This course will provide an introduction to major Asian religious traditions in their historical and cultural settings, with particular attention given to Hindu and Buddhist traditions. The course will explore sacred texts, architectures, religious practices, and understandings of social life and morality. In the process, students will acquire skills in various appropaches and methods in the comparative study of religion. An examination of twentieth-century Chinese society through cinematic productions and a critical reading of the writings of major Chinese writers in translation. Emphasis on self and society in a changing culture and the nature and function of literature in the modern nation-building.
All readings are in translation.
Knowledge of Chinese language not required. VC.1 and GER post-freshman writing requirement and old writing requirement. We will conclude by investigating the ways in which various Asian immigrant and refugee communities have simultaneously maintained and adapted their Buddhist traditions while living in the United States. The culture of a people emerges within the environment of specific historical, geographical and spiritual elements. Tibet, with its ancient history, dramatic geography and profound spiritual legacy, produced a unique and vibrant culture that only in recent generations has come into a sustained contact with the West.