REL 202 From Buddhist Texts to Anime

4 hours
Fulfills: Human Expression—Primary Texts, Intercultural, Religion
Prerequisites: REL 101, REL 111 or REL 112

This course examines religious themes in and the religious function of various narrative forms in Japan. The course will examine primary scriptures and commentaries from the Buddhist tradition as well as ghost stories, poems, plays (No and Kabuki), novels, manga, and anime. These literary forms are a product of various interactions among the Japanese, Chinese, and American cultures. Analyzing these kinds of cultural and religious expressions, the course examines the role of religious ritual and sacred texts in pre-modern as well as contemporary Japan. The course deepens the skills in textual and literary criticism introduced in the courses fulfilling the Bible requirement. It will also introduce students to critical theory (including gender and queer studies), and intercultural analysis. This course exposes students equally to the study of Japanese culture and various methods of textual interpretation. (Same as IDS 202)

REL 220 Experiencing Mahayana Buddhism

4 hours
Fulfills: Religion, Intercultural, Human Expression—Primary Texts
Prerequisites: REL 101, 111, or 112.

This course introduces students to Mahayana Buddhism. It explores the development of Mahayana Buddhism, its relationship with other religious traditions, and its influence on culture. The primary teaching method is experiential. Students will visit temples in selected areas of East Asia, have instructions by an abbot, participate in the monastic life, will meet scholars of Buddhism, visit holy sites, and participate in Buddhist worship. The students will spend three days in a temple, joining the monks in meditation and religious practice. In addition to this experiential dimension, the course will familiarize students with the history, scriptures, and beliefs of Mahayana Buddhism through readings from primary texts, lectures, videos, and class discussions. It will further analyze the Buddhist response to general topics and problems, such as the absolute, the notion of self, the problem of human existence, as well as soteriological and ethical issues. (Same as IDS 220)

REL 228 Religion and Philosophy in China

4 hours
Fulfills: Religion, Human Expression—Primary Texts, Intercultural
Prerequisites: REL 101, REL 111 or REL 112

This course examines the religious and philosophical traditions of China, Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism, to understand their influence on Chinese and East Asian culture. It will trace these traditions from their beginnings and formative periods to today and explore their influence on the current worldviews, rituals, festivals, literature, practices, ethics, and politics in China. Special consideration will be given to the notion of "religion," the construction of gender, as well as moral and political visions found in the foundational texts of these traditions. (Same as IDS 228)

REL 229 Religions of South Asia

4 hours
Fulfills: Religion, Human Expression—Primary Texts, Intercultural
Prerequisites: REL 101, 111, or 112.

This course will introduce the religious and philosophical traditions of South Asia. Particularly, it will focus on historical, textual, and doctrinal foundations of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. It will analyze excerpts of their sacred scriptures, survey their beliefs, study their practices, and explore their ethical systems. Additional consideration will be given to contemporary issues facing these traditions.

REL 236 Disaster and Enlightenment: Pilgrimages East Asia

4 hours
Fulfills: Human Expression, Intercultural, Religion
Prerequisites: REL 101, 111, or 112.

This course explores traditional and new forms of pilgrimages in East Asia. In particular, it examines two kinds of pilgrimages: traditional ones to sacred mountains, sanctuaries, and other religious pilgrimage sites, on the one side, and pilgrimages to memorials that commemorate immense natural and human catastrophes such as Hiroshima (dropping of the atomic bomb) and Nanjing (1937/8 massacre), on the other. What connects these two kinds of pilgrimages is the importance attributed to memory, the desire for healing, and the need for reflection. The goal of this course is to investigate the religious and political dimensions of memory, self-cultivation, and contemplation. The course accomplishes this goal by examining questions such as: what is the social dimension of religious pilgrimages, what is the moral dimension of memory, and what is the spiritual dimension of healing and reconciliation? Offered only during January term. (Same as IDS 236)

REL 255 Religious Identity and Diversity in East Asia

4 hours
Fulfills: Religion, Human Expression, Intercultural
Prerequisites: REL 101, REL 111, or REL 112

A study of the ways in which religious identity is constructed and negotiated in China, Korea, and Japan. This course investigates concrete encounters between various Buddhist, Confucian, Daoist, and Shinto schools, institutions, thinkers, and practitioners as well as between political entities and cultural traditions alike; explores variations of the "three teachings in one" as they are expressed in religious myths, especially those involving martial art heroes, meditation manuals, and religious practice in East Asia; and analyzes the theoretical models developed to explain the diversity of beliefs, practices, and cultures in East Asia. This course will provide an in-depth understanding of East Asian religions and cultures and the interaction among them as well as engaging models of religious identity and diversity. (Same as REL 255)