DATE 
 TOPICS/READINGS
8/25 Religious Pluralism in Japan: Turning to the Gods in Times of Trouble
Religion in Contemporary Japan (RCJ): 1-22 • Defining Religion
8/30 Religious Foundations of Prehistoric Japan
Introducing Japanese Religion (IJR): 1-21, 58-64, 90-93 • Sources of Japanese Tradition (SJT): 3-9
9/1Land of the Rising Sun Goddess: Amaterasu and the Way of the Kami
RCJ: 55-76 • SJT: 13-28
9/6		 Through the Torii: The Experience of Shinto
Shinto: The Way Home (SWH): 1-37 • IJR: 28-31
9/8		 Living Shinto: Everyday Connectedness
SWH: 38-70 • IJR: 25-28, 67-76
9/13		 MOVIE: Spirited Away, Part I (Meiley-Swallow/Thrust Theater)
Ningenkan • Kannagara • Shinto and Human Life
9/15 		MOVIE: Spirited Away, Part II (Meiley-Swallow/Thrust Theater)
Tradition vs. Innovation and the Creatures in Spirited Away • Shinto Perspectives
9/20		BUDDHIST MEDITATION (12:00-1:00 PM)
Heininger Hall, LAC
9/20Siddhartha Gautama: The Historical Buddha
IJR: 78-82 • The Life of the Buddha
9/22 The Development of Mahayana Buddhism
Mahayana Buddhism • IJR: 82-88 • SJT: 55-62, 108-111 • Cinema Review #1: Spirited Away
9/27 Politics and Religion in Early Japan: The Integreation of Buddhism, Shinto & Confucianism
IJR: 93-99 • SWH: 71-91 • RCJ: 23-40
9/29 Heian Buddhism: Shingon
IJR: 102-112, 32-34 • SJT: 153-168, 175-180 • Goma Fire Ritual
10/4Heian Buddhism: Tendai
IJR: 112-118, 34-35 • SJT: 123-152
10/6Kamakura Buddhism: Pure Land
IJR: 121-134, 35-38 • SJT: 205-230 • Nembutsu
10/11Kamakura Buddhism: Nichiren
IJR: 134-139, 39-41 • SJT: 292-305 • Daimoku
10/13Kamakura Buddhism: Zen
IJR: 142-152, 38-39 • SJT: 306-328 • Eiheiji
10/18		 FALL BREAK
10/19		MINDFULNESS MEDITATION (4:00-5:00 PM)
Heininger Hall, LAC
10/20Zen and Japanese Culture
IJR: 152-165 • SJT: 364-372, 387-388 • Archery • Gardens • Calligraphy • Noh
10/23		 NICHIREN TEMPLE VISIT (9:45-11:45 am)
1S100 Route 59, West Chicago, IL 60185 • 630-293-5235
10/25The Japanese Tea Ceremony • Myogyoji: The Meaning of Faith • Nichiren Juzu Beads
SJT: 388-398 • Zen and the Art of Tea
10/27		JEWISH MEDITATION (12:00-1:00 PM)
Heininger Hall, LAC
10/27 Religion in Medieval and Early ModernJapan
SJT: 336-341 • SWH: 92-118 • IJR: 168-185
11/1 Zen, Death, and the Ancestors
RCJ: 40-47, 77-106 • IJR: 53-54 • Temple Visit Paper
11/3The Meiji Restoration: Shinto and the State
IJR: 188-205 • SWH: 119-140
11/8
Religion in Postwar Japan
IJR: 232-252, 43-53 • SWH: 140-147
11/10The “New Religions”: Mixing Old Wines in a New Bottle?
RCJ: 194-233
11/15
 MOVIE: The Great Yokai War, Part I (Wentz SC, Stevenson Hall 202 West Room 32)
Yokai: Fantastic Creatures of Japanese Folklore • Kirin • Yasunori Kato • Sunekosuri • Kawahime • Shojo • Kappa • Daitengu • Ippondatara • Nurarihyon • Azuki Arai • Rokurokubi
11/17		 MOVIE: The Great Yokai War, Part II (Wentz SC, Stevenson Hall 202 West Room 32)
Mortuary Rites for Inanimate Objects • How Japanese Religion Influenced Pokemon
11/22Sites and Sights: Temples and Shrines as Centers of Power and Enlightenment
RCJ: 134-167
11/24		 THANKSGIVING
11/29 Actions, Amulets and the Expression of Meaning: Reflections of Need and Statements of Desire • Final Exam Overview
RCJ: 168-193 • Cinema Review #2: The Great Yokai War
12/1		MINDFULNESS MEDITATION (4:00-5:00 PM)
Heininger Hall, LAC
12/1Shugendo: The Way of Cultivating Ascetic Powers
 Onmark/Shugendo • Shugendo Rituals
12/6 The Perennial Popularity of Religious Pilgrimage
Onmark/Pilgrimage 1 • Onmark/Pilgrimage 2 • Ohenro
12/8 Religious Pluralism in Contemporary Japan: Concluding Reflections
SWH: 148-170 • RCJ: 234-243 • Contemplative Event Paper?
12/13
 Final Exam
Tuesday, December 13, 4:00-6:00 pm