HISTORY OF BUDDHISM

Mandatory course for the B.A. program in Languages, Cultures and Societies of Asia and North Africa with Southeast Asia.

Learning goals within the area of culture and humanities.

Knowledge and understanding:

- The history of Buddhism
- Key approaches to the study of Buddhism

Applying knowledge and understanding:

- Enhance one’s knowledge of the history, the societies and cultures of Asia and especially Southeast Asia via the study of Buddhism
- Improve one’s analytical and logical skills via the study of Buddhism
- Familiarize with the conventions and methodologies of academic debating and writing
- Articulate one’s opinions critically and with reference to the relevant scholarship

An interest in the religions, the history, the societies and the cultures of Southeast Asia.

Good knowledge of English, both spoken and written.

This course introduces students to the history of Buddhism. It presents Buddhism as a dynamic religion, which changes in time in order to respond to the sensitivities of new generations. The course explores assorted Buddhist traditions, paying particular attention to Southeast Asia.

The course is mainly based on academic essays, complemented by multimedia materials. It covers topics including the relationship between scriptures and practice, Buddhism and economy, as well as meditation and cosmology.

The teacher will provide all readings (academic articles and chapters from edited volumes) on a weekly basis via Moodle.

The assessment is a take-home short essay (1,000 words, including the bibliography).

In the final class, the teacher will provide essay topics that are related to themes covered by the course. Students will be able to choose one topic to develop in the essay.

The evaluation will pay particular attention to how well the essay responds to the essay topic, the strength of the argument and the appropriate use of bibliographic sources. Students who do not pass the exam in the first instance will be able to resubmit the same essay during the next exam session, modifying it on the basis of the teacher’s feedback.

Frontal teaching and debates.

English

written