SJSD 11D Sexual Diversities and Hindu Scriptures

Examines the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Epics and Kama Sutra in light of the experience of sexual diversity.  Attention given to exegetical methods, hermeneutics, the history of interpretation, and the social location of the interpreter.  Topics to be discussed may include concepts of embodiment in the Vedas and the Upanishads, sexual relations of Hindu deities in the Puranas, sex roles in the Epics, and the role of hijras in Hindu caste structure. May be repeated for credit.