This course provides an introduction to the ways that religion in Asia have explored the central themes, issues and questions of human existence. How do religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism (and Asian Islam and Christianity) make sense of life, the universe and all things? How appropriate are Western assumptions about religion, God, and faith when seeing to understand Asian worldviews and practices?

Lectures: Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at 12pm over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus; weekly one hour seminar (choice of times) over 8 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus

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Essay (1500 words) - 50%

Written examination (90 minutes) - 50%

This course aims to:

■ Examine the central traditions and customs of a range of religions in Asia

■ Help students to question how assumptions about religion in the West may not be appropriate in Asia

■ Assist students in exploring some of the hermeneutical issues involved in studying religions in Asia

■ Widen the students' perspective of the scope of religion

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Describe and analyse one or more key features of some of the religions in Asia

■ Analyse what is meant by "religion", "faith", and "divine" when applied to the religions in Asia

■ Display an appreciation of internal diversity within any one religion

■ Reflect meaningfully on the problems involved when translating one religion in the region.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.