This course examines the history of Buddhism by tracing the development of its various schools, doctrines, and religious practices in Asia and beyond. We will explore the historical background against which it arose in India, and study traditional views of the life of the Buddha, the early teachings, and the structure of the Buddhist community of monastics and laypeople. We will examine the growth of Buddhism in India, the development of Theravāda Buddhism and its spread into South East Asia. The emergence of Mahāyāna Buddhism in India and its spread into Central Asia and East Asia will be covered as well as the development of Vajrayāna Buddhism in Tibet. We will then examine the 19th century movement of Buddhist modernism in Sri Lanka and its relations to the Western world. This will be the basis for eventually exploring the various ways Buddhism came to Europe and America and examining the new forms and ideas it developed here.

Textbooks

1. C.S. Prebish, D. Keown. Introducing Buddhism. 2 nd ed. New York: Routledge, 2009. [OR: C.S. Prebish, D. Keown. Buddhism – the eBook. 4 th ed. See www.jbeonlinebooks.org (or through PCL).]

2. J.S. Strong. The Experience of Buddhism. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2008.

Grading

• Attendance/participation: 20%
• Three quizzes: 30% (10% each)
• Oral presentation or site visit report: 20%
• Final exam: 30%

 Description: 

This course offers a survey of the major religious traditions of Asia (Hinduism, Buddhism in South and East Asia, Confucianism, Daoism, and Shinto). It focuses on the historical development of their beliefs, practices, rituals, and customs in social context. The course will combine lectures with class discussions on readings.

Course materials:

1. Willard G. Oxtoby, Roy C. Amore, eds. World Religions: Eastern Traditions. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.
2. R. K. Narayan, The Mahabharata: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000.
3. Zhuangzi: Basic Writings, translated by Burton Watson. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003.
4. Readings provided as PDF files on CANVAS

Grading:

• Attendance/participation: 20%
• Two quizzes: 20% (10% each)
• Two short essays: 20% (10% each)
• Midterm exam: 20%
• Final exam: 20%

Understanding China—the world’s only other superpower—has never been more important. But China is a big place with a long past and a large population, and attempts to construct histories of China that are neat and linear seem increasingly forced. Depictions of China as politically unitary and culturally homogenous are hardly more convincing. China resists simplification; indeed, culturally, ethnically, and linguistically it is one of the most diverse places on the planet. In this course, we will study key moments and events in Chinese history and culture from Neolithic times to the present day, tracing the various ways in which China—as civilization, as empire, and as modern nation-state—has been continually reconstituted and reinvented over time. Despite what it is often said, or assumed, about China, we will see that this most open of empires was never truly closed-off from the outside world. By studying the most important events, figures, and ideas in Chinese history, we will come to understand how the different competing Chinas that co-exist today emerged from centuries—millennia, even—of shifting boundaries (geographic, political, cultural), porous borders, and complex interactions with other countries, cultures, and civilizations.

Prerequisites 2 This course is open to all students. All discussion and readings for this course will be in English; no prior knowledge of Chinese language, history, or culture is required. Students interested in non-western literature, religion, and cultural history are encouraged to pursue these lines of inquiry in this course.

Required readings All readings for this class will be made available on Canvas and/or UT Box, as appropriate. Any copyrighted material is provided in accordance with fair use doctrine and US copyright law and is not to be distributed to anyone not officially registered for this class (see also “Sharing of course materials” below). Students are responsible for printing, reading, and preparing (i.e., taking notes) all readings in advance of each class.

Grading This class will be graded on the plus/minus system, with final grades calculated on the following basis:

• Observation posts: 20%

• Test 1: 15% 4

• Test 2: 15%

• Test 3: 15%

• Test 4: 15%

• Final essay: 20%

We will focus on “classics” of Japanese literature, film, and theater that engendered countless adaptations over the years. Our texts will range from the eleventh-century The Tale of Genji to the 1954 B-movie Godzilla; from medieval Noh plays to contemporary manga (comic books) and anime (animated films). We will consider how and why modern artists repeatedly turn to the “classics" for creative inspiration. We will look at how the adaptation process has been influenced by a number of factors, including the cultural, political, and gendered identity of the artist, and how it has been shaped by differences in genre and medium. Our goal is to become familiar with a wide range of Japanese art, including premodern, modern, and contemporary legends, literature, film, and popular culture, and to learn to think, discuss, and write critically on the process of adaptation by considering not only content, but also form and socio-historical context. This class requires no background in Japanese language, film, or history. All literature will be read in translation and all films are subtitled in English. This course carries the Global Cultures flag. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one non-U.S. cultural group, past or present.

Required Texts/Course Materials:

1) The following book (** on schedule) is available for purchase at the Co-op: **ENCHI, Fumiko. Masks. Pub: Vintage Books. ISBN: 978-0394722184. You are welcome to purchase it from used bookstores or on-line instead, but be sure to get the same version (cross-check the ISBN #) so that we can all refer to the same page numbers for class discussions and papers.

