Buddhism and Modernity

Catalog description

This course examines the intertwined ideological and imaginative encounters with Buddhism to understand the multiple agents who have shaped and are shaping Buddhism in a variety of modern and post-modern contexts. Course topics introduce methods and issues in the study of religion. An awareness of issues of cultural appropriation and cultural "othering" (for example, "orientalism") is emphasized. Historical analysis is provided to examine Vipassana (Insight) and mindfulness meditation movements, as well as Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, from their Asian roots, to their dissemination in the United States. The course aims to deepen students' ability to understand and constructively engage with how intersectional issues of race, caste, gender, ecological imperatives, and social justice issues affect the ways Buddhism is practiced in the present day in the United States. This course invites students to learn about this multivalent tradition and examine our constructs of what we think Buddhism is or is not. Cross-listed as REL348.