| Unit name | Critical Perspectives on Asian Religions |
|---|---|
| Unit code | THRS20229 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Shiri |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Religion and Theology |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
Religious traditions are shaped by particular cultural contexts; they also express particular cultural perspectives; these contexts and perspectives change and develop with time and place, raising questions about the intellectual assumptions we bring to the study of religious traditions. In this unit, you will have the opportunity to engage with different assumptions, perspectives, and scholarly debates in the study of Asian traditions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, but also Confucianism, Taoism, or Shinto. You will also be stimulated to problematise the received category of “religion” in Asian contexts and reflect on the role that colonialism and orientalism had in shaping the academic study of Asian religions. This will help you deepen your understanding of the way religious ideas, practices, and perspectives may be unique to a specific cultural context and tradition, while at the same time overlapping with universal concerns and patterns of beliefs.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study.
Second-year mandatory units are a required component of your degree. They are designed to deepen your understanding of traditions and issues studied in your first year, as well as to develop new critical perspectives. These units also facilitate your discipline-specific skill development by allowing you to apply methodologies learned in year one to concrete scenarios.
An overview of content
In this unit, we build on the first-year introduction to the study of Asian religious traditions, to examine particular aspects of one or more Asian religious traditions (such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism but also Confucianism, Taoism, or Shinto) in greater depth. Through a series of lectures and seminars, we will investigate and discuss tradition-specific questions, practices, and identities. We will also appraise the way scholarly debates and concepts pertaining to the study of Religion have shaped our understanding of Asian traditions at an academic and global level. Themes covered may range from ritual and material culture to gender, orientalism, politics, religious identity, and violence. Each week, you will engage with scholarly readings and with a range of primary materials, to gain a deeper understanding of the traditions studied but also learn to do research in the study of religions.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
As part of this unit, you will be introduced to exciting new perspective relevant for the study and understanding of Asian Religions. You will be stimulated to appraise leading scholarly debates at the forefront of the discipline, assess preconceptions and challenge received views. You will also engage with a variety of primary source materials, which will allow you to become familiar with different religious texts, visual and material sources.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
Classes will involve a combination of long- and short-form lectures, class discussion, investigative activities, and practical activities. Students will be expected to engage with readings and participate on a weekly basis. This will be further supported with drop-in sessions and self-directed exercises with tutor and peer feedback.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the format or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are confirmed by the School/Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. THRS20229).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