2) Course Reader: Additional required readings (marked with -- below) are available for purchase at Jenn’s Copy Shop NORTH branch (2518 Guadalupe • 2518@jennscopies.com • 512-482-0779). They are unbound so you can bring only the readings you need on a weekly basis, but you may opt to have them bound into a single volume if you wish.

3) A pack of 3”X5” index cards to be used for in-class pop quizzes and assignments. You must use a 3”x5” index card for these quizzes or they will not be graded.

4) Some of the films we will be seeing in class or at screenings (marked with a call # on the below schedule) are available for viewing at the reserve desk of the Fine Arts Library (3.200 DFA) under course reserves.

Grading Breakdown:

• Pop quizzes, In-class individual and group exercises, Homework assignments 15%
• Participation/Contribution 5%
• Exams (3  total, 20% each) 60%
• Final Creative Adaption  Project and Reflection Essay 20%

This course surveys the long and storied history of the religion now known as Hinduism, from the forgotten civilizations of the Indus Valley to the lively and robust traditions of the present day. As we move through the centuries, we will examine how legendary Hindu tales and doctrines continue to speak to each other in their own language, how they inform the lives of native speakers, and reward those who take the time to learn their language. By the end of this course, students will be able to identify key traditions, concepts, and personalities of the Hindu philosophical and mythological traditions and will have developed a foundational cultural literacy in the world’s third largest religion.

Please check back for updates.

Sufism defies neat categorization. It is a broad trend in the cultural sphere of Islam, associated mainly with approaches to divinity, justice, piety, joy, sorrow, and beauty. In the course of history, it has placed checks and balances on an exclusivist reading of religion. At times it is identified with mysticism: an attempt of the finite to reckon with infinite powers. It has many synonyms. This class explores Sufism and other Islamic mystical traditions that color cultural milieus spanning four continents and fourteen centuries. The first half of the semester focuses on the historical developments in the Islamic theosophical traditions of the Arab and Persian worlds. In the second half of the semester, we move on to discuss the growth of Islamic mysticism over time and beyond the porous borders of Arabia and Iran. The relationship between Sufism and poetics, Sufism and colonialism, and Sufism and post-colonial resistance movements also constitutes a significant part of this course. Issues of authority, gender, sexuality, music, globalization, and religious pluralism are topics of discussion throughout the semester. Only one part of the class lecture springs from the readings so it is important for the students to carefully note that material which is not found in the assigned readings.

Grading: Students are expected to come prepared for class by reading all the required assignments for that class. Students are responsible for all the information presented in the lectures as well as for what is contained in the required readings. 

• Two in-class Exams (40%)
• Comprehensive Final Exam (50%)
• Class Attendance & Participation (10%)

Since the end of the Cold War, South Asia has become a focal point of growing international attention and concern by nuclear proliferation, the rise of Islamic militancy and the anti-terror war, the emergence of India as a global power, and regional effort for cooperation. South Asian nations have also been experiencing a profound political evolution of democratization. This course provides students with a comprehensive and systematic introduction to the comparative political study of the eight nations of South Asia. Organized in a parallel fashion to facilitate cross-national comparison, the course sections on each nation address 2 several topical areas of inquiry: political culture and heritage, government structure and institutions, political parties and leaders, and social conflict and resolution. India, the preeminent power of the subcontinent, will receive more attention. In terms of the international relations of the region, this course will address several predominant region-wide issues: the India–Pakistan conflict, the rise of Islamic militancy and the AfPak war, and regional cooperation under the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

Grading Policy

• Two mid-term exams (60%)
• One short term paper of 6-7 pages (30%, first draft 15% and final draft 15%)
• Overall class participation/attendance may be reflected in a plus or minus up to l0 points in determining the course grade.

This course looks at the history and culture of the Himalayan region, including Northeast India, sections of Pakistan and Afghanistan, and Tibet, but especially Nepal. Some understanding of Asian history, politics and religion will be helpful (but not necessary) as our attempt will not be a comprehensive survey of the region. The Himalayas have been the site of a great deal of anthropological attention and as such we will be simultaneously be exploring several key theoretical, historical and methodological issues within the discipline of anthropology as we learn about places and people in the region. Particular attention will be paid to the area as a site for negotiating identity (caste and indigeneity), development politics, social movements, music, animals and current political tensions in the region. At the conclusion of the class, students should have a stronger idea of the important role this area has played in the political, religious and social imagination of the world and an appreciation of concepts such as ritual theory, social movements, modernity and gender studies.

The numbers…

Participation/Attendance 10%

Student Presentations 10%

Discussion Posting 15%

3 Short papers 35%

Exam 5%

Final Paper 25%

Please check back for updates.

Please check back for updates.

