Religious
Studies 353 F09 Dark Self East & West: Comparative Conceptions
CRN 15828
Instructor:
Mark T. Unno, Tel. 346-4973 munno@uoregon.edu
http://www.uoregon.edu/~munno/
MW
2:00 - 3:50 p.m. MCK 214; Office Hours: Mon 4:00-5:00 p.m.; Fri
1:00-2:00 p.m. PLC 812
This
course on comparative religious and philosophical thought examines
selected thinkers and conceptions of the self in East Asia and the
West, with a special focus on the dark side of the self. Although
comparisons are often made between ultimates - God, Buddha, Tao, and
the like - it is often overlooked that they are responses to what are
regarded as the fundamental problems or dark sides of the inner life.
Through comparing the dark side including - sin in Christianity,
karmic evil and delusion in Buddhism, entanglement in Taoism, and
suffering in psychology - it will become evident that that there are
both significant similarities and deep differences between diverse
religious and philosophical views.
In
the latter part of the course, films together with readings will be
used to explore the dark side through various cultural themes
including racism, gender discrimination, and war. In turn, possible
responses to these issues from various thinkers in the first half of
the course will be considered.
This
is an intermediate-level course with a lecture/discussion format.
Some meetings will be entirely in lecture format. Others will involve
a combination of lecture and small breakout discussion groups.
Requirements
1.
Attendance: Required. Students can have one unexcused absence without
penalty. Each class missed thereafter without prior permission will
result in 1/2 grade penalty for the course grade.
2.
Short exams: There will be two short, in-class exams, based on
materials from the readings, lectures, and course web site. The first
exam will also contain questions on writing papers.
3.
Short papers: Students will write three short papers based on topics
that will be provided by the instructor.
4.
Final paper: Each student will hand in a medium length final paper of
5-7 pages double-spaced. Suggested topics will be provided. Students
may choose to create their own topics with the consent of their
section leader. In the case of the latter, a one-paragraph
description of the topic must be submitted by email to the instructor
one week prior to the due date.
5.
Late policy on written assignments: Three grace days total will be
allotted excluding the medium-length final paper for which no
extensions will be given. For all other assignments, a cumulative
total of three late days will be allowed without penalty. Thereafter,
each late day will result in a two-point deduction from the course
grade. Weekends are not counted against the grace days.
Grades
*
Short Paper I - 10%; Short Paper II - 15%; Short Paper III - 15%
*
Short Exam A - 10%; Short Exam B - 10%;
Final
Paper
- 30% Attendance and Participation - 10%
Note:
You must complete all assignments in order to receive course credit.
Even
if
you are too late for an assignment to receive a passing grade, you
must hand it in.
Required
Texts
Shinmon
Aoki, Coffinman: The Journal of a Buddhist Mortician (Anaheim,
CA: Buddhist Education Ctr, 2002).
Viktor
Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning
(NY: Washington Square Press, 1997).
Jacques
Lusseyran, And There Was Light
(NY: Parabola Books, 1998).
Alice
Walker, The Color Purple
(New York: Harvest Books).
Burton
Watson, trans., Zhuangzi
(New York: Columbia University Press, 2003).
Course
Reader, REL 353 Dark Self, at the Copy Shop, 539 E. 13th Street,
Eugene, OR 97401, TEL 485 6253.
Course
Reader, REL 353 Dark Self
1.
Suzy Hansen, "Ordinary People, Extraordinary Evil," Salon.com
08/21/2002.
2.
Ralph Griffith, trans., "Hymn on Creation from the Rig Vedas" (Delhi:
Motilal Banarsidass, 1973) 206, 633-34.
3.
B. Srinivasa Murthy, trans., The Bhagavad Gita
(Long Beach, CA: Long Beach Publications, 1985) 29-44.
4.
Soren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling
(Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1983) 5-23, 34-53.
5.
Soren Kierkegaard, The Sickness Unto Death
(Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1980) 13-21, 29-47.
6.
Peter Schneider, "Saving Konrad Latte," The New York Times
Magazine
(February 13, 2000) 52-57, 72-73, 90, 95.
7.
"The Bill Wilson - Carl Jung Letters," 1-5.
8.
Robert Aziz, C. G. Jung's Psychology of Religion and Synchronicity
(Albany:
SUNY Press, 1990).
9.
P. J. Ivanhoe, "Zhuangzi on Skepticism, Skill, and the Ineffable
Dao," Journal of the AAR,
LX:4 639-654.
10.
"The Ten Oxherding Pictures," in How to Practice Zazen,
Institute for Zen Studies, 26-45.
11.
Mark Unno, "Key Terms: Pure Land Buddhism of Honen and Shinran"
12.
Mark Unno, "The Borderline between Buddhism and Psychotherapy," in
Buddhism and Psychotherapy Across Cultures,
ed. Mark Unno (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2006), 139-158.
13.
