THRS 333 - Buddhism and Gender

5 credit hours

This course examines how male and female imagery and gender roles are constructed and transformed in various Buddhist traditions - Theravada (Southeast Asia), Mahayana (China, Japan and Korea) and Vajrayana (Tibet). The course explores how women who have traditionally been excluded from full participation in monastic life in various sects of Buddhism, have nonetheless made significant spaces and contributions to the religious tradition. Students will examine how traditional Buddhism may have placed limits on the full participation of women and how, in turn, women throughout history have sought to recreate and revise these teachings in order to develop their own subjectivities as active agents in the Buddhist world. By examining Buddhism in the contemporary world, particularly in Seattle’s Asian American communities, students will be introduced to the multi-ethnic and racial diversity that comprises Seattle. WR