Course Title xueyu@cuhk.edu.hk CURE 4158 Fieldwork in Sri Lankan Religions and Culture First Term 2017/2018 Lecturing Time: Tue 9:30-11:15; UCC 104 Lecturer: Dr. Xue Yu; Tel:39436748; email: Tutor: ; Tutorial Time: Tue 11:30-12:15 Course Description This course is to introduce students to Buddhism and culture in Sri Lanka. It offers students a lively and effective learning experience through fieldwork in both Hong Kong and Sri Lanka. We will (1) visit a Buddhist temple in Hong Kong on one Saturday during the term so that students will be familiarized with Mahayana Buddhist tradition and practice; (2) go on a 9 day visit to Sri Lanka include visiting both religious and historical sites of Theravada Buddhist tradition during the December 2016. In both cases, students will learn through first-hand exposure to religious relics, historical sites, material cultures, practices and personal interactions with practitioners of Buddhism and other religions. Special arrangements will be made to (1) visit headquarter of Sarvodaya, one of the most important Buddhist NGOs of the world, and (2) meet students and teachers from Colombo University in Sri Lanka. At the end of the visit in Sri Lanka, The study tour will be organized and led by the teaching staff. Course Content and Schedule There will be six meetings of lecture and six tutorials conducted on campus prior to the fieldwork. The lectures and tutorials will first cover the doctrine and history of Theravada Buddhism and then offer students an overview of the geographical, philosophical and historical background of the sites that will be visited and the traditions we will interact with in Sri Lanka. All students should, as a course requirement, join the 7-day trip to Sri Lanka in December (Dec, 26, 2017 Jan, 2, 2018 tentatively). Students have to pay their own expenses for the Sri Lanka trip, although a subsidy is available (courtesy of the Center for the Study of Chan Buddhism and Human Civilization). Each student may need to pay about HK$ 6000 tentatively, the rest will be sought from the Center (Students need to purchase travelling insurance for themselves). Class enrolment is limited to 25. Course Requirements To register in this course, students must be able to join one local fieldtrips in H.K. and the trip to Sri Lanka as scheduled. Students have to (1) hand in an individual book report before the trip to Sri Lanka, (2) Write a travelogue/essay of the field trip in Sri Lanka in the context of its culture, religion and other interesting observations and (3) 1
perform a group presentation with power-point, a written executive summary, and a written comment about one of the other group s presentation whilst in Sri Lanka. Failure to do so will result in losing the credits for the course or in losing substantial marks from the final grade. Course is conducted in English and Mandarin as are course assessments and tutorial. Tentative Class Schedule I. Lectures (1) Sept 6 Course Introduction (2) Sept 13 Introduction to Buddhism Basic Doctrines (Goyal, pp:115-155) (3) Sept 20 Introduction to Buddhism History (Goyal, pp.156-200) (4) Sept 27 Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka ( 鄧殿臣, 頁 1-80;(Bond, Chapter One and Seven; ) (5) Oct 4 Previewing the sites to be visited in Sri Lanka (Pre-Tour Presentation) (6) Oct 11 Logistics and briefing on Fieldwork (Pre-Tour Presentation) II. Fieldwork in Hong Kong (9:30 am 1:30 pm Saturday, Oct 14 (Sat) - visiting a Buddhist temple (Date is subject to change) III. Fieldwork in Sri Lanka Dec, 26, 2017 Jan, 2, 2018 IV. Break Down of Final Grade 100% 甲 Class Attendance and Participation 10% 乙 Tutorial Attendance and Participation 10% 丙 Study Trips (Both in Hong Kong and Sri Lanka) 20% 丁 Presentations and Report (Before and during the Tour in Sri Lanka) 40% 戊 Travel Logue 20% Learning Outcomes 2
Knowledge Outcomes (1) To be able to understand religion particularly Buddhism in its historical settings and contemporary contexts of modern living; globally and locally (2) To be able to understand religion in its many facets. (3) To be able to engage in a critical analysis of religions by the methods of the humanities and social sciences especially through fieldwork studies. (4) To have basic knowledge of central themes and issues in Sri Lanka context, especially with respect to cultural and religious dimensions. (5) To be able to observe religion in practice in comparison with what is learned from and books Skills Outcomes (1) Communication and presentational (oral and written) skill. (2) Ability to gather, organize, synthesize and evaluate different types of evidence and information. (3) Language skill: bilingual proficiency in reading and writing with accurate referencing and clarity of expression. (4) Skills in cross-cultural understanding and intercultural literacy. Attitude Outcomes (1) Awareness of plurality within religious traditions, multi-faceted complexity of religions and of the issues of multiple and conflicting interpretations of religious symbols, texts and traditions. (2) Recognition of the contested and provisional nature of knowledge and understanding. (3) Tolerance of diverse positions and respect for other s view. (4) Ability to have a critical and yet sympathetic understanding and appreciation of religious traditions especially those one does not belong. Learning Activities Lecture Interactive Lab Discussion Field-trip Projects Web-based Other tutorial of case teaching Sri Lanka trip 10 6 2 4 2 2 80 3