Taitetsu Unno, trans., Tannisho-A Shin Buddhist Classic
(Honolulu: Buddhist Study Center, 1996), 5-11, 16-17, 35.
14.
Catherine Keller, "The Ethic of Inseparability, Weaving the
Visions: New Patterns in Feminist Spirituality ,
eds. J. Plaskow and C. Christ (NY: HarperCollins) 256-265.
15.
Audre Lorde, "Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power," Sister
Outsider
(Freedom, CA: Crossing Press, 1984) 53-59.
16.
Sandy Gunther, "An Alternate View of Reality: Understanding Mystical
Experience in Jacob's Ladder," Unpublished Paper 1-10.
17.
Albert Camus, "The Myth of Sisyphus," in The Myth of Sisyphus
(NY: Random House, 1955), 88-91.
18.
Robert Akeret, Tales from a Travelling Couch
(NY: Norton, 1996) 19-57.
Weekly
Schedule REL353 Dark Self East & West
(Reading
assignments are to be completed by the date under which they are
listed.)
CR
= Course Reader; RT = Required Text
Week
1 INTRODUCTION; KIERKEGAARD AND SIN
Introduction:
The Dark Side of Human Existence: Contrasts and Comparisons
9/30 Reading:
Suzy
Hansen, "Ordinary People, Extraordinary Evil" (CR1).
Week
2 KIERKEGAARD (cont.); INDIAN PHILOSOPHY: KARMA AND NEITHER/NOR
10/5
Reading: Soren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling,
5-23; 34-53 (CR4). Paper I due in class.
Reading:
Robert Aziz, C. G. Jung's Psychology of Religion and Synchronicity
(CR8).
10/7
Reading: CR: Soren Kierkegaard, The Sickness Unto Death,
13-21, 29-47 (CR5).
Week
3 MEANING & MEANINGLESSNESS
10/12
Reading: CR: "Hymn on Creation from the Rig Vedas," 206, 633-4 (CR2).
Reading:
CR: The Bhagavad Gita,
29-44 (CR3).
10/14
Reading: Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning (RT).
Reading:
Peter Schneider, "Saving Konrad Latte," 52-57, 72-73, 90, 95 (CR6).
Week
4 BLINDNESS, LIGHT, & INSIGHT
10/19 Reading:
Jacques
Lusseyran, And There Was Light,
1-250 (RT).
10/21 Reading:
Jacques
Lusseyran, And There Was Light,
251-316 (RT).
Second
half of class: Special Guest Lecture: STEVE WEHRMEIER
Reading:
"The Bill Wilson - Carl Jung Letters," 1-5 (CR7).
Reading:
Crispin Sartwell, Obscenity, Anarchy, Reality, 129-153 (focus
pages: 129-140, 150-153) (Library reserve).
Paper
II due in class.
Week
5 DAOISM: ZHUANGZI WANDERING THE DAO
10/26 Reading:
Zhuangzi,
1-30, 31- 88 (focus pages: 31-49, 62-63, 78-81) (RT).
Reading:
P.J. Ivanhoe, "Zhuangzi on Skepticism," 639-654 (CR9).
10/28
Reading: Zhuangzi,
89-140 (focus pages: 94-95, 126-140) (RT).Exam A in class.
Week
6 PURE LAND BUDDHISM: SHINRAN & COFFINMAN
11/2
Reading: Mark Unno, Key Terms: "Pure Land Buddhism of Honen &
Shinran" (CR11).
Reading:
Tannisho: A Shin Buddhist Classic, 5-11, 16-17, 35 (CR12).
Reading:
Mark Unno, "The Borderline between Buddhism and Psychotherapy,"
139-158 (CR12).
11/4
Reading: Coffinman,
xiii-xvi, 3-111 (RT).
Week
7 MYSTICISM & THE QUESTIONING OF REALITY
11/9 Film:
Jacob's Ladder
11/11 Reading:
Sandy
Gunther, " An Alternate View of Reality:
Understanding Mystical Experience in Jacob's Ladder," 1-10 (CR16).
Paper III due in class.
Week
8 SEXUALITY, EROS & SPIRIT: A WOMANIST ACCOUNT
11/16
Film: Antonia's Line
Reading:
Alice Walker, The Color Purple
(RT).
11/18 Reading:
Catherine
Keller, "The Ethic of Inseparability (CR14); Audre Lorde,
"The Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power," 53-59 (CR15).
Week
9 BUDDHIST KARMA, EXISTENTIAL ABSURDITY
11/23
Film: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, . . . and Spring
Again
11/25
Reading: Albert Camus, "The Myth of Sisyphus," 88-91 (CR17).
Reading:
"The Ten Oxherding Pictures," 26-45 (CR10). Exam B in class.
Week
10 CONCLUSIONS AND BEGINNINGS
11/30 Reading:
Robert
Akeret, Tales from a Travelling Couch,
19-57 (CR18).
12/2
Concluding Lecture and Discussion. Final papers due in
class.