Course Syllabus: Method and Theory in the History of Religions: Buddhist Studies (RLG312H5)

Transcription

1 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO MISSISSAUGA Course Syllabus: Method and Theory in the History of Religions: Buddhist Studies (RLG312H5) Course hours: Wednesdays, 2-4 Venue: CC2140 Instructor: Christoph Emmrich Office: NE117; phone: (c), (o) Office hours: Wednesdays, 10-12pm and on appointment Course description This is an introduction to what it means to study religions, to the how and the why of it. We will try to answer the question as to the contribution the study of religions makes to knowledge at large and which tools we have to understand histories in so far as they have been shaped by and have themselves shaped religions. Though we will be asking questions which every student of religion must confront and should try to answer, as I myself am a scholar of Buddhism you will be encouraged to deal with examples I feel most competent and comfortable to discuss with you, i.e. from the history of Buddhism, from my own research in Nepal and Burma and from the ongoing discussions among my teachers and colleagues. Reversely you too will be able to answer the relevant questions while referring to detailed data and the concrete challenges of applying diverse methods and theories I will introduce to you most effectively, if you draw from the data of the religion(s) you know best. None of the things you will learn in this course will only useful for understanding one religion. The challenge you and I will share over this course will be to test and to develop strategies to evaluate the effectiveness of the diverse methods and theories for understanding the most disparate religious ideas and practices from all varieties of religious thought and life on this planet. Buddhism will be, so to speak, just one test case and, to turn things on their head, the less you know about Buddhism the more you may be qualified to test the value of the methods and theories discussed in this course in their own right. This course will be conducted as a seminar. In order to be graded, students must attend classes regularly, prepare the reading assignments in due time, participate actively in the sessions, join one panel discussion, and submit one reading response, one essay outline and one essay. In this course there will be no exams, quizzes or tests.

2 Readings The weekly reading assignments consist of required readings and further readings. Required readings are those articles or book sections which must be read ahead of the session in which the topic which they deal with will be discussed. Please check the Course Calendar below to find out which pieces should be prepared for each session. The further readings are optional, may or may not inform discussion in class, but may be useful should you plan to develop a particular reading, group of readings or topic into an essay. Panel discussion In addition to general in- class participation (spontaneous questions, answers, comments referring to readings and to in- class remarks by fellow students as well as by the instructor) oral skills will be tested in individual panels consisting of student groups, which will be formed for each session making sure that every student in class will take part in one panel discussion. The panellists will discuss the readings, point out what they found particularly interesting, strong or weak in a particular author or position and will have the opportunity to formulate questions which may be answered by the other panellists or course participants at large. The panellists will also each serve as main interlocutors for the instructor during in- class discussions. Reading response For the written reading response (between 2 and 4 pages) you may choose any assigned reading. Your response should not summarize the text but rather formulate its main theses, name its aims, goals, methods, theoretical background and comment on its strengths and weaknesses. The deadline for the reading response is February 2, 2011, 2.10 pm. Essay proposal As a preparation for the final research essay students are expected to write an essay proposal (approx. 2-3 pages) consisting of (1) an abstract summarizing the topic chosen from among the readings and topics discussed in class or of related interest, the material to be covered, the question asked and the method and/or theory applied and/or discussed and (2) a detailed outline of the structure and contents of your projected essay including title, subtitle, chapterization, section numbering and titles, as well as a preliminary bibliography. The topic of the essay should focus on one, maximum two theories or methods discussed in class and discuss their applicability to materials of your choice. As the class will focus on material from within Buddhist Studies you are encouraged (but not expected) to choose examples, questions and topics from other religious traditions. If you feel unsure about the proceedings of your work or about how to approach it, book a meeting with the course instructor or send him a draft, on the basis of which the student can be advised. However, keep in mind the deadline, so that you are able to react and possibly incorporate advice in time. The course instructor will be glad to offer assistance in deciding on the relevant topic, material or method and discuss your thoughts and writing. The deadline for the essay proposal is February 16, 2011, 2.10 pm. Research essay The research essay (12-20 pages, excluding cover and contents pages and bibliography) has to be turned in on the final day of class, both in an electronic format and as a printout. Please consult the essay guideline sheet posted on the course website for details. The deadline for the essay is the last day of class, March 30, 2011, 2.10 pm. All written assignments (reading response, essay proposal and research essay) have to be sent both as attachment directly to both the instructor s address christoph.emmrich@utoronto.ca as well as to the teaching assistants (TAs) by the deadline specified in the course calendar below and handed in as hard copy to the course instructor in class. Do not post them in the Blackboard course website s digital drop box. Additionally, they have to be handed in as hardcopy to the instructor in class on the due date. It is crucial for written assignments that everything you produce has been either 2

