A 2020 course by Bryan Lowe at Princeton University “introduces the religious traditions of Japan from the earliest myths to present-day practices” with special attention to the interplay of religion and culture.
A 2020 course by Bryan Lowe at Princeton University “offers a roughly chronological narrative of key themes in the study of Japanese Buddhism from ancient times through the modern day.”
A course by Jeffrey Richey at Berea College introduces “the East Asian spiritual heritage in China, Korea, and Japan (Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist, Shinto, folk, etc.) — its past, as well as its present and future. We will also give some of our time to the consideration of Christianity as an East Asian religion, and to the situations of East Asian religions in North America.”
A 1999 course by Michael Bathgate at DePaul University provides “an overview of Japanese religious history, from the earliest historical records to the present. It will take into account not only the social, political and cultural contexts within which these various religious traditions have come into contact, but also the ways in which they have interacted with one another (sometimes in mutual support, sometimes in competition) to produce the characteristic religious landscape of Japan.”
A 2003 course by Russell Kirkland at the University of Georgia explores “the many strands of religion in Japan, from earliest times to the present” including Confucianism, Buddhism, and Shintoism.
A 2017 course by Mark Unno at the University of Oregon “focuses on selected strains of Japanese Buddhism during the medieval period, especially the Kamakura (1185-1333), but also traces influences on later developments including the modern period.” Special attention will be given to “Eihei DÅgen (1200-1253), Zen master and founding figure of the SÅtÅ sect; MyÅe of the Shingon and Kegon sects, focusing on his Shingon practices; and Shinran, founding figure of JÅdo ShinshÅ«, the largest Pure Land sect, more simply known as Shin Buddhism.”
A 2010 course by Joseph Adler at Kenyon College “is a historical and contemporary survey of religious life in Japan, focusing on the Shinto and Buddhist traditions..”
A 2011 course by Mark Unno at the University of Oregon “traces select themes and developments in the history of Japanese religion . . . various aspects of intellectual and social history are examined including: the relation between state and religion; issues of gender, class, and cultural identity; religious experience; and ritual and institutional practices . . .(in) various forms of Japanese Buddhism including Zen and Pure Land as well as Shinto.”
