New Undergrad Course: North American Buddhism

Sept. 15, 2020
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We are thrilled to announce a new undergraduate course to be offered in Fall 2021 which will deepen the Center’s commitment to exploring Buddhism’s transmission to North America and flourishing in the Southwest. Dr. Alison C. Jameson, professor in the Department of Religious Studies and Classics, is offering a new course titled “North American Buddhism: Transmission, Translation, Transformation” (RELI 330).

 

This course will broadly examine the diversity among Buddhist communities in North America, with a special focus on Buddhism in the southwestern U.S. Through critical examination of key events and individuals in North American Buddhist history from the mid-19th century to the present, students will explore convergences and discontinuities of Buddhist transmissions from Asia. Case studies will highlight scholarship in Religious Studies, Ethnic Studies – including Asian Pacific American Studies - and Women and Gender Studies.

 

The course is grounded in a regional approach to American religions, as well as issues of immigration, pluralism, and identity in the context of religious expression. Racial othering and cultural appropriation also factor into our exploration of North American Buddhist identity. We will draw upon a variety of sources, including textbooks, research articles, personal interviews, and films. Students are challenged to develop schema by which to identify different manifestations of North American Buddhist practice as distinct from Buddhism in Asia.

 

The course is expected to draw students who have taken EAS 160 A1 (Worlds of Buddhism), EAS 222 (Zen Buddhism), and RELI 210 (Religion in the Americas), as well as those enrolled in the new Asian Pacific Islander minor in East Asian Studies.

 

For more information, please contact Dr. Jameson at ajameson@arizona.edu. To enroll in the course, visit UAccess.

 

For more information about Buddhist Studies courses offered at UA, visit: https://cbs.arizona.edu/academic-programs.