3 formulated by yourself or marked and referenced as a quotation if you use materials you have taken from a source (p inted or electronic, textual or visual). The main objective hereby is to develop an understanding of the line which runs between you and others, your own authorship and that of others and the respect for other people's work and intellectual property. It is important that you stand for what you yourself can produce and do not pretend to be someone else by appropriating his or her work. A the same time it is important to learn to intensely engage with, use and, to differing degrees, distance yourself other peoples work. This is only possible if you clearly separate your own contributions from those of others from which you draw and which you respect and which makes others respect your own work. Put other's words in quotation marks and note where you found them and others can find them too. And try to find a balance in your work of what you have formulated and of what you decide to quote. No assignment should be without a quote, but not more than 10% of your assignment should consist of quotes. Never leave a quote unconnected to your own work. Use quotes effectively: to prove, to stress, to condense your own statements. Finally, texts and bits of text (paragraphs, sentences, verses etc.) taken from sources, inserted in your work and not marked as quotes are called "plagiarisms", can be detected by software and have to be reported to university authorities by course instructors at UTM. Evaluations Weight of oral and written assignments relative to final grade (100%) 1. in- class remarks: 10% 2. participation in one in- class panel discussion: 10% 3. one written reading response of approx. 3 pages: 20% 4. one essay outline of approx. 3 pages: 20% 5. one final research essay of approx. 15 pages: 40% Course grading scheme A % B % C % D % A 85-89% B 73-76% C 63-66% D 53-56% A % B % C % D % F 0-49% Deadlines The deadlines for assignments are not negotiable. Should a student miss a deadline due to circumstances which are beyond his or her influence he or she must request special consideration in written (electronic, handwritten or printed) form the latest within 12 hours after the expiration of the deadline or the examination and supply documentation justifying the failure to keep the deadline or to attend the examination in a personal meeting by appointment. If the documentation justifies an extension of the deadline the instructor will attempt to find an individual and adequate solution. Interaction with the course instructor Address all your requests and queries about the course to the course instructor. The mail header should start with the acronym "M&T", so that it can be quickly identified and to avoid dismissal due to an unclear header. Though incoming mails are viewed on a daily basis and though the course instructor will try to address your issues as swiftly as possible, it may take up to three days for him or her to reply to your mail, so do wait for that period before reacting and do mail in time if you have any urgent requests. Prearrange meetings by so that they can be scheduled either during official office hours (Wednesday 10 am- 12) or upon request. Course materials The title you are required to purchase is: - Scott G. Brown. A guide to writing academic essays in Religious Studies. London & New York: Continuum,

4 It is available at the UTM bookshop. All other required course materials can be downloaded from the Blackboard course website. Two titles recommended but not required, for reading throughout the course are: - The world of Buddhism. Richard Gombrich, Heinz Bechert (eds). London: Thames and Hudson, 1984 (available as a reader from the instructor). - Lopez Jr., Donald S. The story of Buddhism. A concise guide to its history and teachings. Harper: San Francisco,

