An examination of some of the ways in which body, gender and sexuality are constructed and practiced in cultures dominated by Hindu and Buddhist ideals.
An examination of some of the ways in which body, gender and sexuality are constructed and practiced in cultures dominated by Hindu and Buddhist ideals.The paper will examine the confluence of Asian religious and academic concerns with the body through consideration of technologies of the body (such as asceticism, yoga, semen retention, dismemberment and remembering of the body in ritual), idealised representations of the body (as heroic or divine), the role of the body as both vehicle for and hindrance to spiritual progress, and the religious significance of different bodies (male, female, 'other'). The paper will also critically examine the way representations of Asian religions in the West, both within and beyond the academy, have been dominated by a fascination with bodily practices such as sati, yoga and meditation.
| Paper title | The Body in Asian Religions |
|---|---|
| Paper code | RELS209 |
| Subject | Religious Studies |
| EFTS | 0.1500 |
| Points | 18 points 18 points |
| Teaching period(s) | Second Semester, Second Semester |
| Domestic Tuition Fees (NZD) | $886.35 |
| International Tuition Fees (NZD) | $3,766.35 |
- Prerequisite
- 36 points
- Restriction
- RELS 309, RELX 209, RELX 309
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music, Theology
- Notes
- May not be credited together with RELS 233 or 333 passed in 2005.
- Contact
Will Sweetman: will.sweetman@otago.ac.nz
- More information link
View more information on the Religion website: www.otago.ac.nz/religion
- Teaching staff
- Paper Structure
- The paper is divided into six modules:
- Hindu bodies
- The body as instrument
- Regulated bodies
- Buddhist bodies
- Bodhisattva bodies
- 'Other' bodies
- Essay outline - 10%
- Essay (2,000 words) - 35%
- Exam (three hours) - 55%
- Teaching Arrangements
- Campus: Two 1-hour lectures per week and one 1-hour tutorial fortnightly
- Textbooks
- A coursebook containing lecture notes and readings is available for this paper. Printed copies will be available through the printshop. The coursebook is also available as a PDF through Blackboard.
- Course outline
- View sample course outline for RELS209
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Scholarship, Communication, Critical
thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Information literacy, Research.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
- Students who successfully complete the paper will be able to demonstrate
- A sound factual knowledge of the treatment of issues relating to gender in Hinduism and Buddhism
- An awareness of both diversity and uniformity in religious teachings and practices
- An understanding of the social causes and consequences of the construction of gender and sexuality in religious thought
