There will be three tests during the semester. Test No. 1 (tentative date Tuesday, October 9^th) will cover Subjects 1, 2, 3 in the Course Schedule. Test No. 2 (tentative date Tuesday, November 6^th) will cover Subjects 4, 5, 6 in the Course Schedule. Test No. 3 (Friday, December 14^th) will cover Subjects 7, 8, 9 in the Course Schedule. Each of the three tests carries the weight of 25% toward the semester grade and the remaining 25% will come from the attendance; students must take attendance seriously. The tests will cover both the appropriate chapters of the required reading and the lecture. NO make-ups will be given unless arrangements are made prior to the scheduled exams and penalties will be imposed on all the make-ups (5 points will be deducted from the earned percentile score).

Required Reading: H. Obayashi, ed., Death and Afterlife: Perspectives of World Religions, available at Rutgers University Bookstore located at Ferren Mall, New Brunswick. Recommended readings listed for each topic below are on reserve both in Alexander and Douglass Libraries. All of the recommended readings are also accessible on the departmental website. You will need the "user name" and "password" to open the readings, which will be announced in class.

1. Death and Reincarnation Among the Early Races and Non-Literate Cultures

    * Primitive Pan-vitalism and Death

    * Animism and Death

    * Totemism and Death

        Required Reading: Text, Intro. & Chap. 1

        Recommended Reading: B. Malinowski, Magic, Science and Religion, pp. 36-53;

        Jan deVries, The Study of Religion, Chap. 15;

2. Death and Afterlife in Ancient Egypt and Near East

    * Mesopotamian (Babylonian) Concept of the Underworld

    * Mummification

    * Egyptian Notions of the Soul

    * Zoroastrian Funeral Rites

        Required Reading: Text, Chaps. 2

        Recommended Reading: 

        J.H. Breasted,Development of Religion and Thought in Ancient Egypt, Lecture II (4);

        H. Frankfort, Before Philosophy, Chap. VII;

        R. Masani, Zoroastrianism, pp. 35-38, 64-69.

3. Death and Immortality in Greek Thought

    * Greek Mythology and Tragedy

    * Socrates

    * Plato

    Required Reading: Text, Chap. 4

    Recommended Reading: 

    Cornford, From Religion to Philosophy, pp. 242-249

4. The Biblical Understanding of Death Resurrection -- The Hebrew Outlook

    * Pre-Exilic Concept of Death and the Underworld

    * Eschatology

    * Apocalypticism

    * Messianic Kingdom

    * Individual and Corporate Resurrection

    Required Reading: Text, Chaps. 5&7

    Recommended Reading: 

     C.K. Barrett, The New Testament Background: Selected Documents, pp. 227-55.

5. The Christian Answer to Death

    * Crucifixion and Resurrection

    * The Kingdom of God

    * The Eternality of Human Personhood

    * Immortality or Resurrection

    Required Reading: Text, Chaps. 6&8

6. Islamic Images of the Afterlife

    * Seven Levels of Heaven

    * Seven Levels of Hell

    Required Reading: Text, Chap. 9

7. Death and Reincarnation in India

    * The Land of the Fathers

    * Karma and Reincarnation

    * The Ultimate Fate of the Soul

    Required Reading: Text, Chap. 10

    Recommended Reading: 

    Swami Nikhilananda, Hinduism, Chap III.

8. Death in Buddhist Thought

    * Buddhist Interpretation of "Reincarnation"

    * "Nothingness" and "Extinction"

    Required Reading: Text, Chap. 11&12

    Recommended Reading: 

    A.K. Coomaraswamy, Buddha and the Gospel of Buddhism, pp. 90-110

9. Death and Afterlife in China and Japan

    * Ancient Chinese Concepts of the Soul -- Hun and P’o

    * Taoist Cult of Immortality

    * Shintoism and Deification of Man

    Required Reading: Text, Chap. 13

    Recommended Reading: 

    H.G. Creel, Chinese Thought From Confucius to Mao Tse-tung, pp. 29-44;

    Witter Bynner, The Way of Life According to LAO TZU.