I. ASCRC General Education Form (revised 2/8/13)
Use to propose new general education courses (except writing courses), to change or
renew existing gen ed courses and to remove designations for existing gen ed courses.
Note: One-time-only general education designation may be requested for experimental courses
(X91-previously X95), granted only for the semester taught. A NEW request must be
submitted for the course to receive subsequent general education status.
Group
II. Mathematics
VII: Social Sciences
(submit
III. Language
VIII: Ethics & Human Values
separate forms
III Exception: Symbolic Systems * IX: American & European
if requesting
IV: Expressive Arts
X: Indigenous & Global
x
more than one
V: Literary & Artistic Studies
XI: Natural Sciences
general
w/ lab  w/out lab 
education
VI: Historical & Cultural Studies
group
*Courses proposed for this designation must be standing requirements of
designation)
majors that qualify for exceptions to the modern and classical language
requirement
Dept/Program Liberal Studies
Course #
RLST 238
Course Title
Prerequisite
Japanese Religions
none
Credits
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office
Please type / print name Signature
Instructor
Bradley Clough
Phone / Email 2837/bradley.clough@mso.umt.edu
Program Chair Stewart Justman
Dean
Chris Comer
III. Type of request
New
One-time Only
Renew x
Reason for Gen Ed inclusion, change or deletion
Description of change
3
Date
2/18/14
Change
Remove
Japan has a long history--up to the
present day--of being one the
world’s most sophisticated cultures.
Japanese religions have played a
key role in contributing to the
richness of this land’ history. The
Japanese have typically embraced
not one but a multiple traditions,
namely Shintoism, Buddhism,
Confucianism, Taoism, and several
folk traditions, including
shamanism. By being exposed to
several of the world’s most
profound cultural systems, students
are bound to become more well
informed and better global citizens.
IV. Description and purpose of the general education course: General Education courses
must be introductory and foundational within the offering department or within the General
Education Group. They must emphasize breadth, context, and connectedness; and relate course
content to students’ future lives: See Preamble:
http://umt.edu/facultysenate/archives/minutes/gened/GE_preamble.aspx
This course will examine the history of Japanese religions as a continuous stream that has
synthesized elements from Shinto, Buddhist, Daoist and Confucian systems, together with
prominent folk traditions like shamanism, asceticism, and divination. The course will cover
major religious developments in Japanese history, such as the early clan mythologies of the
Jomon and Yayoi peoples, the Shinto-Buddhist syncretism and union of Buddhism and the
emperor’s law in the Asuka and Nara periods, the establishment of sectarian Buddhism in the
Heian period and under the Kamakura and Ashikaga shogunates, the influence of NeoConfucianism and Christianity in the Tokugawa era, the establishment of Shinto as the state
religion and persecution of Buddhism by the Meiji regime, and the triumph of non-elite “new
religions” following World War II. In addition to the subject of relations between religion and
state that so pervades the study of Japanese religions, we will also investigate several other
ongoing themes, such as aesthetic expressions of religious thought and notions of
embodiment in religious practice.
Students’ future lives will benefit, as this course will make them more well-informed and better
global citizens, by virtue of learning about the cultural traditions of one’s of the world’s greatest
civilizations.
V. Criteria: Briefly explain how this course meets the criteria for the group. See:
http://umt.edu/facultysenate/documents/forms/GE_Criteria5-1-08.aspx
Indigenous and/or global courses will familiarize
The Japanese Religions courses often looks
students with the values, histories, and institutions at how Japanese values, histories, and
of two or more societies through the uses of
institutions have been adopted from China,
comparative approaches.
and how they have since been adapted to
Chinese ways. This inevitably involves
comparison of the two civilizations.
Indigenous perspective courses address the
The course the history of religions in Japan
longstanding tenure of a particular people in a
from ancient to contemporary times, and
particular geographical region, their histories,
throughout the course we look sat the
cultures, and ways of living as well as their
constant interaction between Shinto,
interaction with other groups, indigenous and non- Buddhist, Daoist, Confucian, and folk
indigenous.
traditions.
Global perspective courses adopt a broad focus
with respect to time, place, and subject matter and
one that is transnational and/or multicultural/ethnic in nature. Whether the cultures or
societies under study are primarily historical or
contemporary, courses investigate significant
linkages or interactions that range across time and
space.
