ASIAN 1104 - FWS: Writing about Buddhism and Ecology

Fall. 3 credits. Letter grades only.

First-Year Writing Seminar.

J.M. Law.

In this course, we explore contemporary Buddhist responses to major ecological crises of our day: mass extinction, climate change, plastic pollution, industrial agriculture and GMO foods, habitat loss, deforestation, and human displacement with ecological degradation as a root cause. Our readings and class discussions develop our understanding of the diversity of Buddhist responses to the contemporary ecological crisis. We explore cases in Japan, Tibet, Thailand and the USA and Canada. Writing assignments develop skills responding to films, interviews, personal experiences in field trips and reading of academic and devotional literature. The class includes two field trips and interviews with Buddhist thinkers and environmental activists motivated by Buddhist ideas. Our focus will be on learning to use short writing assignments to cogently express and document Buddhist perspectives on ecological problems as presented by Buddhist thinkers, leaders and activists. All writing will be incorporated into a semester long portfolio.