How do the core Jain values of ahiṃsā (nonharming), aparigraha (nonpossessiveness), and anekāntavāda (non-one-sidedness) relate to the ethics and practices of animal protection and advocacy? Jains have insisted on the practice of vegetarianism for millennia, but what else might a proactive “Engaged Jainism”' involve? Is vegetarianism sufficient on the dietary level? Is veganism sufficient? Why or why not? Part One of the course explores sites of institutionalized and corporate hiṃsā (harm) towards animals, focusing specifically on industrialized animal agriculture. The purpose of this—at times vivid—investigation is to begin to comprehend just how harmful these anthropogenic phenomena are for both the animals and humans contained therein. Part Two pivots to how Jainism—past, present, and future—interfaces with these phenomena. The focus will be on the Jain ethic of nonharming, how it determines dietary practices, but also specifically how it might motivate an “Engaged Jainism” that extends well beyond what one does and doesn’t eat. Part Three looks into past and contemporary animal advocacy movements and social justice activism more broadly understood. This part will look at the diversity of principles, targets, and tactics employed by these various movements. Specifically we will explore how these movements invoke nonviolence as the guiding force behind their educational, legal, political, entrepreneurial, and grassroots activist efforts to address the plights of animals.  Upon successful completion of this class, students will be able to:Broadly chart the main features of contemporary industrial animal systems.Identify mainstream perspectives on animal use and consumption.Connect Jain and Non-Jain philosophy to practice (“applied ethics” and “Engaged Jainism”).Understand common forms of animal advocacy and activism and the debates surrounding them.Describe ethical contestations within Jain communities as they engage the questions of how advocacy and activism relate to ahiṃsā, noninterventionist. interpretations of karma theory, the validity of alternative views (nayas), and the lived lay realities of cultural “integration.” Student Reviews“Everything is really excellent.”— Graduate Student, Claremont School of Theology, 2024 “Excellent course and engagement by professor.” — Graduate Student, Claremont School of Theology, 2024 

This course provides a historical overview of plant- (and non-plant-) based living from a regional perspective. Tracing the emergence and development of plant-dominant, vegetarian, and vegan diets in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, the course foregrounds the cultural, religious, and geographic factors behind these—as well all adjacent and alternative—consumption patterns. Pivoting from the regional to the global, the course then explores the emergence of transnational veganism and how Jain veganism fits in this modern phenomenon. Upon successful completion of this class, students will be able to:Locate significant features of international food patterns.Identify cultural and historical food trends and their relationships to economics and politics.Connect Jain and Non-Jain philosophies to food practices (“Engaged Religion”).Understand relationships between religion, the body, and consumption.Describe the intricacies of the Jain diet, past and present. Student Reviews“I appreciated the breadth and depth of the topic! More than any material I've yet consumed or classes I've taken, this course changed my ideas on what "vegan" means - for the better. I gained more cultural literacy and conversational competencies, which then created a direct positive effect on my daily and activist life. This course is truly fantastic and I appreciated it a great deal.”— Graduate Student, Claremont School of Theology, 2024 “All the materials and assignments were interesting, I looked forward to this course a great deal every single week. I appreciated the global and historical perspective and I think this course would be a fantastic introduction for anyone interested in animal studies, veganism, animal rights, and/or cultural foodways. ” — Graduate Student, Claremont School of Theology, 2024

This course delves into the intricate dynamics of food practices, systems, and politics in South Asia, with a particular emphasis on India's diverse religious, regional, class, and caste groups. It aims to foster a nuanced understanding that food is never merely sustenance but serves as a potent vehicle for constructing and expressing individual, familial, regional, and even national identities, with profound social and often discriminatory consequences. The course begins with an exploration of religious perspectives on food production, preparation, consumption, and commensality, focusing on dietary prescriptions and proscriptions in Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. From there, the content transitions to contemporary issues, events, laws, and policies that illustrate how food is weaponized in projects of social demarcation and oppression. Key topics include the rise of vegetarian Hindu nationalism, the pure/impure dichotomy, gender and "women's work," colonial influence on production and consumption, the contemporary Westernization of South Asian foodways, “peasant” resistance movements, and the differentially-impactful ecological ramifications of increasingly industrialized food systems. The course culminates with a brief discussion of specific gastropolitical debates in Central, East, and Southeast Asia, as well as in the South Asian diaspora in North America, providing a comparative and transnational perspective. Upon successful completion of this class, students will be able to:Describe (with examples) how integral food is to identity formation.Locate significant features of regional food politics.Identify the intersections of religion, gender, race, class, and caste in conflicts around food production and consumption.Compare and contrast Jain, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Muslim, and Christian foodways.Discuss the impacts of colonialism, Westernization, and industrialization on South Asian food systems.

This interdisciplinary course explores the intersections between veganism, climate change, and environmental justice. It considers veganism not merely as a dietary or lifestyle choice, but as a political and ecological practice. Through philosophical, scientific, and activist perspectives, students will interrogate the environmental impacts of animal agriculture, the racialized and classed dimensions of climate vulnerability, and the transformative potential of food systems rooted in justice and care. Learning ObjectivesGain a basic understanding of the origin, history, and applications of veganism both regionally and globally.Understand the main features of the global climate crisis and their relationship to industrial food systems.Connect climate crisis to differential climate vulnerability, or how environmental consequences impact populations differently due to race and class-based discrimination.Understand the basis tenets of environmental justice, with respect to animal-based industries in particular.Deploy tools for constructive dialogue across cultures and religions regarding veganism, climate change, and environmental justice.