Again, this course continuously examines the
long-standing interactions between Japanese
and Chinese cultures and the many linkages
between the two.
VI. Student Learning Goals: Briefly explain how this course will meet the applicable learning
goals. See: http://umt.edu/facultysenate/documents/forms/GE_Criteria5-1-08.aspx
place human behavior and cultural ideas into a
One section of the course deals wi the
wider (global/indigenous) framework, and enhance many Japanese “New Religions,” which
their understanding of the complex
includes an investigation of how many of
interdependence of nations and societies and their
these religions have reached the West.
physical environments;
demonstrate an awareness of the diverse ways
humans structure their social, political, and cultural
lives;
analyze and compare the rights and responsibilities
of citizenship in the 21st century including those of
their own societies and cultures.
The academic study of religion involves indepth examination of how humans structure
their lives. This is one of the main areas that
religions address.
The course treats how the multiple
Japanese religions have coped with
modern developments, and this
treat involves moral issues such as rights
and responsibilities.
VII. Justification: Normally, general education courses will not carry pre-requisites, will carry
at least 3 credits, and will be numbered at the 100-200 level. If the course has more than one
pre-requisite, carries fewer than three credits, or is upper division (numbered above the 200
level), provide rationale for exception(s).
VIII. Syllabus: Paste syllabus below or attach and send digital copy with form.  The syllabus
should clearly describe how the above criteria are satisfied. For assistance on syllabus
preparation see: http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/syllabus.html
Japanese Religions
RELS 238
TR 9:40-11:00
LA 342
Dr. Brad Clough
Office Hours: TR 3:45-6:00 PM
bradley.clough@mso.umt.edu
Office: Liberal Arts 158
Office Phone: Ext. 2837
Home Phone: 493-1894
Course Description:
This course will examine the history of Japanese religions as a continuous stream that has
synthesized elements from Shinto, Buddhist, Daoist and Confucian systems, together with
prominent folk traditions like shamanism, asceticism, and divination. The course will cover
major religious developments in Japanese history, such as the early clan mythologies of the
Jomon and Yayoi peoples, the Shinto-Buddhist syncretism and union of Buddhism and the
emperor’s law in the Asuka and Nara periods, the establishment of sectarian Buddhism in the
Heian period and under the Kamakura and Ashikaga shogunates, the influence of NeoConfucianism and Christianity in the Tokugawa era, the establishment of Shinto as the state
religion and persecution of Buddhism by the Meiji regime, and the triumph of non-elite “new
religions” following World War II. In addition to the subject of relations between religion and
state that so pervades the study of Japanese religions, we will also investigate several other
ongoing themes, such as aesthetic expressions of religious thought and notions of
embodiment in religious practice.
Required Books (available at the campus bookstore):
Basho (Sam Hamill, tr.). Narrow Road to the Interior
deBary et al. Sources of Japanese Tradition, Vol.1
Earhart, H. Byron. Japanese Religion: Unity and Diversity
Haskel, Peter. Bankei Zen: Translations from the Record of Bankei
Hori, Ichiro. Folk Religion in Japan: Continuity and Change
Nelson, John. A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine
Pilgrim, Richard. Buddhism and the Arts of Japan
Requirements:
1) Class attendance, preparation, and participation. This aspect of the course cannot be
emphasized enough. Because this is a discussion-oriented course, each class is a true jointlearning venture, the success of which depends on every member not only having completed
the assigned reading for the day, but also having digested and reflected on it, and being
prepared for discussion. To facilitate this, for each class each student will prepare a typed list
of at least three questions or topics for discussion, which will be handed in, after being used in
class. Finally, it should go without saying that you cannot be considered a participant in class if
you do not actually attend class! The choice to attend class is of course yours, but missing
more than two classes without an excuse will seriously affect your final grade. Any excused
absence requires written authorization for Health Services, a doctor, an advisor, a counselor,
or administrator. Class participation will count for 20% of your final grade.
