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Time
& Place:
Spring Term 2002 |
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The Course at a Glance
SCOPE
& APPROACH: explores the basic elements
of contemplative practices (what most people these days call “meditation”)
found in the Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist traditions, through in-depth
reading of historical sources including the (pseudonymous) works of Dionysius
the Areopagite, Teresa of Avila’s Interior Castle, and selected ancient
Upanishads and Buddhist Suttas. Students
have the option of selecting either a practice- or theory-oriented perspective;
in either case, intensive reading & regular
writing are combined with segments of lecture that provide the necessary
background. Two weekend retreats required
TEXTS: Pseudo-Dionysius: The
Complete Works, trans. by Colm Luibheid
Teresa of Avila:The
Interior Castle, trans. by Kavanaugh & Rodriguez
Thanissaro
Bikku, The Wings of Awakening (distributed free in class)
Upanisads, trans. by
Patrick Olivelle
Also choose
ONE of the following:
Thomas Keating, Open
Heart, Open Mind
Swami
Durgananda/Sally Kempton, The Heart of Meditation
Henapola
Gunaratana, Mindfulness in Plain English
[Plus seventeen (17) short reserve readings (10-15
pages maximum),
&
various audio & audio-visual materials presented in class.]
ATTENDANCE: required--along with thorough preparation & participation--for all class sessions, due to heavy emphasis on class conversation; also required at both retreats and (for practice-oriented students) at one of several weekly silent-sitting sessions (M 5, WF 12). Counts a total of 10 points towards your overall grade, with one point subtracted for each unexcused absence.
ASSIGNMENTS: *EITHER*
an informal journal
(entries collected 6 times @ 5 points each = 30 points)
[for
the practice-oriented approach]
*OR*
three (3) analytical exercises
(4-5 pages, 10 points each x 3 = 30 points)
[for
the theory-oriented approach]
three
(3) formal reflections (2-3
pages, 10 points each x 3 = 30 points)
*EITHER*
weekly reading notes, collected
at random througout the term (30 points)
*OR*
consistent participation reflecting
thorough reading & reflection (30 points)
[94-100=A,
90-93=A-, 87-89=B+, 84-87=B, 80-83=B-, etc.]
ABOUT
WRITTEN WORK: all writing must submitted in the proper format by the prescribed
deadline; apart from informal journal entries, all work must be carefully proofread
to avoid mechanical errors. No rewrites allowed; pre-writes encouraged
for formal assignments.
DISCLAIMER: As you will learn from this term’s
study of Buddhist tradition—if you didn’t know it already!—the
nature of life is change. In creating
this syllabus I have tried to be as careful as possible to get all the details
right. However in certain situations,
whenever I deem that a change would significantly further the objectives of
the course, I will need to make alterations in what is posted here.
I reserve the right to make such changes, though I will always strive
to give you at least three day’s notice, both in class and by posting changes
on the course web site; your understanding is much appreciated. In any case,
keep checking the "Schedule of Topics & Readings"
page during the course of the term, since additional links--internal as
well as to relevant external sites--will be added as the class progresses.
OTHER
ASIAN RELIGION COURSES (SPRING 2003):
• "South
Asian Religions II: the Classical Period" (Religion 222)