`R 201:EASTERN RELIGIONS Winter 1999`

COURSE SCHEDULE (SUBJECT TO CHANGE) FOR PROFESSOR DALE CANNON

Almost all items are available on library reserve or library reference. You are expected to read the R201 Lectures (1999) assigned for each class session in advance, in addition to other assigned readings. All other required readings are listed as "Read:".

I.1 INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF RELIGION (Jan 4 - 11)

Read: Cannon, Lectures for R201, H1-H4; Cannon, Essays on Religious Studies, I-V. Recommended: Cannon, Six Ways of Being Religious, Part One (especially chs. 1, 2 & 3); Streng, Understanding Religious Life, ch. 1; Hall, ed., Introduction to the Study of Religion; Ludwig, The Sacred Paths of the East, ch. 1; and the books listed under "General References" on the library reserve list for R 204. There is a glossary in Cannon, Six Ways, pp. 379-387.

SESSION	DATE	TOPIC / READINGS
H1	1/4	Introduction to Course; Key Emphases
H2	1/6	Secular Study of Religion; Empathetic Objectivity; and Getting into Religious Symbol Systems Read: Cannon, Essays I & II. Recommended: Ludwig, ch. 1; Cannon, Six Ways, pp, 17-21, 31-39.
H3	1/8	The Nature of Religion; and Generic Ways of Being Religious Read: Cannon, Essays III & IV. Recommended: Cannon, Six Ways, pp. 21-31, 39-41, chs. 1, 3, and 4; and Ludwig, ch. 1. Registration for Term Paper due date.
H4	1/11	How Eastern Religions Are Different from Western Religions Read: Cannon, Essay V.

I.2 INTRODUCTION TO HINDUISM (AND JAINISM) (Jan 13 - 29)
Read: Cannon, R201 Lectures, H5-H9; and Fieser and Powers, Scriptures of the East, chs. on Hinduism and Jainism. Recommended: Ludwig, The Sacred Paths of the East,.chs. 2-4 (pp. 23-80) and 8 (pp. 130-141); Comstock, Religious Autobiographies, 91-136 (presents personal religious {autobiograpical} stories by Swami Agehananda Bharati and Shudha Mazumdar, a male Hindu and a female Hindu); the personal essay on Hinduism in Our Faiths, edited by Arvind Sharma; Reymond, My Life with a
Brahmin Family; beautiful photos on Hinduism in The Illustrated World's Religions, by Huston Smith. See also specific videos on Hinduism and Jainism from the Eastern Religions Video List.

SESSION	DATE	TOPIC / READINGS / THINGS DUE
	1/13	Hinduism: Video; Introduction to Hinduism Read: Fieser and Powers, pp. 1-7.
H5	1/15	Basic Hindu Convictions; Is Hinduism One or Many?; Does Hinduism Have a Central Story?; Relation of Dharma to "Ultimate Reality," Phases and Layers of the Hindu Tradition; Scriptures Read: Fieser and Powers, pp. 1-18. Topics due for first set of papers. Study teams must identify themselves by this date.
	1/18	Martin Luther King, Jr., Day -- no school.
H6	1/20	How Hinduism Adapts to People's Needs; Caste and Subcaste; Stages of Life or Ashramas. Read: Fieser and Powers, pp. 44-53.
H7	1/22	Ritual Duties of a Hindu; Major Gods of Hindu Theism; Bhakti Yoga; Worship in Bhakti Yoga: Puja; The Personalism of Bhakti Yoga vs. the Transpersonalism of Most Schools of Jnana Yoga. Read: Fieser and Powers, pp. 11-12, 44-53, 41-44.
	1/25	Field Trip; in-class Video
H8	1/27	Competing Views of the Nature of "Ultimate Reality" and Its Relation to the Realm of Appearance; Hinduism's Attitude Toward Other Religions; To What Extent Is Hinduism a Universal Religion? Read: Fieser and Powers, pp. 18-26.
H9	1/29	Jainism: Who is a Jain? The Central Story of Jainism; Subtraditions; Scriptures; Basic Beliefs; Path to Liberation; Ethical Teachings; Ritual and Worship; Relation to Hinduism Read: Fieser and Powers, pp. 57-71.
EXAM	2/1	EXAM ON FIRST SECTION OF COURSE. First set of papers due.

II. INTRODUCTION TO SIKHISM AND BUDDHISM (Feb 3 - 19)

Read: Cannon, R201 Lectures, B1-B6; and Fieser and Powers, Scriptures of the East, chs. on Sikhism and Buddhism. Recommended: Ludwig, The Sacred Paths of the East, chs. 9 (pp. 142-154) and 5-7 (pp. 1-154); Cannon, Six Ways of Being Religious, the second section of ch. 7 (a survey of Buddhism, noting ways of being religious), and the first sections of chs. 9-14 (readings of examples of each of the six ways to be found in Buddhism); the personal essay on Buddhism in Our Faiths, edited by Arvind Sharma; beautiful photos on Buddhism and Sikhism in The Illustrated World's Religions, by Huston Smith; and profuse illustrations and photos on Buddhism in The World of Buddhism, by Bechart and Gombrich. See also specific videos on Buddhism from the Eastern Religions Video List.

