COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course will survey the major religious traditions of Asian, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, Confucianism, Taoism, and Zen W.e will examine the rituals, practices, and beliefs of these various Asian traditions in an inter-disciplinary manner, exploring their historical, philosophical, and cultural foundations, as well as their contemporary expressions in popular media, visual art, literature, and film. We will read the primary religious texts in these traditions and examine how they have been interpreted and expressed throughout various historical periods-- both ancient and modern. We will also explore various interactions and conflicts between these traditions, and raise questions about the relationship between religion, violence, war, and peace. 

The course is both textually based and discussion oriented, which means you need to read the assignments carefully and come to class prepared to share your thoughts and to engage others in a thoughtful, critical, and constructive discussion on the course readings and topics. The course also requires a good deal of writing (in-class, reading reflections, and take-home essays) and it is therefore important to put significant time and energy into crafting excellent essays. Samuel (our TA for the course) and we will make ourselves available to assist you with your writing, proofreading, or editing. No matter where you find yourself in the writing process--brainstorming, developing an argument, or revising a final draft—don’t hesitate to discuss and share your ideas with us.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. Class Attendance & Participation. An important goal of this class is to introduce you to the basic beliefs and practices of Asian religions, and for you to participate in thoughtful, critical discussions on the texts we’ll read throughout the semester. It is therefore important that you put the time and energy into reading and thinking about the assigned texts and that you come to class prepared to share your criticisms, questions, and insights with the rest of us. For me, coming to class unprepared is pretty much the same as not coming to class at all. (Worth 10% of course grade.)

2. Journal Reflections. Over the course of the semester, you will keep a journal composing your thoughts, insights, criticisms, and reflections of the course readings and class discussions. Your journal can contain any number of ideas, thoughts, questions, poems, songs, drawings, or anything else relating to the course, but should, at the very least, include reflections on each section of readings for the course, and should be completed before the assigned reading for that day. Your journal reflections on the course readings (300-350 words--approximately 1 page or more) are not just summaries of the readings but critical reflections that ask questions, raise problems, stimulate your imagination, or lead to further thoughts and questions. In the end, you should ask yourself if your question is actually a good, critical question—that is, does it raise concerns directly related to the central theme or problem of the reading; does your question expose a possible a weakness in the argument; will it lead to further class discussion? Note: Journals will be collected every other Wednesday. Since an important purpose of your reflections is to enhance our course discussions, late submissions will not be accepted.  (Worth 15% of course grade.) 

3. In-class Presentation. Students will be divided into groups and will lead the class in a presentation  of the major rituals and practices of a particular religious tradition. The group will decide upon the specific content of the religious rituals and practices to present to the class, and can include images, posters, film, powerpoint, interactive demonstration, guest speakers, meditation, or anything else that will enhance the topic. It is important for each student in the group to have ample time to present. The presentations will take place throughout the semester, and will be graded according to: 1. Content: your knowledge of the material, command of the subject, etc. (Did you do the reading carefully? Did you engage in a serious and thoughtful reflection on the material? Did you do background reading as well?) And 2. Form: how well you present your knowledge to the class (Did you put time and energy into thinking about how to best execute your presentation? Did you ask interesting questions? Did you facilitate a thoughtful, focused discussion?)  (Worth 10% of course grade.)

4. One (5 page) Essay. This take-home essay is a critical reflection on the religious significance of Hinduism and Buddhism. See the link on “writing tips” to get a sense of what I consider the fundamentals of excellent essay writing, and I will also post suggested topics and questions for the essay.(Worth 20% of course grade.)

6. One (7 page) Final Essay. An important goal of this course is for you to “get inside” and sympathize with a religious tradition other than your own (even if you happen to be an atheist or anti-religious), and the final essay provides you with the opportunity to write from “within” a religious tradition other than what you believe in or were brought up with at home. A more complete prompt for the essay is linked from the homepage and here. The specific topic of your final essay will be chosen in consultation with me, and you are required to participate in a tutorial session during the final week of classes where you will read a draft of your essay aloud to me and two other students from the class. (Worth 35% of course grade.)