Buddhist Studies

Courses

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BUDDSTD 39 Freshman/Sophomore Seminar 1.5 - 2 Units [+]Expand course description

Terms offered: Prior to 2007
Freshman and sophomore seminars offer lower division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester.
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Rules & Requirements

Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.

Hours & Format

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1.5-2 hours of seminar per week

Additional Details

Subject/Course Level: Buddhist Studies/Undergraduate

Grading/Final exam status: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered. Final Exam To be decided by the instructor when the class is offered.

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BUDDSTD 50 Introduction to the Study of Buddhism 4 Units [+]Expand course description

Terms offered: Summer 2019 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2018 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session
This course will consider materials drawn from various Buddhist traditions of Asia, from ancient times to the present day. However, it is not intended to be a comprehensive or systematic survey; rather than aiming at breadth, it is designed around key themes such as ritual, image veneration, mysticism, meditation, and death. The overarching emphasis throughout the course will be on the hermeneutic difficulties attendant upon the study of religion in general, and Buddhism in particular.
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Hours & Format

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week

Additional Details

Subject/Course Level: Buddhist Studies/Undergraduate

Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.

Introduction to the Study of Buddhism: Read Less [-]

BUDDSTD C50 Introduction to the Study of Buddhism 4 Units [+]Expand course description

Terms offered: Fall 2019, Fall 2018, Fall 2017
This introduction to the study of Buddhism will consider materials drawn from various Buddhist traditions of Asia, from ancient times down to the present day. However, the course is not intended to be a comprehensive or systematic survey; rather than aiming at breadth, the course is designed around key themes such as ritual, image veneration, mysticism, meditation, and death. The overarching emphasis throughout the course will be on the hermeneutic difficulties attendant upon the study of religion in general, and Buddhism in particular.
Introduction to the Study of Buddhism: Read More [+]

Hours & Format

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week

Additional Details

Subject/Course Level: Buddhist Studies/Undergraduate

Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.

Also listed as: EA LANG C50/S,SEASN C52

Introduction to the Study of Buddhism: Read Less [-]

BUDDSTD C113 Buddhist Thought in India 4 Units [+]Expand course description

Terms offered: Spring 2019, Fall 2016
This course is an advanced introduction to the major teachings of Indian Buddhism and their philosophical elaborations. We will cover the core tenets attributed to the Buddha, and the later doctrinal and scholastic developments that turned Buddhism into one of the principal philosophical traditions of India. For this we will read select primary sources—in principle, extracts of the scriptures and later treatises—and academic articles and book chapters. Rather than offering a broad introductory survey of Buddhist traditions across space and time, this class is geared towards students who are already familiar with the basics of Buddhism and want to deepen their understanding of the principal teachings of Buddhism originating in India.
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Rules & Requirements

Credit Restrictions: Students who have passed S ASIAN C113 will not get credit for SASIAN C113.

Hours & Format

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-1 hours of discussion per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week

Additional Details

Subject/Course Level: Buddhist Studies/Undergraduate

Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.

Also listed as: SASIAN C113

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BUDDSTD 114 Tibetan Buddhism 4 Units [+]Expand course description

Terms offered: Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2016 10 Week Session, Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session
This course is a broad introduction to the history, doctrine, and culture of the Buddhism of Tibet. We will begin with the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet in the eighth century and move on to the evolution of the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhist literature, ritual and monastic practice, the place of Buddhism in Tibetan political history and the contemporary situation of Tibetan Buddhism both inside and outside Tibet.
Tibetan Buddhism: Read More [+]

Hours & Format

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week

Additional Details

Subject/Course Level: Buddhist Studies/Undergraduate

Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.

Tibetan Buddhism: Read Less [-]

BUDDSTD C114 Tibetan Buddhism 4 Units [+]Expand course description

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
This course is a broad introduction to the history, doctrine, and culture of the Buddhism of Tibet. We will begin with the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet in the eighth century and move on to the evolution of the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhist literature, ritual and monastic practice, the place of Buddhism in Tibetan political history, and the contemporary situation of Tibetan Buddhism both inside and outside of Tibet.
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Rules & Requirements

Credit Restrictions: Students who have passed S ASIAN C114 will not get credit for SASIAN C114.

Hours & Format

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week

Additional Details

Subject/Course Level: Buddhist Studies/Undergraduate

Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.

Also listed as: SASIAN C114/TIBETAN C114

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BUDDSTD C115 Japanese Buddhism 4 Units [+]Expand course description

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Spring 2017, Fall 2015
A critical survey of the main themes in the history of Japanese Buddhism as they are treated in modern scholarship. The course covers the transmission of Buddhism from China and Korea to Japan; the subsequent evolution in Japan of the Tendai, Shingon, Pure Land, Nichiren, and Zen schools of Buddhism; the organization and function of Buddhist institutions (monastic and lay) in Japanese society; the interaction between Buddhism and other modes of religious belief and practice prevalent in Japan, notably those that go under the headings of "Shinto" and "folk religion."
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Hours & Format

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week

Additional Details

Subject/Course Level: Buddhist Studies/Undergraduate

Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.

