REL 249 Spiritual Crossroads: Religious Life in Southeast Asia (Same as Anthropology 233 and Asian Studies 233) (Not offered 2008-2009; to be offered 2009-2010) (D)

ANTH 233 Spiritual Crossroads: Religious Life in Southeast Asia (Same as Asian Studies 233 and Religion 249) (Not offered 2008-2009; to be offered 2009-2010) (D)
No region of the world presents a richer tapestry of religious beliefs, practices, and institutions than Southeast Asia. Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam are all to be found and all of them interpenetrate and contend with each other and with a deep undergirding of animism, shamanism, and mystical folk belief systems. This course will survey these religious traditions through time and space, looking in particular at the growing tension between religion and the state as fundamentalism and religious militancy have spread into the region in recent times. All of Southeast Asia will be covered, but particular attention will be devoted to Indonesia, where religious blending and the growth of new fundamentalism are both especially marked.
Format: seminar. Requirements: mid-term, short essays, term paper.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 19 (expected: 15). Open to non-majors.
JUST