5 Course Calendar (may be subject to change) Week 1: Jan. 5, Introduction 1: Method and theory in the Study of Religion - Smith, Jonathan Z. Religion, religions, religious. In Critical terms for religious studies. Mark C. Taylor (ed.). Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 1998; Gill, Sam. The academic study of religion. In Theory and method in the study of religion. A selection of critical readings. Carl Olson (ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2003; Olson, Carl. Religious Studies as an academic discipline. In Theory and method in the study of religion. A selection of critical readings. Carl Olson (ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2003; Knott, Kim. How to study religion in the modern world. In Religions in the modern world. Traditions and transformations. 2 nd Linda Woodhead, Hiroko Kawanami, Christopher Partridge (eds.). London; New York: Routledge, 2001; Week 2: Jan.12, Introduction 2: Method and theory in Buddhist Studies - Cabezón, José Ignacio. Buddhist Studies as a discipline and the role of theory. Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 18.2 (1995), Gellner, David. What is the Anthropology of Buddhism About? In The Anthropology of Buddhism and Hinduism. Weberian Themes. Oxford: Oxford University Press 2001; Gómez, Luis O. Unspoken Paradigms: Meanderings through the Metaphors of a Field. Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 18.2 (1995), Week 3: Jan. 19, Discovery and evolution: Müller and Frazer - Müller, Friedrich Max. From Chips from a German workshop: essays in the science of religion and Introduction to the science of religion. In Theory and method in the study of religion. A selection of critical readings. Carl Olson (ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2003; Müller, Friedrich Max. Buddha and his critics. In Max F. Müller. Buddhism and Buddhist pilgrims. London: Williams and Norgate, 1857, (online at Googlebooks). - Frazer, James G. From The Golden Bough. Preface to the Second Edition In Theory and method in the study of religion. A selection of critical readings. Carl Olson (ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2003; Eliade, Mircea. From The Quest. History and meaning in religion. In Theory and method in the study of religion. A selection of critical readings. Carl Olson (ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2003; Tylor, Edward B. From Primitive culture. In Theory and method in the study of religion. A selection of critical readings. Carl Olson (ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2003;

6 Week 4: Jan. 26, Writing Academic Essays in Religious Studies - Scott G. Brown. A guide to writing academic essays in Religious Studies. London & New York: Continuum, Week 5, Feb. 2, Manuscripts and critical editions - Irwin, Robert. The Arabian Nights. A companion. London: Tauris Parke, 1994 (repr. 2004); 42 and Murthy, R.S. Shivaganesha. Introduction to manuscriptology. Delhi: Sharada Publishing House, 1996; Critical recension, ; The process of critical editing, McGann, Jerome J. What is critical editing? In Jerome J. McGann. The Textual condition. Priceton: Princeton University Press 1991, Kloppenborg Verbin, John S. Excavating Q. The history and settings of the Sayings Gospel. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2000; Murthy, R.S. Shivaganesha. Introduction to manuscriptology. Delhi: Sharada Publishing House, 1996; Writing in manuscripts, Week 6: Feb. 9, Languages and translation: Benjamin and Boucher - Benjamin, Walter. The task of the translator. A introduction to the translation of Baudelaire s Tableax parisiennes. In The translation studies reader. Lawrence Venuti (ed.). London: Routledge, 2000; Boucher, Daniel. Bodhisattvas of the forest and the formation of the Mahāyāna. A study and translation of the Raṣṭrapālaparipṛcchā- sūtra. Honolulu: University of Hawai i Press, 2008; Introduction, xv- xxiii; The role of translation in reconstructing the Early Mahāyāna, ; Mistranslation and missed translation, Batnitzky, Leora. Translation as Transcendence: A Glimpse into the Workshop of the Buber- Rosenzweig Bible Translation. New German Critique, 70, Special Issue on Germans and Jews (Winter, 1997), Week 7, Feb. 16, Sociology: Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Tambiah - Marx, Karl. From Critique of Hegel s Philosophy of Right (1844). In Marx on religion. John Raines (ed.). Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2002, Durkheim, Émile. From The elementary forms of religious life. In Theory and method in the study of religion. A selection of critical readings. Carl Olson (ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2003; Weber, Max. From The sociology of religion. In Theory and method in the study of religion. A selection of critical readings. Carl Olson (ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2003; Tambiah, Stanley. Buddhism and this- worldly activity. Modern Asian Studies, Vol. 7, No. 1 (1973), Clarke, Peter B. and Peter Byrne. From Religion defined and explained. In Theory and method in the study of religion. A selection of critical readings. Carl Olson (ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2003;

