UGD232L

Buddhism and Contemporary Life

Faculty
Prof. Xue Yu

Course Description
(This course is double-coded with CRS3145.) (Cultural Studies, Religious Studies and Theology Majors and Minors; and students who have taken CRS3145, UGD233L or 241L cannot take this course to fulfil General Education requirements.) This course studies Buddhism and contemporary life in the context of the new development of Buddhism. It examines how Buddhism is reinvented and re-conceptualized to make it meaningful for men and women living in modern complex society of the information age. Based on the recent development of Buddhism in both Asia and in the West, this course discusses how Buddhism responds to contemporary issues facing contemporary men and women. Topics include the Buddhist approach to economic development and human right, pollution and biotechnology, feminism, Buddhist ethics and the issues of abortion, euthanasia and suicide, Buddhism and interfaith dialogue.

Course outline