VCE RELIGION SOCIETY UNIT 1 AREA OF STUDY

VCE RELIGION & SOCIETY UNIT 1 - AREA OF STUDY 1 The religious world By Sarah Major

UNIT 1, AREA OF STUDY 1 Ao. S 1 Outcome On completion of this unit the student should be able to explain the role of religion in society. (VCAA) smajor. weebly. com

UNIT 1, AREA OF STUDY 1 One of the key knowledge areas in this Ao. S is to be able to 'know' of characteristics of at least two religions. Also within this area of unit is knowing the features that are common to religions, including the eight aspects of religion: : e g d e l w Key Kno o w t t s a e l t a f o s c i t s aracteri v beliefs v myths and other stories h c f o ' w o n • ‘K sacred textsnand other religious writings. s o i relig v v rituals v symbols v social structures : s l l i k S Key f o s t c e p s a 8 ) y l p p a d n a ( e n i f e d & y f i t n e d I principles and oral or written codes of behaviour • ethical l a i ion r e t religious and spirituality (characteristics of thinking and a religexperience m e c r u o s e s i s behaving in the light ofs beliefs) e h t n y & rpret v v

TEACHER BACKGROUND Basic knowledge of Hinduism Historical knowledge, type of scripture, theology, ethical teachings

TEACHER BACKGROUND Hinduism is a huge religion to get one’s head around. Don’t panic! v Third largest religion after Christianity and Islam v Ancient religion (2500 -1500 BCE) originating in India (Indus Valley civilization) v Not attributed to just one person/prophet v Vedas are the most important texts v v Consist of religious hymns and chants Two focal points interwoven: v canon (written, oral & visual of gods, goddesses, demigods & saints) v caste system - 4 varnas (customs, belief, practices, age, gender, social identity)

CASTE SYSTEM

TEACHER BACKGROUND v Gradual development over thousands of years Many Hindu philosophies with diverse beliefs and practices v “Way of life” v Shared concepts, rituals, ancients texts (e. g. the Vedas), pilgrimage to sacred sites v Open-minded. Does not force followers to accept god (Brahman) v v Monotheistic, polytheistic, monistic Brahman is the Hindu god. Can take many forms & can be without form or with form e. g. human, v animal, plant, saint, guru v Common theme: Brahman is contained within the universe, and so in serving others and the earth (and the universe) Hindus are serving god.

TEACHER BACKGROUND Brahman understood in threefold way “trimurti” Brahma – the creator v Vishnu – the sustainer v Shiva – the destroyer v Additional gods: Surya and Genesha also commonly worshipped) v Ultimate goal: to attain “moksha” (nirvana) by ending “samsara” (cycle of rebirth & suffering) v. Ethical teachings: kindness & truth; hospitality; respect for family v Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva

STUDENT LEARNING Outcome Approaches Student Resources Activities

UNIT 1, AREA OF STUDY 1 Class Outcomes: At the completion of this lesson, students will able to identify two of more characteristics of Hinduism. v Students will also be able to identify and briefly describe at least two of the ‘eight aspects of religion’ as they relate to Hinduism. v

UNIT 1, AREA OF STUDY 1 Approaches to learning v Educational v Ascertain prior knowledge v Interactive student-student activities Research, do, share v “Chatterbox speed-dating” v AV (video) of documentaries or quick ‘run-down’ of Hinduism v Opportunity for further guided internet based research (ICT) v

UNIT 1, AREA OF STUDY 1 Student Resources v Ted Ed http: //ed. ted. com/on/v. Llc. U 7 sd#watch Great intro to unit task to topic! Encompasses Bloom’s taxonomy task of lower to higher-level thinking. To Know, Worship and Love – Catholic Studies for Senior Secondary Students - Year 11 & 12. (Elliot, 2006) v Some material from textbook above is transcribed to smajor. weebly. com v Virtual Tour at Hindu Temple in Melbourne http: //melbournevinayagar. org. au/virtualreality/ v My Life, My Religion: Hinduism (BBC educational documentary narrated by British teenager) https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=e. XTNKc. Xr. EXI

STUDENT LEARNING ACTIVITY Chatterbox!

UNIT 1, AREA OF STUDY 1 Activity Read the text on Hinduism and choose which of the 8 aspects of religion you will focus on. You will create a chatterbox using at least 2 aspects of Hinduism. On the first fold, identify which aspect you will be describing. Describe the aspect of Hinduism as the hidden answer.

