Monks and Merchants: Religious Exchange along the Silk Road

3 credits

The" Silk Road" was an important tie for the international trade from Changan (China) to the west; and at that same time, it was more than a route for business, the areas along this important route were the place where East met West, and the places where various religious traditions interacted and syncretised. For this course, with the cultural and historical background, we are going to exam how religions, such as Buddhism, Daoism, Manicheanism, Christianity, Islam, and local beliefs and so forth, how they influenced each other and the significance of the religious syncretism. ***Prerequisites: Completion of 12 credit hours or RLST 100.***