Leisure activities have an unstable and tenuous position in academic study – if it is fun, it must not be serious. Tourism, in its connection with a “time off,” certainly suffers from this concern – and anthropologists have their own difficult relation with tourism studies. After all, finding the distinction between the work of “fieldwork” and the relaxation of travel can be difficult for the layperson. With new technologies of movement, the travail of travel is lessening and tourism is open to more people, but what counts as tourism is also changing as well. To explore how, why and the meaning behind a broad array of contemporary travel opportunities, this class takes on a selection of particular themes and issues to consider the influence travel opportunities on that most central concern of anthropology, the encounter with the other. Themes include theorizing travel, the gaze, the toured, authenticity, gender, violence and Asia. This course will also challenge students to consider how their travel activities - both pre and post-Covid-19 - impact the economy, the environment and the “toured” societies. For many places, tourism is a significant contribution to financial flows, often bringing the Global North to the backyard of the Global South. We will also try to understand different “cultures” of travel - how are ideas of work and leisure shaping the demands of new populations of tourists, especially in Asia.

The numbers…

• Participation/Attendance 10%
• Talking Points 25%
• Critical Film Review 10%
• Midterm Exam 10%
• Social Media 15%
• Student Presentations 10%
• Final Project 20%

Please check back for updates.

Please check back for updates.

Please check back for updates.

Course is cross-listed with HIS 367Q; carries Global Cultures Flag

In Chinese history, food and healing shared the same set of cosmological assumptions, all of which had to do with harmonizing the “vital energy,” “breath” or “life force” (qi 氣) of the body with the mind. The Chinese holistic approach to the concept of “well-being” by eating, taking medicine and engaging in healing arts, was to ensure that all of these activities created a healthy balance. Lectures, discussion and coursework will focus on the cultural, historical, philosophical, social, and scientific background against which the connection between food and healing has evolved through history. The course will address how this holistic approach has manifested in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan today, and form the basis of final research inquiry projects, some of which may also be applied to greater Austin locales.

COURSE SECTION TOPICS:

Introduction – What is the connection between food and healing in Chinese history?

Section I – Concepts of well-being, the mind and body, “health and healing”

Section II – History of food, connection between food and healing, food as medicine

Section III – Healing Practices in Austin, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan

Individual instruction for Asian studies majors and nonmajors. Discussion, research, and the writing of papers about various general and specialized Asian subjects.  Prerequisite: Six semester hours of coursework in Asian studies and
written consent of instructor on form obtained from the undergraduate adviser.

There is no prerequisite for attending this course, but some background in Chinese history is recommended.

This course examines women and gender in China from imperial times to the present. Major themes include the changing conceptions of masculinity and femininity in Chinese cultural and religious contexts; gender roles and inequalities in the patriarchal family and society; the varying discourse on women and gender in the modern period; women’s dilemma in the Chinese Revolution; new challenges to women and new conceptions of gender and sexuality during the reform era since the 1980s. There is no prerequisite for attending this course, but some background in Chinese history is recommended.

Grading:

• Weekly report (20%)
• Class participation (20%)
• Mid-term exam (20%)
• Research paper (40%)

Cross-listed with History; carries the Writing Flag and Global Cultures Flag

The Cultural Outsider: Memoirs and Travelogues of East Asia

The focus of the capstone seminar is on the cultural outsider’s perceptions of East Asia as addressed in greater literature originally written in English (with one exception), in the genres of memoirs and travelogues dating from the 19^th century to works published in contemporary America. Works selected for the seminar are to be read and discussed within the broad context of “travel literature” written by a broad expanse of visitors to greater East Asia: China (including Hong Kong and Tibet), Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. These pieces of “travel literature” are written by a diverse group of “cultural outsiders” that includes missionaries, journalists, POW’s, scholars, English teachers, students, and tourists.

Some major concepts and themes that emerge from these works concern Asian stereotypes, self-discovery and cultural identity formation, and exoticization of Asia and all things Asian (or “Oriental”). We will pose open-ended questions about these perceptions of Asia not as literary critics, but rather more as readers, or as fellow “participant observer” travelers to Asia. In particular, we will discuss and analyze a cultural outsider’s approach to memoir writing through the lenses of “layered memory” and “gossip.”

The course focus will be on primary, rather than secondary, sources and materials. Students will choose from selected works for oral panel presentations, leading class discussion in a Roundtable forum, which in turn will form a focus for weekly written responses and the final inquiry paper.

The course will be divided into two categories for in-depth discussion and analysis:

            Section I – The Adventurer Travelogue

            Section II – The Contemporary Traveler Memoir

Please check back for updates.  Prerequisite: For Asian studies and Asian cultures and languages majors, twelve semester hours of upper-division coursework in Asian studies or Asian languages; for others, upper-division standing.

Study of various aspects and periods of South Asian culture and society.  Specific offerings are listed in the Course Schedule.  Prerequisite: Graduate standing; additional prerequisites vary with the topic and are given in the Course Schedule.

Study of various aspects and periods of South Asian culture and society.  Specific offerings are listed in the Course Schedule.  Prerequisite: Graduate standing; additional prerequisites vary with the topic and are given in the Course Schedule.

Study of various aspects and periods of South Asian culture and society.  Specific offerings are listed in the Course Schedule.  Prerequisite: Graduate standing; additional prerequisites vary with the topic and are given in the Course Schedule.

Study of various Asian studies-related topics that do not focus on any single geographic region.  Specific offerings are listed in the Course Schedule.  Prerequisite: Graduate standing; additional prerequisites vary with the topic and are given in the Course Schedule.