Asia is the largest continent in the world, and it has some
of the oldest religious and philosophical traditions. There are several reasons
why we need to study Asia. Historically, Asian cultures such as those of India
and China provide the longest sustainable examples of pluralistic cultures,
potentially useful models for the world. Secondly, for the last two centuries,
the world has embraced many Asian cultural elements, such as Emerson, the
Beatles, Dr. Martin Luther King, Yoga, Vegetarianism, and new words such as
guru, mantra, pundit, karma, and nirvana, are some examples of these
connections. Thirdly, today’s economic and political globalization demands that
we better understand cultures that provide many products and services.
Fourthly, Asian people are not just located in the “Far East” but they can now
be found in almost every corporation, college, and corner worldwide. And
finally, studying Asian (or any non-Western) cultures can provide new ways to
study the Western cultures in terms of the latest ways of defining
long-accepted categories such as “god”, “religion”, “philosophy”, “secular”,
“culture”, “science”, and “history”.
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Week
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Topics |
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Introduction to Asia |
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Indian Traditions |
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Chinese Traditions |
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Japanese Traditions |
Embree,
Ainslee, ed. The Hindu Tradition. Vintage Books. 1977.
Cook,
Francis Dojun. How to Raise an Ox.
Third edition. Center Publications. 1990.
de
Bary, Wm. T., The Buddhist Tradition in India, China, and Japan. Vintage Books. 1972.
Sargeant,
Winthrop. The Bhagavad Gita. SUNY Press. 2009.
Kitagawa,
Joseph. Religion in Japanese History. Columbia University Press, 1990.
Lau,
D.C., trans. The Analects of Confucius.
Penguin Books. 1979.
Lau,
D.C., trans. Tao Te Ching. Penguin Books. 1963.
Wright,
Arthur. Buddhism in Chinese History. Stanford University Press. 1971.
Dundas,
Paul. The Jains. Routledge. 2002.
Professor
Pankaj Jain is a prominent scholar in Dharmic Ecology, Jain Studies, Film
Studies, and Diaspora Studies, with nearly 30 years of experience in academia
and the corporate sector. He is the Director of the India Centre and HoD of
Humanities & Languages at FLAME University. Previously, he was the founding
co-chair of the India Initiatives Group and an Associate Professor at the
University of North Texas. Dr Jain holds a PhD from the University of Iowa, an
M.A. from Columbia University, and a B.E. from Karnatak University. He has
published several monographs, including Modern Jainism, Dharma in America,
Science and Socio-Religious Revolution in India, and Dharma and Ecology of
Hindu Communities. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington
Post, and Morgan Freeman's The Story of God series.
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