Introduction to Religions (Asian Traditions) is a historical and topical survey of the major indigenous religions of Asia: Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Shinto.

In this course, we will examine the concept of religion and some examples of the phenomenon of religion from Asia in order to understand the doctrines and practices of Asian traditions and the existential needs that religious behaviour meets. The focus will be on the historical developments of these traditions and the fundamental issues and concerns of their theologies and philosophies.

The primary emphasis of the course is twofold: to gain a basic understanding of Asian religious traditions in terms of their histories and doctrines, and in so doing to gain new perspectives on our own various traditions.

Two 3,000 word research essays or two examinations of equal length (35% each) and

Tutorial performance (30%).

Two hours of lectures and one one-hour tutorial a week.

No prerequisites.

RELS1001 Religious Studies I