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Fall 2018: Asian Religions and Spirituality in America — COLA 1500-029

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Title

Fall 2018: Asian Religions and Spirituality in America — COLA 1500-029

When

Tue. Aug 28, 2018 - Fri. Dec 7, 2018 (15 weeks)
Every Tuesday from 2:00 PM to 3:15 PM

Where

Lower West Oval Room 102

This course will explore the varied roles in American culture of Asian religions, particularly forms of Buddhism and Hinduism. One goal will be to learn how these traditions have taken hold in the U.S. (at different times and places and in different ways). We will explore the originary links between Asia and America as Asian traditions arrive and then explore case studies (e.g., Japanese interment, yoga, and mindfulness meditation) that enable us to trace different traditions’ fortunes in the American scene. Such explorations will allow us to consider what the relative success of these traditions and movements, as well as the ways they change and evolve in American culture, can tell us about the nature of spirituality and religious change in the U.S. (and even abroad, as the two realms are enmeshed in our globalized world).
 
* 1 credit
 
Instructor: Erik Braun (ecb2j@virginia.edu)
 
COLA courses are 1-credit seminars capped at 18 UVA open to all new first-year students enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences, all of whom are also assigned to the instructor as advisees. They are topically focused on an area identified by the faculty member; they also include a significant advising component centered on undergraduate issues (e.g., choosing a major, study abroad opportunities, undergraduate research, etc.). For more about COLA, see here