Introduction to Asian Religions

Religions of the World: Eastern
Professor Charles Ess. Drury University. Eastern religions survey course with selected lecture notes.

Religions of Asia
Professor Carol Anderson. Kalamazoo College. Asian religions survey course.

Religions of East Asia
Professor Victor Hori. McGill University. East Asian religions introductory survey course which includes information on modern developments and the New Religions of Japan. Includes paper assignments.

Religions of Asia
Professor Joe Wilson. University of North Carolina, Wilmington. Introduction to the religions of East Asia with related Internet links.

East Asian Religions
Professor Dr. Zimany. Blackburn College. Introductory survey course on Asian religions.

Introduction to Buddhism

Buddhist Traditions
Professor Ivan Strenski. University of California, Riverside. Buddhism survey course.

Buddhism Past and Present
On-line course on the history of Indian Buddhism taught by Peter Friedlander via Internet or correspondence. The entire course, including lectures, tutorials and a reading list, is on-line. The lectures include Buddhist philosophy, history, texts, and art.

Buddhism: Thought and Action
Professor Jeffrey Timm. Wheaton College. Course addresses the question "What is Buddhism?" Examines several Buddhist traditions.

Buddhist Traditions
Professor James S. Dalton. Siena College. Introductory survey course on the history, development and structure of the religious traditions of Buddhism. Includes a detailed course outline with discussion of various topics.

Buddhism
Professor Kate Blackstone. University of Manitoba. Survey course which explores different Buddhist traditions with a focus on the transformation of Buddhism as it entered different cultural regions.

Buddhism
Professor John Cort. Denison University. A historical and thematic survey course of Buddhism from the time of the Buddha through the present. Examines how Buddhism has changed over time in Asia and North America.

Theravada

Theravada Buddhism
Professor Richard Hayes. McGill University. Explores the evolution of doctrines, practices and institutions as they are described in the Pali canon and other key Theravada texts. 

Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand
Professor Mahinda Deegalle. McGill University. Explores historical, social, doctrinal and philosophical aspects of Theravada Buddhism in South Asia.

Mahayana

Buddhism in East Asia
Professor Carol Anderson. Kalamazoo College. Examines the evolution of Buddhist teachings, sociological data and the relationship of Buddhism to other traditions in East Asia.

Mahayana Buddhism
Professor Victor Hori. McGill University. Survey of the philosophical concepts and some of the narrative imagination of Mahayana Buddhism. 

The Lotus Sutra: A Course in Mahayana Buddhism
A collection of syllabi from several professors and detailed background information on several topics about the Lotus Sutra.

Zen

Zen: Maxims and Methods
Professor Victor Hori. McGill University. This survey course on Zen Buddhism covers the Buddhist background from which Zen developed, Japanese Zen monastic practices, and some recent critical controversies regarding Zen art and Zen as nationalism.

Zen Buddhism
Professor Joseph Adler. Kenyon College. This course concentrates on Japan and China, with some discussion of Korea and the United States. Includes links to Zen Buddhism sites.

Zen
Professor Peter Gregory. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Course on Zen Buddhism; includes syllabus, paper topics, and reading suggestions.
 
 

Tibetan

Japanese

Japanese Philosophy and Religion
Professor David Jones. Upper level introductory course on Japanese religion and philosophy from ancient to modern times.

Chinese

Neo-Confucianism and Chinese Buddhism
Professor Bryan Van Norden. Vassar College. Survey philosophy course on Neo-Confucianism and Chinese Buddhism. Includes background notes and a glossary of Buddhist terms.

Buddhism in the West

Buddhist Worlds in the U.S.A.
Professor Richard Seager. Hamilton College. Course on Buddhism in America. Explores a variety of traditions and themes involving Buddhism’s development in American culture.

Specific Themes

Buddhist Metaphysics: Mahayana in Theravada
Professor Mahinda Deegalle. McGill University. Examines the interactions between Mahayana Buddhist Schools and Theravada religious establishments in Sri Lanka.

Buddhism and the Social Order
Professor Steven Kemper. Bates College. Anthropology course on Buddhism and the Social Order. Examines Buddhism’s religious teachings, but focuses on its social and political role. Includes Internet links on related topics.

Buddhism and Ecology
Professor Fred Allendorf. International Society for Environmental Ethics Syllabus Project. Course on Buddhism and Ecology.

Crosscultural Religions: Buddhism and Christianity
Professor Karen Louise Jolly. University of Hawaii, Manoa. Course on the Spread of Buddhism and Christianity. Many Internet links on related topics and images.

World Religions: Wisdom and Compassion
An introduction to the study of religion through three traditions: Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity. The course examines how we approach the study of religion and explores the world views, lives and practices of Hindus, Buddhists and Christians.

Asian and Buddhist Art

The Arts of Buddhism
Professor Catherine Pagani. University of Alabama. Survey course on Buddhist art, includes a bibliography and paper topics.

The Wheel of Life
On-line art lesson based on the Wheel of Life. Provides explanations for each part of the image. (Under construction, but what is there is useful.)

Art of the Silk Route
Professor Esther Jacobson. University of Oregon. Syllabus for a course on art of the Silk Route; includes Buddhist content. 

Ideas and Forms in Asian Art
Professor Melinda Takeuchi. Stanford University. Syllabus, paper topics, and many Internet links.

Syllabus Archives

Columbia University’s Religious Studies syllabus archive
A wide selection of Religious Studies syllabi from 1996 to the present. 

Asian Studies Development Program’s (University of Hawai’i) database of religious studies syllabi
Syllabi for a wide variety of Asian Studies topics, including religion.

Syllabi Page by Joe Wilson
The syllabi of Joe Wilson, professor of Asian Philosophy and Religion at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington.

Asia for Educators
Site hosted by Columbia University. Detailed and far-reaching collection of teaching aids on Asia. Includes workbooks and lesson plans.

America Academy of Religions Syllabi Project
Database of religious studies syllabi, including several courses on Buddhism; also contains links to other academic resources. 

Comparative Religion Page of Professor Bruce Matthews of Acadia University
Contains syllabi for courses on South Asian culture and introduction to Asian culture.

Other Resources

East Asian Studies: A Guide for Teachers
By Mara Pinto Oess. Provides resources such as lesson plans and maps for high school level introduction to Asian studies; includes a brief introduction to Buddhism.

Exploring Religions
University of Wyoming’s Introduction to Buddhism Page. Includes assigned readings, glossary and web links.

The Buddha and Four Disciples
Princeton High School Virtual Museum. Interactive introduction to Buddhism lesson based on an on-line image of the Buddha with links to specific topics such as the Four Noble Truths, 32 marks, mudras etc. Geared towards younger students.

Teaching Bhutan
Teaching Bhutan. On-line version of the PBS program. Includes a lesson on "Buddhism and Ecology."