Asian Religions Courses at Massey University

135.101: Hinduism and Buddhism
This paper provides an introductory study of the origins, history, beliefs and practices of Hinduism and Buddhism. The focus of the paper is on the development of these two traditions within their Indian context emphasising the roles of cosmology, mythology, scripture, narrative, doctrine and ritual in the construction of their distinct worldviews. Major topics discussed will be the concepts of Dharma, Yoga, renunciation, Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Tantra, Goddess worship, theology, and philosophy.

135.204/304: East Asian Religions
This paper provides an introductory study of the origins, history, beliefs and practices of Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Shinto and Bon.The focus of the paper is on the development of these traditions within their East Asian context emphasising the roles of cosmology, mythology, scripture, narrative, doctrine and ritual in the construction of their distinct worldviews.

135.207/307: Sex, Gender and Religion
This paper explores issues related to human sexuality, the construction of gender, and the practice of religion from both historical and cross-cultural perspectives. Some of the topics addressed will be the construction of femininity and masculinity, the inclusion and exclusion of women and men within certain religious rites and rituals, male and female images of the divine, menstruation, pollution, sexual practices and taboos, marriage, childbirth and childrearing, and asceticism. Among the traditions considered will be Australian aboriginal religion, Maori religion, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

135.209: Religion and Current Issues
In this paper we explore three main themes in relation to religion and the contemporary world: modernism and postmodernism, religious fundamentalism, and new religions. By investigating these themes, we will strive to gain a better understanding of life in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries for religious (and nonreligious) people in New Zealand and throughout the world.

134.215: Asian Philosophies
This paper investigates the major religious philosophies of India and China. The first part of the paper examines the origins of Indian philosophical thought, the Hindu 'orthodox' systems of Classical Yoga, Samkhya, and Ved%u0101nta; as well as the 'heterodox' systems of Jainism and Indian Buddhism. The second part of the paper explores the views of Confucius, Mencius, the philosophical Daoism of Laozi and Zhuangzi, and Chinese Buddhist thought.