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Publications in VIVO

Biernacki, Loriliai

Professor

Positions

Research Areas research areas

Research

research overview

  • My work deals with medieval Sanskrit texts, particularly making accessible the ideas of these texts. I deal with critical theory, with gender and am currently working on ideas of subjectivity, consciousness and cognitive science in relation to medieval Indian perspectives on these subjects.

keywords

  • religion, consciousness studies, cognitive science

Publications

selected publications

Teaching

courses taught

  • RLST 2610 - Happiness and Nirvana: Enlightenment in Indian Religions
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2019 / Spring 2020 / Spring 2021 / Spring 2023 / Spring 2024 / Fall 2024
    Addresses religious and spiritual practices geared towards ideals of enlightenment across various religious traditions in India, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism, in relation to different social groups historically. Examines the concept of happiness (sukha) and its connections to spiritual enlightenment.
  • RLST 2612 - Yoga: Ancient and Modern
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2018 / Fall 2018 / Fall 2019 / Fall 2020 / Fall 2022 / Fall 2023 / Fall 2024
    Addresses the history and philosophy of yoga, beginning from its earliest articulations in Vedic India 1200 BCE up to contemporary understandings of yoga. Examines yoga's historical evolution from a primarily mental practice to a bodily centered practice. Looks at the shifts yoga undergoes as it becomes popular in the modern West.
  • RLST 3200 - Yoga, Castes and Magic: Hindu Society and Spirituality
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2018 / Fall 2018 / Fall 2020 / Spring 2023 / Spring 2024
    Addresses yoga, religious asceticism and practices of magic in Hinduism from ancient India up to the modern period. Gives an overview of the variety of traditions in Hinduism, focusing on how spiritual practices affect social roles. Looks at how spritual practices approach happiness and social change, from ancient India�s secret Upanisads through medieval mystic poets like Mirabai, through Gandhi in the 20th century, focusing on figures using mystical experience to overturn social and political powers.
  • RLST 4200 - Topics in Hinduism
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2020 / Fall 2022
    Examines in depth central themes, schools of thought and movements in Hinduism, such as myth and ritual, renunciation, Vedanta, Tantra and Yoga. May be repeated up to 9 total credit hours as topics change. Recommended prerequisite: 6 hours of RLST courses at any level or instructor consent. Same as RLST 5200.
  • RLST 4820 - Interdisciplinary Seminar on Religion
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2019 / Fall 2023
    Variable topics in religion, drawing from a variety of disciplines and methodologies as they shed light on specific traditions and issues. Recommended requisite: 6 credit hours of religious studies at any level or instructor consent. May be repeated up to 9 total credit hours as topics change. Same as RLST 5820.
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