THRS 3321 - Socially Engaged Buddhism

5 credit hours
Socially Engaged Buddhism introduces students to the integral relationship between Buddhism and social justice movements. Often misconstrued as an otherworldly practice focused on inward transformation, popular portrayals of Buddhism have neglected the tradition’s vital political, social, and economic dimensions. In this course, students will deconstruct this negative portrayal of the religious tradition through in depth analysis of the ethical dimensions of Buddhist philosophy and practice that support and compel deep engagement in and commitment to transformation for the common good. In so doing, Socially Engaged Buddhism interrogates the relationship between the personal and social manifestations of Buddhist thought and practice and investigates the roles Buddhist thinkers, organizations, and institutions have played in social justice movements.