| Unit name | The Body in East Asian Thought and Practices |
|---|---|
| Unit code | THRSM0133 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Lomi |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Religion and Theology |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Unit Information
This unit examines the ways in which the human body has been imagined, represented, and problematised by different East Asian religious and philosophical traditions. We will focus specifically on Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and on Chinese and Japanese traditional medical and divinatory contexts. We will learn to appreciate their differences, but also recognise shared concerns, conceptualisations, and techniques to manipulate the body for healing, longevity, and awakening. Through a close examination of a selection of textual, visual and material sources, paired with scholarly writings, you will be challenged not only to reflect on those conceptual tools developed to deal with the human body in East Asia, but also to gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of the body as a primary site for moral cultivation, religious practice and, eventually, liberation.
Why is this unit important?
The class is open to all students interested in learning about East Asian religious and philosophical traditions, examining the way the physical body has been conceptualised in these contexts historically, and even reflecting on why are made in a certain way and not another. There are no formal prerequisites, although students will benefit if they have taken Living Religions East, The Body Gender and Religion, as well as other Asian religion units taught in the department of Religion and Theology or in the University.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
Specialist subject options are offered in the final years of the Religion and Theology MArts programmes, and as part of some school and faculty MA programmes. It is standard practice for MArts to take three specialist options, and for MAs to take at least three, d, depending on their programme. The portfolio of units available will change from year to year based on staff availability, but it will consistently represent a full range of research strengths across the English department, as well as demonstrating our commitment to supporting choice and providing increased optionality as students’ progress through their programme.
Your learning on this unit
As part of this unit, you will be exposed to different ways in which the body has been conceptualised in Confucian, Daoist, Buddhist, and medical contexts, in premodern China and Japan. Each week we will focus on a specific way of framing the body, through a close analysis of primary sources in translation, ritual practices, as well as visual materials. The themes covered will range from the relationship between body and mind, body, society, and cosmos, and body, aesthetic, and ethics, to issues of body modification, transcendence, and immortality. This examination has two broad aims. The first is that of probing the supposed lack of body-mind distinction in East Asian thought against textual, visual, and practical examples. The second, related aim, is that of questioning the idea of the body as a single, compounded entity.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
You will learn to problematise oversimplified claims over the lack of mind-body distinction in East Asian cultures, become accustomed with different physiological and somatic models, and learn about practices aimed at manipulating the body for soteriological, healing, longevity and soteriological purposes. To do so, you will be exposed to key primary sources in translation, but also literary and visual works, and be guided, through class discussions and targeted exercises, to appraise both insider discourses and claims, as well as leading scholarly works.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
Classes will involve a combination of long- and short-form lectures, class discussion, investigative activities, and practical activities. Students will be expected to engage with readings and participate on a weekly basis. This will be further supported with drop-in sessions and self-directed exercises with tutor and peer feedback.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative): ?
Seminar Leading Skills (15%) [ILOs 1, 5]
1 X 4500-word research essay (85%) [ILOs 2-4].
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the format or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are confirmed by the School/Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. THRSM0133).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