2) Two exams. Mid-Term and Final (each exam is 25% of the final grade)
3) Research Paper. This will be a research paper of 10-12 pages in length on a topic of your
choice. I will also be distributing a list of suggested topics. Please note that that a proposal and
bibliography are due on 3/18, and that a final version of the paper is due on 4/28 (30% of the
final grade).
Class Schedule and Assignments:
Tues. 1/28
Introduction to the Course
I.
Thurs. 1/30
Early Japanese Religion
Pre-Historic Society and Folk Religion I: Shamanism
Earhart: chapters 1-3
deBary: pp. 3-13
Hori: Chapter 5
Tues. 2/4
Early Shinto Mythology
Earhart: chapter 4
deBary: pp.13-31
II. The Introduction of Buddhism and Chinese Religions
Thurs. 2/6
The Background to Buddhism’s Arrival in Japan
Handout: chapters 2-4 from Damien Keown’s Buddhism: A Very Short
Introduction
Tues. 2/11
Background to Buddhism’s Arrival (cont.)
Handout: Keown, chapters 5-8
Thurs. 2/13
Prince Shotoku and the Rise of Buddhism
Earhart: pp. 41-45
deBary: pp.40-55
Tues. 2/18
The Nara Period: State Buddhism, Academic Buddhism, and the ShintoBuddhist Synthesis
Earhart: pp. 45-51
deBary: pp. 100-121
Pilgrim: pp. 1-25
Thurs. 2/20
Folk Religion II: Main Features & Their Relation to Social Structure
Earhart: chapter 7
Hori: chapters 1 & 2
Tues. 2/25
The Influence of Chinese Religion
Earhart: Chapters 6 & 8
debary: pp. 63-99.
III. Religion in the Heian Period
Thurs. 2/27
Saicho and Tendai Buddhism
Earhart: pp. 81-86, 91-94
deBary: pp. 123-152
Tues. 3/4 Kukai and Shingon Buddhism
Earhart: pp. 86-90, 94-96
deBary: pp. 153-196
Pilgrim: pp. 26-38
Thurs. 3/6 Folk Religion III: Mountain Asceticism
Hori: chapter 4
IV. Religion Under the Shoguns: The Kamakura and Ashikaga Periods
Tues. 3/11 Medieval Shinto
Earhart: chapter 11
deBary: pp. 336-363
Thurs. 3/13
Shrine Shinto: Ritual Worship & Festivals
Nelson: pp.3-59
Tues. 3/18 Shrine Shinto (cont.)
Nelson: pp. 63-166
**Research Paper Proposal & Bibliography Due**
Thurs. 3/20
Shrine Shinto (cont.)
Nelson: pp.167-225
Tues. 3/25 **Mid-Term Exam**
Thurs. 3/27
Nichiren & Faith in the Lotus Sutra
Earhart: pp. 205-210, 104-106
deBary: pp. 292-305
Tues. 4/8 Pure Land Buddhism
Earhart: pp. 101-104
Hori: 83-139
deBary: 211-230
Thurs. 4/10
Zen Buddhism: Introduction and Zen & the Arts
Earhart: pp. 106-113
deBary: pp. 306-335
Pilgrim: 39-66
V. Religion in the Tokugawa and Meiji Periods
Tues. 4/15
The Rise of Christianity, Neo-Confucianism, and Shinto, and the Decline
of Buddhism
Earhart: pp. 144-176
Selections of writings from Confucian revivalists
Thurs 4/17
Zen Renaissance I Zen and the Art of Poetry
Pilgrim: pp. 66-70
Basho: Narrow Road to the Interior
Tues. 4/22 Zen Renaissance II: Bankei’s “Unborn Zen”
Haskel: pp. 3-87
Thurs. 4/24
Zen Renaissance II (cont.)
Haskel: pp. 87-164
**Mon. 4/28 Research Papers Due**
VI. The Modern Period
Tues. 4/29 The Rise of the “New Religions”
Earhart: chapter 17
Thurs.5/1 Religion in Contemporary Japan
Earhart: chapters 18 and 19
Tues. 5/6 Final Exam Review
Thurs. 5/8 Final Exam Review
**Final Exam Date and Time TBA**
Please note: Approved general education changes will take effect next fall.
General education instructors will be expected to provide sample assessment items and
corresponding responses to the Assessment Advisory Committee.