TRS391: Introduction to Buddhism
The CatholicUniversity of America
Spring 2009
Instructor / Alexandra N. Carroll / PhoneOffice / E-mail /
OfficeHours / By appointment
Time Tu,Th2:10-3:25pm LocationPangborn G023
Course Description:
The course will survey the Buddhist tradition from its inception to the present. Beginning with the life and teachings of the historical Buddha in their social and religious context, the course will proceed to the development of the Buddhist order, advances in Indian Buddhist thought, the rise of the Mahayana movement, the spread of Buddhism into other parts of Asia (China, Tibet, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia), modern popular Buddhist movements, and the spread of Buddhism into North America and Europe.
Objectives:
The objectives of this course are the following:
- To acquaint students with Buddhist figures, teachings and relevant historical events;
- To explore the interrelationship between Buddhism and culture;
- To introduce students to primary texts from the Buddhist tradition; and
- To advance critical thinking skills through reading, writing, and discussion.
Format:
This course will consist of a combination of lecture, film, anddiscussions that draw upon class readings and materials prepared by the students.
Required Texts:
Primary readings for each week are found in the following textsthatshould be purchased from The CUA bookstore:
William Theodore de Bary et al., The Buddhist Tradition: In India, China and Japan
Donald Mitchell, Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience, Second Edition
The following text is recommended for purchase and can be found at the CUA bookstore as well:
Debra Hart May, Proofreading: Plain & Simple
Additional reading marked on the syllabus with double asterisks (**) are to be found on Blackboard.
Requirements:
- Registration on Blackboard:
All students are required to register themselves on Blackboard for the course. Blackboard will be used for obtaining some readings for class. Any problems with registration must be addressed during the first week of school.
- Attendance and Participation (20%)
Students are required to attend each class having read and prepared the material assigned. Attendance in this class is defined as active attendance, whichconsists of note-taking, asking and answering questions, bringing readings to every class, following along in readings where appropriate, and participating in class exercises. Preparing the material for class is understood as the following: having read the material at least once, underlining pertinent themes, noting places that you may not understand or want clarified. The more prepared you areupon coming to class, the more active the class can be.
Students are allowed three unexcused absences without penalty. Following the use of these three absences, the attendance grade will be calculated as percentage of days present over the total days of class.
Absences due to documented medical problems or personal/family emergencies will be excused according to University guidelines.
Reading Reviews/Quizzes: Tuesdays you will receive a handout that reviews class and reading material from the week before (i.e. vocabulary, general ideas, etc.). For the most part, we will do these as a class, however, some of these reviews will count as pop quizzes. Keep these reviews as they can be used as study sheets for your exams.
- Exams: (50%)
There will be three exams given during the course of the semester on the following dates: (1) February 27 (2) April 2 (3)May 7, 1:30-3:30pm. Each exam will consist of 3 sections: (1) vocabulary; (2) short answer questions (based on class lectures and assigned readings); and (3) longer essay(s) based on artwork shown in class. Review sheets will be handed out one week prior to the exam date.
- Paper: (30%)
Students are required to write one8-10 page paper in 12-point Times New Roman font with one inch margins. Topics for the paper will be chosen from the following sections of your textbook Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience: “The Cultural Experience of Thai Buddhism Today,” “The Cultural Experience of Tibetan Buddhism Today,” “The Cultural Experience of Chinese Buddhism Today,” or “The Cultural Experience of Japanese Buddhism Today.” Each of these sections is subdivided into various cultural aspects, out of which you will choose your paper topic. Your topic will then be paired with your choice of artwork, videoor documentary (from youtube.com or other), an official web site of a major Buddhist organization, or a visit to a local Buddhist temple or community.
A 200 word description and a bibliography of your proposed sources are due in class on Tuesday, February 3.
An introductory paragraph and outline of the paper aredue in class Tuesday, March 10.
The final paper is due Tuesday, April 21by email no later than 2pm. Papers must be double-spaced, written in 12-point New Times Roman font, with a one-inch margin (all around) and must include a bibliography.
Grading: A grading rubric is posted on Blackboard for you to view at your convenience and will give you anidea of how the final paper will be graded. Please keep in mind that the grade will also include an overall fulfillment of the assignment: the ability to meet deadlines for each of the aforementioned parts of the paper.
Extra Credit Opportunity (+5%)
Students may elect to do review of 5-7 pages on one of the following items listed below:
The Dalai Lama & Jeffery Hopkins, The Art of Happiness.
___. How to See Yourself as You Really Are
___. How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life.
Robert Fisher. Buddhist Art and Architecture.
Rita Gross, Buddhism After Patriarchy.
Tich Nhat Hanh. The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching.
Rahula, Walpola. What the Buddha Taught.
Jean-Jacques Annaud, Seven Years in Tibet (1997.)
Martin Scorsese. Kundun (1997).
