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
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
Attributes: ASST Interdepartmental Electives
INST East Asian Studies Electives
REL East Asian Tradition Courses

Class Grid

Course Catalog Archive Search

TERM/YEAR
TEACHING MODE
SUBJECT
DIVISION



DISTRIBUTION



ENROLLMENT LIMIT
COURSE TYPE
Start Time
End Time
Day(s)