SESSION DATE TOPIC / READINGS / THINGS DUE

B1 2/3 Sikhism: Who is a Sikh? the Central Story of Sikhism; Scriptures; Subtraditions; Beliefs, the Human Predicament; Path to Liberation; Ethical Teaching; Ritual and Worship
Read: Fieser and Powers, 127-143.

2/5 Buddhism: Video; Introduction to Buddhism

B2 2/8 Common Profession of Faith; the Central Story of Buddhism; Central Teaching; the Eightfold Path
Read: Fieser and Powers, pp. 73-85, 95-96..
Topics due for second set of papers.

B3 2/10 Buddhism's Difference from Hinduism; Things Buddhism Retained from Hinduism; Buddhist Moral Practices; Buddhist Concept of Merit; Buddhist Worldview: the Six Realms; Buddhist "Worship" and "Prayer;" Specific Buddhist Moral Practices
Read: Fieser and Powers, pp. 85-86, 90-91, 92-95.

B4 2/12 Buddhist Meditative Concentration; Buddhist Wisdom or Beliefs about Reality
Read: Fieser and Powers, pp. 91-92, 87-88, 96-98.

B5 2/15 Three Main Subtraditions; Theravada; Mayayana; Vajrayana
Read: Fieser and Powers, 98-116.

B6 2/17 Emergent Forms of Chinese Buddhism; Three Inclusive ("Catholic") Sects; Two Exclusive ("Protestant") Sects
Read: Fieser and Powers, 116-118.

B8 2/19 TBA

EXAM 2/22 EXAM ON SECOND SECTION AND INTRODUCTION OF COURSE.
Second set of papers due.

III. INTRODUCTION TO THE RELIGIONS OF CHINA AND JAPAN (Feb 24 - Mar 12)
Read: Cannon, R201 Lectures, CJ1-CJ7; and Fieser and Powers, Scriptures of the East, chapters on Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto. Recommended: Ludwig, The Sacred Paths of the East, chs 10-16 (pp. 155-284); Cannon, Six Ways of Being Religious, the first sections of chs. 12-14 (readings of examples of Japanese Buddhist expressions of the ways of Devotion, Shamanic Mediation, and Sacred Rite); Comstock, Religious Autobiographies, 137-182 (presents personal religious {autobiograpical}
stories by Janwillem van de Wetering and Satomi Myodo, a male Zen Buddhist and a female Zen Buddhist); the personal essays on Confucianism and Taoism in Our Faiths, edited by Arvind Sharma; beautiful photos on Chinese religions in The Illustrated World's Religions, by Huston Smith. See also specific videos on Chinese and Japanese religions from the Eastern Religions Video List.

SESSION	DATE	TOPIC / READINGS / THINGS DUE
	2/24	Chinese Religions: Video
CJ1	2/26	Overview of Chinese Religious World View; A Gestalt Cosmology; The Dao; Tai Ji; The Dao in the Three Religions of China; Divination; Feng-shui Read: Fieser and Powers, pp. 175-178, 169-170.
CJ2	3/1	Daoism; Philosophical Daoism; Daoist Yoga and Hygiene; Religious Daoism Read: Fieser and Powers, pp. 175-207. Topics due for third set of papers.
CJ3	3/3	Introduction to Confucianism; Relation to Daoism; Confucian Emphases; Is Confucianism a Religion? Scriptures; The Principal Problem; Capsule History of the Confucian Tradition Read: Fieser and Powers, pp. 145-173.
CJ4	3/5	The Confucian Project: Cultivation of the Jun-zi; Five Cardinal Virtues; Doctrine of the Mean; Five Constant Relationships; Rectification of Names; Social Life as Sacred Ritual; The Arts of Peace; Public Life and Governance; Neo-Confucianism Read: Fieser and Powers, pp. 147-173. .
CJ5	3/8	What Is Shinto? The Kami; Giving Honor to the Kami; The Problem of Evil in Shinto; Shinto Ethical Teachings Read: Fieser and Powers, pp. 211-224. Due date for third set of papers to qualify for a re-write.
CJ6	3/10	Shinto Mythology; Shrine Shinto and Shinto Worship; Shamanistic Expressions of Shinto; Influence of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism; Expression of Shinto in Traditional Japanese Arts Read: Fieser and Powers, pp. 214-219.
CJ7	3/12	Introduction to Japanese Buddhism; Tendai and Mt. Hiei; Kukai and Shingon Buddhism; Zen Buddhism, Eisai, and Dogen; Chanoyu (Tea Ceremony); Pure Land Buddhism; Nichiren Buddhism Read: Fieser and Powers, pp. 118-123. Journals and "Journal Summaries" due.
	3/15	Third set of papers due.
EXAM	3/19	EXAM ON THIRD SECTION OF COURSE. 10 AM for 10 AM section; 8 AM for 2 PM section

Return to R204 Syllabus.