Advanced Topics in Asian Languages and Cultures (390-0-20)

Topic

Buddhism and Gender

Instructors

Sarah Hieatt Jacoby
8474671304
Department of Religious Studies, Crowe Hall 4-134, 1860 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208
Office Hours: Wed 1-3pm, Crowe 4-149

Meeting Info

Kresge 3535 Span & Port Sem Rm: Wed 3:00PM - 5:50PM

Overview of class

AY 22-23
The unifying theme of this seminar is gender and Buddhism. We take as our point of departure Carolyn Bynum's statement: "No scholar studying religion, no participant in ritual, is ever neuter. Religious experience is the experience of men and women, and in no known society is this experience the same." Bearing this in mind, we will explore historical, textual and social questions relevant to gender in the Buddhist worlds of India, Tibet, and the Himalayas from the time of Buddhism's origins to the present day. Topics covered in this course will include the roles of women, men, femininity, and masculinity in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism, Buddhism and the family, gender and the body in Mahayana Buddhism, the roles of female goddess figures such as dakinisin Vajrayana Buddhism, Buddhism and sexuality, and the status of Buddhist nuns.

Class Attributes

Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area