| Unit name | Sex, Humour, and Piety: Life in the Ancient and Medieval Buddhist Monastery |
|---|---|
| Unit code | THRSM0141 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Shiri |
| 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
When one imagines a Buddhist monk, the image that comes to mind is often that of an aloof individual, divorced from all worldly affairs, spending their days immersed in meditation and doctrinal contemplation. As this unit will show, life in the medieval Buddhist monastery were a far cry from this picture. Monks from the turn of the Common Era to the early medieval period in India (circa 1st –6th centuries), one of the most formative periods of Buddhism in history, were often involved in sex scandals, business transactions, altercations with their patrons, storytelling, and yes, sometimes even meditation.
Why is this unit important?
By exploring the Monastic Law Codes (Vinaya) alongside other Buddhist sources — this unit will challenge many of the common presuppositions and biases about monasticism and Buddhism prevalent in academia and popular culture. Although composed and compiled in ancient India, these texts are still transmitted and inform the practice of Buddhist monastics today. This genre of Buddhist literature, filled with stories and humour, is one of the most versatile and intimate of all, as it was written by monastics and for monastics alone.
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.
An overview of content
As part of this unit, you will get a unique insight into the life of Buddhist monastics in medieval, by engaging with foundational primary sources in translation. We will examine a variety of topics, including but not limited to family ties; sexuality and celibacy; gender roles in the monastic community (sangha); material culture and business; monks and animals; art and architecture in the monastery; festivals and rituals; the monks as storytellers; humour.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
You will learn to critically engage with a religious primary source, in order to be able to navigate normative (and often gender biased) religious narratives versus claims to historicity. You will also become familiar with both the emic perspective of a Buddhist practitioner, and an etic perspective of western scholarship.
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the 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):
500 word portfolio (10%) [ILO 1-5, 7]
4,000 word Essay (70%) [ILO 1-5, 7]
2 x Seminar-discussion leading (20%) [ILO 6]
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. THRSM0141).
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.