Also listed as: JAPAN C115

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BUDDSTD C116 Buddhism in China 4 Units [+]Expand course description

Terms offered: Spring 2019, Spring 2018, Spring 2015
This course is an introduction to the history of Buddhism in China from its beginnings in the early centuries CE to the present day. Through engagement with historical scholarship, primary sources in translation, and Chinese Buddhist art, we will explore the intellectual history and cultural impact of Buddhism in China. Students will also be introduced to major issues in the institutional history of Buddhism, the interactions between Buddhism and indigenous Chinese religions, and the relationship between Buddhism and the state. Previous study of Buddhism is helpful but not required.
Buddhism in China: Read More [+]

Hours & Format

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week

Additional Details

Subject/Course Level: Buddhist Studies/Undergraduate

Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.

Also listed as: CHINESE C116

Buddhism in China: Read Less [-]

BUDDSTD C117 Mongolian Buddhism 4 Units [+]Expand course description

Terms offered: Spring 2019, Spring 2018, Spring 2017
This course covers the history of Mongolian Buddhism from its inception in the Yuan dynasty to the present. The importance of Mongolian Buddhism to the greater dharma lies not only with the ways of its priests but also with the means of its patrons, the Mongol aristocracy, in forging a distinctive tradition in Inner Asia and disseminating it throughout the world. While maintaining a historical thread throughout, this course will examine in detail some of the tradition’s many facets, including Mongolian-Buddhist politics, the politics of incarnation, the establishment of monasteries, economics, work in the sciences, astral science and medicine, ritual practice, literature, sculpture and painting, music and dance, and more.
Mongolian Buddhism: Read More [+]

Hours & Format

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week

Additional Details

Subject/Course Level: Buddhist Studies/Undergraduate

Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.

Also listed as: MONGOLN C117

Mongolian Buddhism: Read Less [-]

BUDDSTD C118 Buddhism in Modern China 4 Units [+]Expand course description

Terms offered: Not yet offered
Modern Chinese Buddhism emerged from a variety of reactions to the challenges posed by modernity. The course aims at introducing students to the ways in which Buddhists in China have engaged and continue to engage with a modern society and a globalized world. The course will follow the trends of Chinese Buddhism from the early twentieth century down to the most recent developments in the present. In exploring modern constructions of Buddhism in China, we will distinguish between modernism and modernity, and investigate how Chinese Buddhists introduced reforms and innovations, while also attempting to maintain continuity with traditional ideals and modes of practice.
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Hours & Format

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week

Additional Details

Subject/Course Level: Buddhist Studies/Undergraduate

Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.

Also listed as: CHINESE C118

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BUDDSTD C120 Buddhism on the Silk Road 4 Units [+]Expand course description

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Fall 2015, Fall 2014
This course will discuss the social, economic, and cultural aspects of Buddhism as it moved along the ancient Eurasian trading network referred to as the “Silk Road”. Instead of relying solely on textual sources, the course will focus on material culture as it offers evidence concerning the spread of Buddhism. Through an examination of the Buddhist archaeological remains of the Silk Road, the course will address specific topics, such as the symbiotic relationship between Buddhism and commerce; doctrinal divergence; ideological shifts in the iconography of the Buddha; patronage (royal, religious and lay); Buddhism and political power; and art and conversion. All readings will be in English.
Buddhism on the Silk Road: Read More [+]

Hours & Format

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week

Additional Details

Subject/Course Level: Buddhist Studies/Undergraduate

Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.

Also listed as: EA LANG C120

Buddhism on the Silk Road: Read Less [-]

BUDDSTD C126 Buddhism and the Environment 4 Units [+]Expand course description

Terms offered: Spring 2011, Fall 2009, Spring 2008
A thematic course on Buddhist perspectives on nature and Buddhist responses to environmental issues. The first half of the course focuses on East Asian Buddhist cosmological and doctrinal perspectives on the place of the human in nature and the relationship between the salvific goals of Buddhism and nature. The second half of the course examines Buddhist ethics, economics, and activism in relation to environmental issues in contemporary Southeast Asia, East Asia, and America.
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Rules & Requirements

Prerequisites: One lower-division course in Buddhist Studies or consent of instructor

Hours & Format

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week

Additional Details

Subject/Course Level: Buddhist Studies/Undergraduate

Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.

Also listed as: EA LANG C126

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BUDDSTD 128 Buddhism in Contemporary Society 4 Units [+]Expand course description

Terms offered: Summer 2015 10 Week Session, Summer 2015 First 6 Week Session
A study of the Buddhist tradition as it is found today in Asia. The course will focus on specific living traditions of East, South, and/or Southeast Asia. Themes to be addressed may include contemporary Buddhist ritual practices; funerary and mortuary customs; the relationship between Buddhism and other local religious traditions; the relationship between Buddhist institutions and the state; Buddhist monasticism and its relationship to the laity; Buddhist ethics; Buddhist "modernism," and so on.
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Hours & Format

Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week

Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week

Additional Details

Subject/Course Level: Buddhist Studies/Undergraduate

Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.

Instructor: von Rospatt

Buddhism in Contemporary Society: Read Less [-]

BUDDSTD C128 Buddhism in Contemporary Society 4 Units [+]Expand course description

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