Intro to Buddhism

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course provides an introduction to the Buddhist tradition in India and its development in the contemporary world. The course will examine the philosophical evolution of Buddhism from its original Indian and Southeast Asian contexts, to its evolutions in East Asia, and finally to modern global developments. The first half of the course will focus on doctrinal foundations, while the second will consider social applications, particularly the socially conscious forms of Buddhism emerging in contemporary Asia and the West. The primary organizing purpose of the course will be to trace the tradition’s diversity and adaptations and to ask: How much can Buddhism change while remaining “Buddhism”? At the end of the course, students should have proficiency in understanding Buddhism as an evolutionary and dynamic tradition of continuity and change.