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Course and Unit Catalogue 2013

Armidale, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA

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2007200820092010201120122013

RELS586 Buddhism: A History

Updated: 12 March 2012

Unit Information
Additional Information

Credit Points	6
Offering	Not offered in 2013
Intensive School(s)	None
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 historical study of Buddhism from its origins to modern times. It includes early Indian Buddhism and the major historical and regional varieties of the Buddhist tradition. Particular attention is paid to the fundamental teachings of Early Buddhism. The aim is to provide a good general knowledge of the religion and a firm foundation for further study.
Materials	Textbook information will be displayed approximately 8 weeks prior to the commencement of the teaching period. Please note that textbook requirements may vary from one teaching period to the next.
Disclaimer	Unit information may be subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.

Assessment

Assessment information will be published prior to commencement of the teaching period.

Learning Outcomes (LO)

Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:

understand and critically analyse the fundamental teachings of Early Buddhism (the foundations of Buddhism) systematically;
demonstrate and critically analyse the principal aspects of Buddhist history (the historical development of Buddhism from its origins) systematically; and
demonstrate a sophisticated knowledge and understanding of the fundamental teachings and practices of Buddhist tradition.

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.
2	Communication Skills This attribute relates primarily to written communication skills in assignment work. The skills are practised and assessed in this format, with the assessment including learning activities in the considerable feedback given with regard both to style and content of the written work.
3	Global Perspectives This unit concentrates on a comparative perspective on This unit requires students to appreciate 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 assessment work.
4	Information Literacy In this unit, each student is encouraged to be an active participant in an online component. The study guide gives information on e-resources, online academic skills sites, and library resources relevant to the unit. Students are expected to make use of Internet/online information for some assignment work.
5	Life-Long Learning In this unit the basic analytical models and tools which are taught are those which can be applied in any reading of religious texts. Students are taught to use the tools with a view to being able to practise this type of analysis long after their studies are completed. A general interest in continued learning about aspects of studies in religion is also encouraged in the unit.
6	Problem Solving Students are taught the use of analytical tools in a number of situations and then are required to practise these skills on an unknown 'problem' situation via the first assessment item. It is one form of problem solving.
7	Social Responsibility Within this unit there are specific discussions concerning ethics in relation to the interpretation of texts, especially texts of other cultures than the student's own. Students are expected to practise such ethical approaches to the study of Buddhism when doing their assignment work and in their online postings.
8	Team Work Team work applies in general to discussions between students using the online component or in internal classes about problems they encounter or interesting questions for discussion.Students are encouraged to communicate with each other in this way on the online Bulletin/Discussion board or in on-campus classes.