podcast 3 due Sunday, March 2
Podcast 4 due Sunday March 30, 2025
No class April 17 (Maundy Thursday)
No class April 22 (Monday class schedule)
Podcast 5 due Wednesday April 23, 2025
Podcast 6 due Sunday April 27, 2025
Final Comprehensive Podcast Exams
A | Amber_Le |
A | Brett_Wall |
A | Colin_Ortiz |
A | Bridget_Markey |
A | Allie_Avdoulos |
A | Jackie_Genova |
A | Lawyer_LaMay |
A | Catherine_Hooley |
A | Andrik_Mora |
A | Avery_Stokes |
A | Andrea_Zamora |
A | Georgia_Foley |
A | Ruby_Barnett |
A | Erik_Magre |
A | Lauren_Oehler |
A | Drew_Williams |
B | Patrick_Hoban |
B | Jack_Schollmeyer |
B | Rebecca_Glass |
B | Claire_Kelley |
B | Marina_Pascual-Fernandez |
B | Shea_Davidson |
B | Lizzy_Lamprey |
B | Ellie_Graham |
B | HannaH_Macleod |
B | Jorge_Chamorro |
B | Ella_Cromwell |
B | Camila_Zamora |
B | Gill_MacDonald |
B | Molly_Devine |
B | Jadyn_Mitchell |
B | Addison_Owensby |
B | Justin_Walker |
C | Quincy_Jones-Sylvia |
C | Mary_Carter |
C | Ric_DeLyons |
C | Henry_Reuland |
C | Reid_Povinelli |
C | Matthew_Wleklinski |
C | Alec_Vyas |
C | Maggie_Dirkes |
C | Jose_Pagan |
C | George_Kaparis |
C | Jack_Angelica |
C | Liana_Sanchez |
C | Reagan_Rock |
C | Luke_Walsh |
C | Yaileen_Gutierrez |
C | Molly_Dicks |
D | Saylor_Limkakeng |
D | Sofia_LLovera |
D | Tushar_Nag |
D | Sean_McCarthy |
D | Riley_Sheridan |
D | Regan_Bryant |
D | Liam_Sullivan |
D | Olatz_Marques Saralegui |
D | Luka_Curic |
D | Matt_Stine |
D | Mary_Mullen |
D | Kamran_Behbehani |
D | Stella_Monaco |
D | Vanya_Garg |
D | Serenna_Sousa |
THEO 1432 Hindu and Christian Traditions
Spring 2025 Syllabus Dr. R. Brad Bannon