M,O, NA M,O, NA M,O, M,O, M,O, NA M,O, NA M,O, NA M,O, NA NA NA M: Mandatory activity in the course O: Optional activity NA: Not applicable Assessment scheme Fieldwork would add up to approximately 21 hours of off campus learning which will include on-site lectures, on-the-spot investigations and tutorial discussions during the trip. Book report (1000 words double spaced) 10% Each student has to choose one book from the reading list below and produce a book report to be handed in on or before November 30. Students must submit their report via the Webpage of the Chinese University Plagiarism Identification Engine (VeriGuide) at the link: http://veriguide1.cse.cuhk.edu.hk/portal/page/index.jsp ; post a copy separately onto the Blackboard Learn with a scanned receipt and signed Academic Honesty Declaration Statement from VeriGuide (received via e-mail after you have submitted your assignment) attached to your report. Presentation (& response to others presentations) 30% Students will break into 4 groups (depending on the size of the ) with each group consisting of not more than 7 students. Each group should choose one religious site in Sri Lanka where will be visited to present (The names of the sites will be provided at the beginning of the semester) for 30 minutes. The presentation will be arranged towards the end of the trip in Sri Lanka. Each group should also submit via the Blackboard Learn one narrative written summary to go with the PowerPoint and will be asked to give a response to one presentation of others group. Travelogue (1500-2000 words double spaced) 20% Each student will write a travelogue of their visit to Sri Lanka, beginning from the departure from Hong Kong. Observations and/or lessons in the context of Sri Lanka s culture, custom, religion and environment, or any other aspect, can be written about. Students can reflect upon their personal interactions with and experience of these dimensions of Sri Lanka. Participation 40% Your participation in, tutorials, and the fieldtrips will count as 40% of the course grade. 4
Essay test or exam Short answer test or exam Selected respons e test or exam Essays (Travel Logue) Presentatio n Book reports Other participation (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) 20 30 10 40 Learning resources for students Bond, George D. The Buddhist Revival in Sri Lanka, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, 1988. Chakravarti, UMA. The Social Dimensions of Early Buddhism, Unshiram Manoharlal Publishers, 1996. 鄧殿臣, 南傳佛教史簡編, 北京 : 中國佛教協會,1991 Gombrich, Richard. Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benares to Modern Colombo, London and New York: Routledge, 1998. *Goyal, S.R. A History of Indian Buddhism, Kusumanjali Prakashan, Meerut, 1987. Hazra, Kanai Lal. The Rise and Decline of Buddhism in India. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, 1995. Lal, Kazra Kanai. Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Delhi: Buddhist World Press, 2009. Trainor, Kevin. Relics, ritual, and representation in Buddhism, Cambridge University Press, 1997. Walpora Rahula. What the Buddha Taught, Oxford: Oneworld, 1997. 淨海. 南傳佛教史, 北京 ; 宗教文化出版社,2002 年 水野弘元著, 許洋主譯. 印度的佛教, 台北 : 法爾出版社 1998 年 Feedback for evaluation An end-of-term faculty wide course evaluation will be conducted in. Students comments and feedback on the course through the Discussion Forum within Blackboard or personal meeting with instructor and/ or research assistant are always welcomed. Facility for Posting Course Announcements Details for fieldtrips, assignment and feedback for written assignment will be given through the Blackboard in due course. All questions with regard to the course could be posted on the discussion forum within the Blackboard. Academic Honesty and Plagiarism 5
Students must submit their papers via VeriGuide http://veriguide1.cse.cuhk.edu.hk/portal/page/index.jsp and hand in a print out of receipt and a signed Academic Honesty Declaration Statement. Relevant information on academic honesty and plagiarism can be allocated via: http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty 6