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RELS586 Buddhism: A History

Updated: 07 January 2010
Credit Points 6
Offering Not offered in 2010
Intensive School(s)
Start Finish Attendance Notes
N/A N/A Non-Mandatory
Supervised Exam There is no UNE Supervised Examination.
Pre-requisites candidature in a postgraduate award
Co-requisites None
Restrictions HIST386 or HIST486 or HIST586 or RELS305 or RELS405 or RELS386
Notes None
Combined Units RELS386 - Buddhism: A History
Coordinator(s) Mun-Keat Choong (mchoong@une.edu.au)
Unit Description

The unit presents a study of the historical development of Buddhism from its origins to modern times. It includes early Indian Buddhism and the major historical and regional varieties of the Buddhist tradition. The aim is to provide a good general knowledge of the religion and a firm foundation for further study.
Prescribed Material
Mandatory 		Text(s):

Note: Students are expected to purchase prescribed material

A Concise History of Buddhism
ISBN: 9780904766929
Skilton, A., Whitehorse Publication 2nd ed. 2000
Text refers to: Semester 1 , On and Off Campus
What the Buddha Taught
ISBN: 9781851681426
Walpola, R., One World Publications 1997
Text refers to: Semester 1 , On and Off Campus
Disclaimer Unit information may be subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Assessment
Title Exam Length Weight Mode No. Words
Assignment 1 30% 2500
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1-3 GA: 1-6
Assignment 2 55% 3000
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1-3 GA: 1-6
Exercise 15% 1500
Assessment Notes
Participation exercise
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1-3 GA: 1-6

Learning Outcomes (LO) Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
  1. understand and discuss critically and deeply the principal aspects of Buddhist history;
  2. critically analyse the fundamental issues of Buddhist tradition deeply;
  3. recognise and evaluate some of the claims and practices of contemporary Buddhism in the east and west.

Graduate Attributes (GA)
Attribute Taught Assessed Practised
1 Knowledge of a Discipline
Knowledge of the studies in religion discipline will be taught in a seminar atmosphere. It will be assessed in all of the assessments. 		True True
2 Communication Skills
Students will be taught communication skills through written and oral feedback on the essay and online components of the unit. Students studying on-campus will learn valuable communication skills through participation in seminars. Students will be assessed on the style of writing, clarity of writing, expression and development of ideas, and referencing. Students will practice their communication skills through completing the assessment tasks (written through their essays and online participation exercise). 		True True True
3 Global Perspectives
This unit concentrates on a comparative perspective on Buddism and this means it has an inherently global aspect. Buddhism is one of these units that require students to learn a global perspective through the basic content of the unit and the models of analysis provided. A global perspective is both practised and assessed in written and online assessment work. 		True True
4 Information Literacy
Students will be taught, and directed, to relevant Buddhism literature and how to assess its validity. Students will be assessed (through their essays and participation exercise) on their ability to identify relevant literature, and on their ability to critically analyse the literature. 		True True
5 Life-Long Learning
Through completing the assessments, students will be provided with the necessary lifelong skills to be able to research, write and discuss social issues. These skills can be transferred to any discipline, and will be useful in any research positions. These attributes will be assessed in all of the assessments (written skills; analytical skills). In addition, students who attend the weekly seminar will be provided with the skills to debate contentious topics and develop their understanding of a topic through group activities. 		True True
6 Problem Solving
Students will be assessed on their ability to deconstruct the essay question and to integrate theory and literature into their answer. Students will need to work out how to address the question and where the most appropriate material is to answer the question. 		True
7 Social Responsibility
Within the unit there are specific discussions concerning ethics in relation to the interpretation of texts, especially texts of other cultures than the students' own. Students are expected to practise such ethical approaches to Buddhism when doing their assignment work and in their online postings. 		True True
8 Team Work
Team work applies in general to discussions between students on Blackboard about problems they encounter or interesting questions for discussion. 		True
   

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