UNIT 1, AREA OF STUDY 1 Activity continued… Once you have completed your chatterbox, move around that classroom and start to chat with your chatterboxes with your classmates. a) First listen to the explanations. b) Ask questions of your partner! Example Q: What would an ethical principle of Hinduism be? A: Karma is an example of an ethical principle in Hinduism & refers to the consequences of one's actions (both good and bad) performed in this life or previous lives. If you do good deeds, Hindus believe you'll be reborn into a higher life-form (or caste) while the opposite is true of bad deeds.

RESOURCES BBC. (2015, Mar 27). My Life, My Religion: Hinduism. Retrieved from Youtube: https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=e. XTNKc. Xr. EXI (28 min) Brooks, D. (2010). Hinduism. In J. Neusner (Ed. ), Introducuction to world religions - Communities and Cultures (pp. 163 -180). Nashville, TN, USA: Abingdon Press. Elliot, P. (Ed. ). (2006). To Know, Worship and Love – Catholic Studies for Senior Secondary Students - Year 11 & 12. East Melbourne: James Goold House Publications. Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2015). Hinduism Religion. Retrieved from Encyclopaedia Britannica: http: //www. britannica. com/topic/Hinduism Hindu funeral rites. (2014). Retrieved from BBC: http: //www. bbc. co. uk/schools/gcsebitesize/rs/death/hindudeathritesrev 2. shtml Hinduism. (2010). Retrieved from Sacred Texts: http: //www. sacred-texts. com/hin/ Hinduism. (2014). Retrieved from BBC http: //www. bbc. co. uk/religions/hinduism/index. shtml

RESOURCES Hinduism. (2014). Retrieved from ABC: http: //www. abc. net. au/religion/stories/s 790133. htm Hinduism. (2014). Retrieved from Hindu Council of Australia: http: //hinducouncil. com. au/hinduism/religion/ Hinduism for schools. (n. d. ). Retrieved from Vivekananda Centre London: http: //www. hinduism. fsnet. co. uk/ Hinduism. (n. d. ). Retrieved from Edunet Ltd: http: //www. edunet. ie/resources/religioninfo/hindu. html Hinduism Today Magazine. (2014, Jun 27). The History of Hindui India. Retrieved from Youtube: https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=d. BZRTz. XARWM (23 min) Koller, J. M. (2002). Asian Philosophies (Vol. 4). Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA: Pearson Education. Marsh, C. (2010). Becoming a Teacher - Knowledge Skills and Issues. (5 th ed. ). Forest Hill: Pearson. Melbourne Vinayagar Hindu Temple. (2014). Virtual Tour. Retrieved 10 5, 2015, from Sri Vakrathunda Vinayagar Temple: http: //melbournevinayagar. org. au/virtualreality/ National Geographic TV. (2014, Dec 17). National Geographic | Religions of the World (Hinduism) - History Documentary. Retrieved from Youtube: https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Dz. QBs 0 -0 PPM (45 min)

RESOURCES NSW Government, Department of Education. (2015). Fact sheets: An introduction to Hinduism in Australia. Retrieved from racismnoway: http: //www. racismnoway. com. au/teachingresources/factsheets/35. html Partridge, C. (Ed. ). (2005). The World's Religions (3 rd ed. ). Oxford, England: Lion Hudson. Period Eight. (n. d. ). Crash Course Hinduism. Retrieved from TED Ed: http: //ed. ted. com/on/v. Llc. U 7 sd#watch (5 min) Religions of the World. (2014). Retrieved from Faith Central: http: //www. faithcentral. co. nz/classroom/year 12/12 a-religions-of-the-world Robinson, B. (2009). Linkages between two God-men saviors: Christ and Krishna. Retrieved from Religious Tolerance: http: //www. religioustolerance. org/chr_jckr. htm Robinson, B. (2012). Hinduism: The world's third largest religion. Retrieved from Religious Tolerance: http: //www. religioustolerance. org/hinduism. htm The Hindu Universe. (2014). Retrieved from Hindunet: http: //www. hindunet. org/ Young, W. (2010). Hinduism - Many Paths to the Summit. In W. Young, The world's religions: worldwide and contemporary issues (3 rd ed. , pp. 53 -83). Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA: Prentice Hall.