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Introduction to Buddhism

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Introduction to Buddhism F17 RELS 3010: Introduction to Buddhism Instructor: Dominic Sur ([email protected]) Office: Old Main, 321T Office Hours: Monday, 9:00AM – 10:00AM Phone: (435) 797-9058 Class time: MWF 3:30PM – 4:20PM Final Exam: Monday, 11 Dec 2017, 3:30PM – 5:20PM Location: Geo 302 COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is an introduction to the Buddhist religion—its history, ideas, practices, and sociology. It is also a course that uses Buddhism to learn about human culture, institutions, and the agendas and the happenings that drive them. Our class begins with Buddhism’s origins in India, its spread throughout Asia to the West. The course will also examine the historical and cultural contexts in which Buddhist beliefs and practices developed— and continue to develop. That means this course will learn about how and why people in different periods interpret their religions, cultures, even themselves, in different ways. We will also explore a wide variety of sources in order to look at the many ways in which Buddhists speak about the Buddha, what he and his followers say about the meaning of life, death, and human nature, the practice of meditation and the pursuit of nirvana and enlightenment. We will also examine the views of contemporary Buddhist teachers and the challenges Buddhism faces in the modern world. The class will read, write, and talk about Buddhist texts together. Beyond reading some primary source material (i.e., Buddhist scriptures) from a variety of different Buddhist traditions in-class together, our class will also employ a variety of media for learning: traditional lecturing, the use of photographs, “material culture” (i.e., physical religious objects), visual art, YouTube clips, PowerPoint slides, and film in order to gain a more complex view of the ways in which Buddhism is used in the lives of those who embrace it. This class also involves an academic survey of the Buddhist religion, it will also make use of three different types of contemporary Buddhist writings: (1) the memoir of a Zen Buddhist monk in Japan, (2) a discourse on morality and ethics from the world’s most prominent Buddhist teacher, and (3) a teaching on Buddhist philosophy from a charismatic Buddhist master from Bhutan. This array of materials is meant to help the class understand Buddhism (and religion more generally); and in order to foster the critical thinking and complex reasoning that lies at the intersection of cultural literacy and historical knowledge. LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR THE COURSE: STUDENTS IN RELS 3010 WILL BE ABLE TO: 1. Understand and explain the basic Buddhist worldview: the story Buddhists communities tell themselves about where they come from (their history and origins), where they are going (their goals and destinies), and why they are obliged to engage in certain types of behavior (their customs, practices and laws). 2. Analyze basic Buddhist ideas about the nature of reality, meditation, and Buddhist ethics. Buddhism, like all religions, concerns itself with the “big questions” in life, which our class will also explore from a variety of perspectives: what is the meaning and purpose of life? why is there something rather than nothing? Is there a difference between the way things appear and the way they really are? What is the most meaningful way to live (and die)? 3. Identify and describe how historical and cultural change influences the interpretation of Buddhist ideas, practices, and society. Here, we look at questions, such as What are the features that distinguish past societies and cultures from ours? What elements and concerns are shared between past and present societies and cultures? 4. Articulate the issues and concerns facing Buddhism in the modern world, including Buddhism’s transmission to the West and the issues confronting historically Buddhist cultures in a rapidly transforming and globalizing world. How does Buddhism negotiate science, technology, and politics in the modern world? REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS: There are two types of materials for this course: books, which you must purchase, and scanned excerpts, which I will provide for you on Canvas ahead of class time in order for you to download and print out. The use of E-books is not permitted and may be penalized. It is the students responsibility to purchase physical copies of the required textbooks. There are good reasons for this. The required textbooks are: The Dalai Lama’s 1999 Ethics for the New Millennium (New York: Riverhead Books) Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse’s 2008 What Makes You Not a Buddhist (Shambhala Publications) Charles Prebish and Damien Keown’s 2006 Introducing Buddhism (Second Edition. New York: Routledge) Soko Morinaga’s 2012 Novice to Master: An Ongoing Lesson in the Extent of My Own Stupidity. (Translated by Belenda Attaway Yamakawa. Boston: Wisdom Publications) COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Total points possible in RELS 3010: 100. Two response papers (first is worth 20 points; second is worth 25 points = 45 points), mid-term exam (20 points), final exam (25 points), attendance (10 points), and in-class participation (5 extra credit points possible based on substance––and the instructor’s discretion). Please note that the course requirements are subject to change once the term begins. Changes to the syllabus will be announced to the class. It is the student’s responsibility to check for class emails and class announcements on Canvas before each meeting. Evaluation: 93 – 100 A 73 – 76 C 90 – 92 A- 70 – 72 C- 87 – 89 B+ 67 – 69 D+ 83 – 86 B 63 – 66 D 80 – 82 B- 60 – 62 D- 77 – 79 C+ 59 or less F Exams may contain multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, or short answer questions, any of which may be drawn from either lectures or readings. NO MAKE UP EXAMS will be given except in cases of officially documented hospitalization. ATTENDANCE: Attendance is mandatory. Only officially sanctioned absences—by the university or a doctor—will be excused. Students will be penalized for repeated absences without notification. PARTICIPATION: Often, class lectures will be highly participatory in character, depending on the assumption students have read the assigned course material to date. In-class discussions thereby providing students with an opportunity to foster a critical component of higher education: intelligent self-expression. In class discussions, students should strive to participate on the basis on course materials. This means articulating your thoughts by asking relevant questions and making insightful comments in class in response to readings assigned and comments that are made. Regardless of your career plans, participation in a college class such as ours will be of immense benefit in the future. And it will help with comprehension of the material—for you and your classmates—and make the time we spend together more fun. Your regular and thoughtful engagement in class is highly encouraged. GROUND RULES FOR LECTURES: • Arrive on time. Repeated tardiness will be penalized. • Turn your phone off. If you cannot turn your phone off, either leave it outside of class or do not attend. Students who use their phones in class will be penalized without notification or remedy. • Bring paper and pen/pencil to class for note-taking. • No Laptop use allowed in class (unless officially warranted). • No smart phone use in class (unless officially warranted). Studies show that laptops and smartphones in class hurt student performance. Too often these bits of technology, instead of helping us focus our efforts, are the source of distraction. Students may take notes in class by hand only. Often, the night before each class, lecture notes will be made available to students on Canvas for download before class. RE WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: All students should download and read College Paper Tips for advice on how to avoid some basic errors. Academic Integrity––Plagiarism, Cheating, Falsification: Students are obligated to know USU’s policies concerning academic integrity. In short, any student who plagiarizes (uses someone else’s words without explicit attribution), cheats or falsifies anything during the term will receive an automatic F grade with no remedy. This is a zero tolerance policy. Students must sure they know how to avoid plagiarism. First response paper should be 8-10 double- spaced typed pages; Second response paper should be 10-14 double-spaced typed pages; both should be submitted with 12 point font and 1-inch margins. Failure to follows these guidelines results in a lower grade. You should submit response papers on Canvas in .doc or .docx or pdf form, where they will be checked for plagiarism through turnitin.com. No form of plagiarism or cheating will be tolerated. This is a serious matter. Don’t risk the consequences. If you do not know what constitutes plagiarism and academic dishonesty, see: http://catalog.usu.edu/ content.php?catoid=3&navoid=265. There will be no makeups for these assignments—and no late submissions will be accepted without a significant loss to the grade. *Often, students think they have successfully submitted a paper when they have not. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure their paper is uploaded to Canvas before the assignment due date. Please read College Paper Tips for information on how to make sure you have uploaded correctly. Consult CIDI if you have any questions. MID-TERM & FINAL EXAMS: The take-home mid-term exam and in-class final exam (date above) will consist mostly of multiple choice (including vocabulary) questions. A STYLE MANUAL: Students in RELS 3010 are required to purchase Gordon’s Writing with Sources. This book contains all the information you need for writing papers in college. This is important because much of your grade in this course depends on your ability to write well. To give just one example of a fatal error, there is a world of difference between the following two sentences: • “Let’s eat, mom!” • “Let’s eat mom!” The first is an invitation for mom to eat with us; the second suggests that we eat mom.
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