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Arts, Sciences, and Engineering |
Modern Languages & Cultures - Comparative Literature |
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Course Section Listing |
Course |
Course Title |
Term |
Credits |
Status |
|
COURSE_SECTION-3-161628 |
CLTR 208A-1 |
Topics in "Traditional" Japanese Culture |
Fall 2023 |
4.0 |
Open |
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Schedule: |
|
Day |
Begin |
End |
Location |
Start Date |
End Date |
|
MW
|
1650
|
1805
|
Frederick Douglass Room 420
|
08/30/2023
|
12/22/2023
|
|
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Enrollment: |
Enrolled
0
|
Capacity
15
|
|
|
|
Co-Located: |
AHST 212-1, CLTR 208A-1 (P), HIST 146-1, JPNS 210-1, RELC 132-1 |
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Description: |
This discussion-based course interrogates the construction and evolution of Japan’s cultural traditions and idioms from ancient times to the eve of modernity. Drawing from oral records and mythology, performing and visual arts, literary, religious and historical texts, among other mediums, this course asks students to understand and appreciate the dynamic contexts of Japanese “tradition.” At the same time, innovative evocations of the past will help us understand the processes through which literary, cultural and religious traditions are challenged, (re)invented, and (re)made. This course is therefore invested in both the historical legacy of traditional Japan and the ways in which tradition itself remains central to contemporary evocations of Japanese culture. No prior knowledge of Japan is required or expected. |
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Offered: |
Fall Spring |
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|
|
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Course Section Listing |
Course |
Course Title |
Term |
Credits |
Status |
|
COURSE_SECTION-3-161636 |
CLTR 208H-1 |
Cultures of Enlightenment: Meditation, Materiality, and the Literary Cultures of Japanese Buddhism |
Fall 2023 |
4.0 |
Open |
|
Schedule: |
|
Day |
Begin |
End |
Location |
Start Date |
End Date |
|
MW
|
1815
|
1930
|
Frederick Douglass Room 420
|
08/30/2023
|
12/22/2023
|
|
|
Enrollment: |
Enrolled
0
|
Capacity
15
|
|
|
|
Co-Located: |
AHST 216-1, AHST 416-1 (P), CLTR 208H-1, CLTR 408H-1, JPNS 216-1, RELC 225-1 |
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Description: |
What is enlightenment? Is enlightenment a place or time? A state of body or a state of mind? Is it an unembellished moment from ordinary life or an unbounded vision of an endlessly unfolding cosmos? Does it happen in this life or after we die? Is it beyond language or is it language itself? This course explores how diverse Japanese Buddhists conceive of enlightenment in all of these different ways and, in addition to the literary, visual, cultural, and philosophical study of enlightenment, this course also invites students to engage in the practice of a wide variety of Buddhist ritual activities and “speech acts” including sutra copying, reciting mantra, chanting sutras, and sitting zazen. Students will also study the visual cultures of enlightenment through mandala, painting, and sculptural icons. All readings are done in English. However, students will be asked to recite some short ritual texts and ritual formulations in their original language for educational purposes. No prior knowledge of Japanese or meditation required. |
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Offered: |
Fall Spring |