2015年度

＜概要/Course Content Summary＞

This is a seminar to learn about both Japanese religions and the monotheistic religions. The course takes a comparative approach， and some material will be read in English. Each participant is required to have enough ability to carry out the English conversation.　
All established religions share the following four characteristics: a belief system， customary rituals， protocols and ethics. Monotheistic religions hold to the belief of one supreme God. This God is believed to have created the world and all its inhabitants. Typical rituals of monotheistic religions include prayer， fasting， pilgrimage and other acts of devotion. Monotheistic protocol governs acts such as marriage， divorce， inheritance， commerce， etc. In the terms of ethics， there are principles of justice， equality， human dignity and other common values like honesty， kindness， cooperation， mastery of work forgiveness， seeking knowledge etc. Needless to say， Japanese religions have fundamentally different characteristics from the monotheistic ones. But are these differences so basic and comprehensive that they lack any point of commonality? To answer this question， we will attempt a comparative investigation into Japanese and monotheistic religions.

＜到達目標/Goals,Aims＞

Students will learn about the basic components/features/characteristics of Japanese and monotheistic religions and conduct a comparative study of them. They will also learn how to find a common base on which they can build a fruitful dialogue with scholars of other religions both inside and outside Japan. Additionally， students will gain the ability to explicate Japanese religions and culture methodically.

＜授業計画/Schedule＞

This course will be conducted in English. 　　
This syllabus will be subject to changes and/or revisions.

＜成績評価基準/Evaluation Criteria＞

1) Attendance and Participation 　　
Assumed are active participation in and contribution to the class. Students are urged to have done the required reading before the class. It will provide the background and framework for lecturers and discussions. 　　
You need to read in advance all pages assigned for each particular week. The amount of reading is limited to an easily manageable number of pages and， with the exception of a documented emergency， no excuse will be accepted for not doing the reading. In every class， each student should be prepared to conduct a discussion on the reading materials or the topics they involve. 　　
A quick reading of the materials is often not sufficient to assimilate their contents. For each reading material you will need to take at least one full page of notes for yourself. Rather than facts， write down reminders concerning ideas that the text suggests， issues that you do not find clear， or any other elements of reflection that may trigger further elaboration in your own papers or be useful for the class discussions. 　　
2) Presentation and Paper 　　
Students will be required to give a short presentation and write a paper based on the presentation. The details will be announced in the classroom.

＜成績評価結果/Results of assessment＞   成績評価の見方について/Notes for assessment

登録者数  3名
  成績評価結果は公表されていません。

＜テキスト/Textbook＞

＜参考文献/Reference Book＞

＜参照ＵＲＬ/URL＞

＜備考/Remarks＞

E-mail: kkohara@mail.doshisha.ac.jp (Prof. Kohara)， samirnouh@hotmail.com (Prof. Samir Nouh)