7 - Roth, Guenther. From Max Weber s vision of history. In Theory and method in the study of religion. A selection of critical readings. Carl Olson (ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2003; Assigment: Reading response due at 2.10 pm, Feb. 16. Reading Week Week 8, March 2, Epigraphy and archaeology - Salomon, Richard. Indian epigraphy. A guide to the study to inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the other Indo- Aryan languages. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 1998; The scope and significance of epigraphy in Indological Studies. 3-6; Methods of epigraphic study, and ; Epigraphy and the study of religion, and ; Appendix. Selection of typical inscriptions, Schopen, Gregory. Archaeology and Protestant presuppositions in the study of Indian Buddhism. In Gregory Schopen. Bones, stones, and Buddhist monks. Collected papers on the archaeology, epigraphy, and texts from monastic Buddhism in India. Honolulu: University of Hawai i Press, 1997, Heitzman, James. "Early Buddhism, Trade and Empire." In Studies in the Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology of South Asia, Kenneth A.R. Kennedy, Gregory L. Possehl. (eds.) 1984, Assignment: Essay proposal due at 2.10 pm, March 2. Week 9, March 9, Psychoanalysis: Freud, Masson, Žižek - Freud, Sigmund. From The future of an illusion. In Theory and method in the study of religion. A selection of critical readings. Carl Olson (ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2003; Masson, Jeffrey M. The oceanic feeling. The origins of religious sentiment in Ancient India. Boston and London: D Reidel, 1980; Chapter 4, The oceanic feeling. The image of the sea, Žižek, Slavoj. The revenge of global finance. ( - Torgovnick, Marianna. From Gone primitive: Savage intellects, modern lives. In Theory and method in the study of religion. A selection of critical readings. Carl Olson (ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2003; Week 10, Mar. 16, Observation and ethnography - Flick, Uwe. An introduction to qualitative research. 4th ed. London: Sage, 2009; Observation and ethnography, Eberhardt, Nancy. Imagining the course of life. Self- transformation in Shan Buddhist community. Honolulu: University of Hawai i Press, 2006; Morris, Rosalind C. In the place of origins. Modernity and its mediums in Northern Thailand. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2000; Owens, Bruce M. Blood and bodhisattvas: Sacrifice among the Newar Buddhists of Nepal. Anthropology of Tibet and the Himalaya. Proceedings of the International Seminar on the Anthropology of Tibet and the Himalaya, September at the Ethnographic 7

8 Museum of the University of Zürich. Charles Ramble and Martin Brauen (eds.). Zürich, Ethnological Museum of the University of Zürich, 1993; Week 11, March 23, Performance: Butler, Bell, Gross - Butler, Judith. "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory." In Performing Feminisms: Feminist Critical Theory and Theatre. Sue- Ellen Case (ed.), Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, Bell, Catherine. Performance. In Critical terms for religious studies. Mark C. Taylor (ed.). Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 1998; Gross, Rita. Feminism from the perspective of Buddhist practice. Buddhist- Christian Studies, Vol. 1 (1981), Bell, Catherine. Constructing Ritual. In Readings in Ritual Studies. Ronald L. Grimes (ed.). Upper Saddle River: Prentice- Hall, 1996, Sharf, Robert. Ritual. In Critical terms for the study of Buddhism. Donald S. Lopez Jr. (ed.). Chicago and London: Chicago University Press, 2005; Shaw, Rosalind. Feminist anthropology and the gendering of Religious Studies. In Theory and method in the study of religion. A selection of critical readings. Carl Olson (ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2003; Week 12, March 30, Postcolonialism: Said, Almond, Hallisey - Said, Edward. From Orientalism. In Colonial discourse and post- colonial theory. A reader. Patrick Williams, Laura Chrisman (eds.). New York: Columbia University Press, 1994; Almond, Philip C. The British discovery of Buddhism. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1988, Hallisey, Charles. Roads taken and not taken in the study of Theravāda Buddhism. In Curators of the Buddha. The study of Buddhism under colonialism. J. Donald S. Lopez. Chicago and London, The University of Chicago Press, 1995; Wagoner, Phillip B. Intellectuals and the production of colonial knowledge. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 45.4 (Oct. 2003), Assignment: Essay due at 2.10 pm, March 30. 8