REL 251
Zen Buddhism: History and Historiography
Fall 2012
Division II
Cross-listed
ASST 251
This is not the current course catalog
Class Details
Because mystifying references to Zen are strewn throughout American popular culture-from episodes of the Simpsons to names of perfumes and snack foods-most Americans have an image of Zen Buddhism that is disconnected from anything actually practiced in East Asia. This course offers a corrective to this image by familiarizing students with both the history of Zen and the historiographical roots of these popular perceptions. This course will examine the origins of Zen (Ch’an) in China, trace its transmission to Japan, and cover its development in both cultural contexts. It will conclude with an examination of Zen’s unique role in American popular culture. The course will enrich the conventional image of Zen by addressing its involvement with power and governance, gods and demons, mummies and sacred sites, sex and violence, nationalism and scholarship. Texts will include selections from primary works in translation (The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, The Gateless Barrier, The Lancet of Seated Meditation) as well as selections from secondary literature including Suzuki, Zen and Japanese Culture, Victoria, Zen at War, and Faure, The Rhetoric of Immediacy.
The Class:
Format: lecture/discussion
Limit: 30
Expected: 30
Class#: 1687
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Limit: 30
Expected: 30
Class#: 1687
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation:
participation in class discussion, short response papers (2-3 pages), a mid term exam, and a take-home final exam
Prerequisites:
none
Enrollment Preferences:
Religion and Asian Studies majors
Distributions:
Division II
Notes:
This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
ASST 251 Division II REL 251 Division II
ASST 251 Division II REL 251 Division II
Attributes:
ASST Interdepartmental Electives
INST East Asian Studies Electives
REL East Asian Tradition Courses
INST East Asian Studies Electives
REL East Asian Tradition Courses
Class Grid
-
HEADERS
Column header 1
CLASSESColumn header 2DREQColumn header 3INSTRUCTORSColumn header 4TIMESColumn header 5CLASS#
-
REL 251 - 01 (F) LEC Zen Buddhism:Hist&Histrgrphy
REL 251 - 01 (F) LEC Zen Buddhism:Hist&HistrgrphyDivision IIJason JosephsonMWF 11:00 am - 12:15 pm
Griffin 51687
Megamenu Social