Gods and Goddesses of South Asia
Introduction to major South Asian deities through visual art, myth, and ritual, covering iconography, divine embodiment, possession, and temple symbolism.
Summary
Past student reviews · Gudrun Buhnemann
One student reported learning more from the assigned readings than from lectures, suggesting the readings were the main source of instruction.
What you’ll be able to do
Understand ways of conceiving of divinity and its presence in the world and in the life of the practitioner
Interpret forms of religious expression, representations of deities and their function in ritual
Critically examine taken-for-granted notions and stereotypes pertaining to image worship and to inquire into the process of their construction
Articulate in writing a critical perspective on image worship and devotional practices
Learn critical analysis and research skills
Improve skills in delivering oral presentations
Refine writing skills
Become familiar with multiple perspectives scholars use to study gods and goddesses of South Asia and use these perspectives in self-reflective thinking
Refine critical analysis and research skills
Source: UW Guide 1· UW Guide 2
Grade history
↗All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors
Prerequisites
Course mapSophomore standing
- Sophomore standing
This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Prerequisite text tree
- Sophomore standing
Professors
Spring 2027No instructors recorded for this selection.
Historical instructors & teaching patterns
GUDRUN BUHNEMANN is recorded teaching in Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Calendar & sections
Spring 2027Schedule loads here as you scroll.
| Section | Mode | Enrolled / capacity | Waitlist |
|---|
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections.
Meeting source records
No records available.
Student experience
the class
Past student reviews · Gudrun Buhnemann
The course was interesting, though one student found they learned more from assigned readings than from lectures.
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2024: 3.82 GPA, 81.8% A/AB (n=11 letter grades); Spring 2025: 3.59 GPA, 63.6% A/AB (n=11 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.94 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=9 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
Past student reviews · Gudrun Buhnemann
One student reported learning more from the assigned readings than from lectures, suggesting the readings were the main source of instruction.
Past student reviews · Gudrun Buhnemann
Professor Buhnemann was described as difficult to contact, unresponsive to emails, and strict about a no-phone policy, including yelling at a student for photographing slides.
Topics
- Iconographic forms and gendered aspects of the divine
- Human embodiment of divinities and possession
- Worship modes and temple architecture symbolism
Skills
- Interpretation of religious expression and deity representations
- Critical examination of stereotypes regarding image worship
- Application of multiple scholarly perspectives to South Asian divinity
Grades
Latest available · Spring 2026— not enough history to project Spring 2027.
Grade distribution · % of letter grades
Grades over time
Through Spring 2026
More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data
Not enough comparable courses for Spring 2027 in UW–Madison.
Sources & history
Catalog & offerings
Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.
Catalog observation history
Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.
Selected offering source records
No offering records for the selected term.
Raw records
[]
Student reviews
Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.
Read original reviews
Grade history
Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.
Explore recorded gradesRecorded 2026-10-14
Model outputs & technical records
LLM outputs across runs
Full model traces
Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.
Model & dataset provenance
{
"model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
"model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
"task_version": "17",
"output_id": "a93a872b075e70972fe05bf1173f656236829dac3174662037a7cf8c9a8edb35",
"requirements_status": "valid",
"dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
"observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}