Hindu Traditions: Ritual, Knowledge, Devotion (Lecture)




« back to classes page
In this course, we will gain a comprehensive introduction to Hindu traditions, emphasizing the importance of ritual, knowledge, and devotion across Hindu traditions from classical to contemporary times. We will introduce Hinduism’s South Asian roots, that can be traced to the Vedic tradition, which provides key conceptual and religious foundations. We will consider early and classical expressions of Hindu thought and religious life through the complex term dharma. Major Hindu deities are then introduced alongside associated narratives, practices, and iconography. We will examine the six major schools of Hindu philosophy using both secondary and primary sources. We will then consideration bhakti (devotion) that has characterized diverse Hindu traditions across centuries. Finally, we will  consider sacred space and places including temples and t?rthas, as well as the interrelationship of the concept of divine presence and pilgramage practices the relate to these holy sites.

Your instructor: Eileen Goddard
Eileen Goddard is a Religious Studies Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Goddard lectures on Indian and Asian religious traditions at both UCSB and the University of Houston. Her research centers on the interrelationship of soteriology and embodiment in the sixteenth-century Gau??ya Vai??ava K???a tradition. She is a comparative scholar whose research also includes the P?tañjala Yoga, Advaita Ved?nta, ?r?vai??ava, and P?ñcar?tra traditions, analyzing how emotion, desire, meditation, and ritual variously contribute towards ultimate realization of self and/or divine Other.

Class Dates and Time: Wednesdays, July 15 through August 19
12pm Pacific | 1pm Mountain | 2pm Central | 3pm Eastern
Each session is 90 minutes. 
 
 Class schedule: Live lecture will take place on Wednesdays via ZOOM 
  • 7/15/2026
  • 7/22/2026
  • 7/29/2026
  • 8/5/2026
  • 8/12/2026
  • 8/19/2026

June 30, 2026, 1pm Central is the Osher Online Member Orientation.

Class Details

6 Session(s)
Weekly - Wed

Location
Virtual - Any Location

Instructor
Osher Online 

Tuition: 

$70.00

Email olli@northwestern.edu for more information. Send to Friend »

Schedule Information

Date(s) Class Days Times Location Instructor(s)
7/15/2026 - 8/19/2026 Weekly - Wed 02:00 PM - 03:30 PM N/A, Virtual - Any Location  Map Osher Online 

Other Class Offerings

Broadway Musicals: A Fascinating History (Lecture)
ID: 3771

07/21/26 - 08/25/26
Weekly - Tue

Location
Virtual - Any Location

Instructor
Osher Online

Email olli@northwestern.edu for more information.
Send to Friend »
Canals and the Making of the Modern World (Lecture)
ID: 3772

07/08/26 - 08/12/26
Weekly - Wed

Location
Virtual - Any Location

Instructor
Osher Online

Email olli@northwestern.edu for more information.
Send to Friend »
CANCELLED: The Digital Shift: How Computing Remade Media (Lecture)
ID: 3782

07/20/26 - 08/24/26
Weekly - Mon

Location
Virtual - Any Location

Instructor
Osher Online

Email olli@northwestern.edu for more information.
Send to Friend »
Children’s Literature: The Development of a Genre (Lecture)
ID: 3773

07/07/26 - 08/11/26
Weekly - Tue

Location
Virtual - Any Location

Instructor
Osher Online

Email olli@northwestern.edu for more information.
Send to Friend »

Recommended Classes