Religious Studies 353W09 Dark Self East & West: Comparative Conceptions CRN 25511

Instructor: Mark T. Unno, Tel. 346-4973 munno (at) uoregon (dot) edu http://www.uoregon.edu/~munno/
MW 12:00 - 1:50 p.m. Esslinger 116; Office Hours: Wednesdays 2:00-4:30 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.
6. Email accounts. Students should all have email accounts. Your email address will be used to communicate with you during the course.

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
(Entries given below follow footnote/endnote format.)
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.