Buddhism in America: The Dharma Comes to Main Street
RELI 288
Fall 2013
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
EAST 286 |
This seminar will investigate the history and diverse forms of Buddhist thought and practice in America. We will begin with a introduction to fundamental Buddhist teachings, practices, and Asian traditions. Then, we will follow Buddhism's transmission to America in the 19th century, and unpack its subsequent history and role in the lives of both diaspora and convert Buddhist communities. We will explore African-American understandings of Zen, and a community of first generation Thai immigrants practicing Theravada in Philadelphia; American convicts practicing Buddhist meditation in prison; and a multidenominational Buddhist temple in Virginia adapting to life in a conservative evangelical Christian community. Readings will include primary Buddhist texts, autobiographies and anthropological case studies, and will be complemented by in-class film screenings. Students will also conduct one-on-one interviews, paying careful attention to the ways in which class, gender, and ethnicity shape the American Buddhist experience. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS RELI |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (CEAS-MN) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 | | Special Attributes: FYS |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Bhante Gunaratna, JOURNEY TO MINDFULNESS: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF BHANTE G. (Wisdom 1998)
Jenny Phillips, LETTERS FROM THE DHARMA BROTHERS (Pariyatti Press 2008)
Richard Hughes Seager, BUDDHISM IN AMERICA: REVISED AND EXPANDED (Columbia University Press 2012)
Angel Williams, BEING BLACK: ZEN AND THE ART OF LIVING WITH FEARLESSNESS AND GRACE (Penguin 2002)
Damien Keown: BUDDHISM: A VERY SHORT INTRODUCTION (OUP, 2013)
Donald Lopez, BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES (Penguin Classics 2004)
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Examinations and Assignments:
4 short papers (2-3 pp.); 1 final paper (10-12pp.) |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
THIS SECTION IS A FIRST-YEAR SEMINAR (FYS) CLASS.
Attendance and participation in discussions. This course fulfills a "Thematic Approaches" departmental requirement. |
| Instructor(s): Harrington,Laura Times: .M.W... 01:10PM-02:30PM; Location: RSCSEM; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 15 | | SR major: X | JR major: X | | |
| Seats Available: 3 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: X | JR non-major: X | SO: X | FR: 15 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 3 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 1 | Unranked: 2 |
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