RELIGION AND JAPANESE SOCIETY 2

概要

MUST BE TAKEN IN CONJUNCTION WITH "RELIGION AND JAPANESE SOCIETY 1." SEE LOYOLA PAGE FOR THAT COURSE FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION. This course explores the religious traditions of Japan and their social and cultural impact. One of the most important developments in the field of religious studies in recent decades has been the so-called “somatic turn”—an increased attention to the role of the human body in religion and the role that religious ideas, practices, and institutions have had in shaping knowledge about and experiences of the body. Accordingly, this course will devote special attention to the question of how Japanese religion has affected perceptions of the body and the role of the body in Japanese religion. It will trace the effects of religiously-informed perceptions of the body on the development of folk medical knowledge, bioethical reasoning, attitudes toward death and dying, the construction of gender, the formation of outcast groups, and various other social practices.

目標

By the end of the course students will have a working knowledge of Japan’s various religious traditions and have considered the ways in which religious ideas and practices have helped shape Japanese society. Students will also be familiar with some of the more significant methodological issues confronting scholars of religion, and be able to use what they have learned about religion in Japan to reassess broader generalizations about the nature of religion.

授業外の学習

Preparation of class materials and reading assignments (70 minutes) Work on comments/discussion questions (60 minutes) Review, research, and/or work on final paper (60 minutes) Students will be required to complete reading assignments prior to class and produce at least a page of comments or discussion questions for each of the readings. Students will select a theme and locate materials on which to lead discussion for one or more sessions. Students will also need to conduct research for and write a final paper and prepare to present their findings to the class.

所要時間: 190 minutes per class.