Book reviews are due by email no later than the last class of the semester (May30). You will be credited for only one paper. The review must consist of a summary of the item chosen (for a film, a brief synopsis of the plot and main characters;for a book, a summary of each chapter) as well as an assessment of the material (Is the film/book interesting? How does the material relate to Buddhism? What aspects of Buddhism does the film/book discuss? What is the film’s/book’s relevance to the course?)
Policies:
Lateness: There is no reason for any assignment to be late.Each assignment that is turned in late will be subject to a 1/3 of a letter grade deduction per day which begins the minute after the time set as the deadline (if the paper is due at 2pm, the paper will be late at 2:01 and a deduction will be applied). Extensions on major papers will not be granted unless exceptional circumstances present themselves. You have been given due dates well in advance, plan accordingly.
Academic Honesty is expected of all CUA students. Faculty are required to initiate the imposition of sanctions when they find violations of academic honesty, such as plagiarism, improper use of a student’s work, cheating, and fabrication. The following sanctions are presented in the University procedures related to Student Academic Dishonesty (please refer to the following web site: “The presumed sanction for undergraduate students for academic dishonesty will be failure for the course. There may be circumstances, however, where, perhaps because of an undergraduate student’s past record, a more serious sanction, such as suspension or expulsion, would be appropriate.” Please review the complete texts of the University policy and procedures regarding Student Academic Dishonesty, including requirements for appeals, at:
Any student who feels that she/he may need accommodation based on theimpact ofa disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss specificneeds. Please contact Disability Support Services to coordinatereasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. To read about the services and policies, please visit
The UniversityWritingCenter is also available for you as a resource. For more information please visit their web site:
University policy requires that all communications take place via teachers’ and students’ CUA e-mail accounts (i.e., *@cua.edu). It is the student’s responsibility to check that account regularly.
Grades for the course will be calculated using the following scale:
A 93-100; A-90-92
B+87-89; B83-86; B-80-82
C+77-79; C73-76; C-70-72
D+67-69; D63-66; D-60-62
F0-59 (Administrative Failure)
IIncomplete
WWithdrawal
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Course Schedule:
Materials designated with ** indicates material located on Blackboard.
Date / Topic / Assignment1/13 / Introduction
1/15 / Background to the Buddha / **Harvey: 9-14
de Bary: 3-9
1/20 / Inauguration Day / No School
1/22 / Life of the Buddha: I / Mitchell: 9-32
1/27 / Life of the Buddha: II / de Bary: 55-72, 28-30
1/29 / Karma & Rebirth / Mitchell: 42-45
de Bary: 24-25
2/3 / First & Second Noble Truths / Mitchell: 45-51
de Bary: 9-17
Paper Topic Statement & Sources Due
2/5 / Doctrine of Anatman / Mitchell: 33-42
de Bary:17-24
2/10 / Third & Fourth Noble Truths; the Eightfold Path / Mitchell: 51-60
de Bary: 25-28
2/12 / Nirvana / Mitchell: 61-64
de Bary: 30
2/17 / EXAM 1
2/19 / Buddhist Practice: the Sangha / **Harvey: 217-231
de Bary: 33-35
2/24 / Rise of the Mahayana & the path of the Bodhisatva / Mitchell: 103-106
de Bary: 73-91
2/26 / Mahayana Philosophy: MadhyamakaSchool / Mitchell: 106-110,139-149
de Bary: 95-99
3/3 / Spring Break
3/5 / Spring Break
3/10 / Mahayana Philosophy: YogacaraSchool / Paper Outline & Thesis Statement Due
Mitchell: 110-117, 149-153
de Bary: 100-101
3/12 / Buddhism in China / Mitchell: 197-203
de Bary: 125-138
3/17 / Buddhism in China: Hua-yen & T’ien-t’ai / Mitchell: 206-207, 209-219
de Bary: 155-172
3/19 / Buddhism in China: Ch’an / Mitchell: 219-226
de Bary: 211-240
3/24 / Buddhism in China: Pure Land / Mitchell: 226-231
de Bary: 197-207
3/26 / Buddhism in Japan / Mitchell: 275-288
de Bary: 265-269, 277-286, 300-302
3/31 / Buddhism in Japan: Pure Land, Zen & Nichiren / Mitchell: 288-316
de Bary: 327-339, 349-354, 363-373
4/2 / EXAM 2
4/7 / Buddhism in Practice: Meditation / **Harvey: 244-279
4/9 / Holy Thursday / No Class
4/14 / Buddhism in Tibet / Mitchell: 160-178
4/16 / Buddhism in Tibet: Tantra / Mitchell: 178-186
de Bary: 110-122
4/21 / Film / Final Paper Due
4/23 / Modernity & Buddhism: Asia / Mitchell: 323-354
** “A Monk’s Struggle” (TIME magazine)
4/28 / Modernity & Buddhism: Europe / Mitchell: 357-379
4/30 / Modernity & Buddhism: America / Mitchell: 379-398
5/7 / Final Exam / 1:30-3:30 pm
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