BSTD 101: Buddhist Traditions: History and Culture I

This course surveys the development of Buddhism in South and SE Asia. Through a primarily historical lens, students become familiar with the context within which Buddhism arose, and study critically the various developments and transformations of Buddhist institutions, doctrines and practices through the tradition’s evolution in its native land. This course also looks at the results of the migration of Buddhism into other areas of South East Asia. Together with BSTD 102, students focus on developing essential academic skills: 1) how to read and critically assess different kinds of sources, 2) how to write for different kinds of assignments (summaries, reflections, analytic essays and longer papers), 3) how to frame a research project, build a bibliography, and properly cite sources, and 4) how to manage time and study effectively.

Prerequisites

None.