Religious Studies 240 - Buddhism/ Religious Images

Institution:

Macalester College

Subject:

Description:

Art, in one form or another, plays an important but often ignored role in all religions. This is especially true of Buddhism, which is sometimes misunderstood to be nothing more than a rational philosophy. In this class, we will explore the importance of religious images in the Buddhist tradition focusing on status but sometimes including two-dimensional representation in our discussions. We will address issues such as whether images represent a deity or instead become the actual deity; the ideas images can relate that cannot be conveyed through a text; whether those seeking to spread religious teachings consciously use the images as a tool, or whether they do so as a natural outgrowth of their teachings; and a comparison of the favored images of various Buddhist schools and Asian countries. Our focus will not be on the methods through which particular objects were constructed but rather the function which they served. Not offered 2008-2009. (4 credits)

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.macalester.edu

Phone Number:

(651) 696-6000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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