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Modern Hinduism – New Course at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana

Modern Hinduism – a new course under which students would examine the rise of Hinduism from colonial period to the present day – has been approved by DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.

Founded in 1837, DePauw University has a long and proud history of offering a strong liberal arts education to top young scholars from United States and the world.

The Hindu reports

“The main objective is to “encourage an understanding of the embedded nature of modern Hinduism within the historical matrices of culture, society, politics and economics in South Asia,” the university said in a statement after the course was approved by its faculty last week by show of hands.

Senior Melissa Zimmerman, a religious studies major, said the course is a natural component to the current religious studies class catalogue.

“I think it definitely sounds like a useful class. There are modern courses in Islam and Christianity, so why not Hinduism?” she said, adding that the course description seems to embody the goals of the religious studies programme.

“Religious studies allow us to look at the various religions of the world from a perspective we don’t typically do otherwise,” she said.

“We are able to learn what people say and why they say it rather than making value judgments.”