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This course introduces Chinese religious traditions with a focus on contemporary China. Religion has been building blocks and biding forces of Chinese society in the past and present. As religious traditions are imbedded in the fabric of society, they provide us with a lens through which to observe many of the complex issues that challenge China and the world at large, for instance, issues related to the economy, environment, gender and sexuality as well as politics. In this vein, the course explores religions not only as faith and philosophical theory but equally importantly as practices that shape individual and communal lives and society as a whole. In exploring religions in China, we will go beyond the conventional approach focusing on individual traditions (Confucianism, Daoism, or Buddhism etc.). We will instead adopt a thematic approach in discussing the shifting roles of religion in twentieth and twenty-first century China, from mainland China to overseas Chinese communities, from urban to rural areas, from religions of Han Chinese to religions of ethnic minorities and from body politics to cosmology.

Week 1. China as a Religious Society
September 8

Week 2. Spirituality in Modern Chinese Life
September 15

Week 3.The Religious Life of Ethnic Minority Communities
September 22

Week 4. Modalities of Doing Religion
September 29（Quiz/writing exercises）

Week 5. The Body: Health, Nation, and Transcendence
October 6

Week 6. Gender and Sexuality
October 13

Week 7. Cosmology and Environment
October 20（Quiz/writing exercises）

Week 8. In-class Midterm
October 27

Week 9. Religion in Chinese Social and Political History
November 3

Week 10. Religious Communities and Networks
November 10（Quiz/writing exercises）

Week 11. Contemporary State-Religion Relations
November 17

Week 12. Market Economy and the Revival of Religions
November 24

Week 13. The Globalization of Chinese Religions and Traditions
December 1（Quiz/writing exercises）

Final Exam: due on December 7