Unit information: The Body in East Asian Thought and Practices in 2019/20

Unit name	The Body in East Asian Thought and Practices
Unit code	THRS30098
Credit points	20
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Lomi
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	Students enrolling in this unit must have taken at least one of the following units: THRS20103 3000 Years of Chinese Religions THRS20209 Introduction to Japanese Religions THRS20031 The Foundations of Buddhist Thought and Practice
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of Religion and Theology
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

This unit examines the ways in which the body has been imagined, represented, and problematised by different East Asian religious and philosophical traditions. We will do so by exploring a varies of texts, practices, as well as literary and visual sources. The first aim of this examination is to critically reflect on those conceptual tools developed to deal with the human body. The second is to gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of the body as primary site for religious practice and achievement.

The unit is arranged thematically, and each week we will focus on a specific way of framing the body. The themes covered will tackle the relationship between the body, the mind, the cosmos, and society, and will also allow space to discuss issues of pollution, gender and culturally defined functions of the body. By the end of the unit, it will become apparent how these ideas are intimately connected, often making us question the existence of clear-cut boundaries between, for example, religious and medical discourses.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. demonstrate an understanding of the ways east Asian religious systems have conceptualised the human body and its functions
2. critically assess the way these conceptualisations, in turn, shape key religious practices (meditation, pilgrimages, etc.)
3. articulate a nuanced understanding of the oversimplified Asian mind/body theories
4. apply the analytical and conceptual tools acquired during class discussion to the final written assignment
5. Demonstrate skills in critical thinking and written communication appropriate to level H/6.

Teaching Information

1 x three-hour seminar weekly

Assessment Information

One 1,500-word portfolio (20%) [ILOs 1, 5]

One 15 minute group presentation (30%) [ILOs 2-4]

One 3000-word summative essay (50%) [ILOs 1-5]

Reading and References

Jia, Jinhua, Gender, Power, and Talent: The Journey of Daoist Priestesses in Tang China. New York: Columbia University Press, 2018.

Kasulis, T.P., Ames, R.T. and Dissanayake, W. eds., Self as Body in Asian Theory and Practice. Albany, NY: State. University of New York Press, 1993.


Kasulis, T.P., Ames, R.T. and Dissanayake, W. eds., Self as Image in Asian Theory and Practice. Albany, NY: State. University of New York Press, 1998.


Kuriyama Shigehisa, The Expressiveness of the Body and the Divergence of Greek and Chinese Medicine. New York: Zone Books, 1999.

Schipper, Kristofer, The Daoist Body, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993.

Tonomura, Hitomi, "Women and Sexuality in Premodern Japan." A Companion to Japanese History (2007): 349-371.