Week 1.           Jan. 18-20. Introduction.
Readings:         Buddhist Art and Architecture, 7-28; Story of Buddhism, 19-42.
Jan 18.              Overview of the course.
Jan. 20.             The life of the historic Buddha.

Week 2.           Jan. 23-27.  Early mainstream Buddhist art in India.
Readings:         Story of Buddhism, 42-59; Buddhist Art and Architecture, 29-39; Huntington 1990; Āryāśura 1989.
Jan. 23.              Teachings of the historic Buddha and mainstream Buddhism.
Jan. 25.              Aniconic images.
Jan. 27.              Stūpas at Bhārhut and Sāñcī; RESPONSE PAPER DUE.

Week 3.           Jan. 30-Feb. 3. Later mainstream Buddhist art in India.
Readings:         Buddhist Art and Architecture, 39-41, 52-54, 56-57.
Jan. 30.            The Mahābodhi Temple at Bodhgaya and the stūpa at Amarāvati.
Feb. 1.             Caitya halls at Bhāja, Karlī, and Ajānta.
Feb. 3.             How to write a research paper on a single work of art or architecture.

Week 4.           Feb. 6-10.        The spread of mainstream Buddhism.
Readings:         Buddhist Art and Architecture, 41-51, 66-71, 167-86.
Feb. 6.             LIBRARY ORIENTATION (tentative). Meet at the Reference Desk in the Library at 10:10am.
Feb. 8.             Architecture and sculpture in Sri Lanka.
Feb. 10.           Thai and Burmese art and architecture; PAPER TOPIC DUE.

Week 5.           Feb. 13-17. The development of Mahāyāna Buddhism.
Readings:         Story of Buddhism, 59-83, 103-29; Buddhist Art and Architecture, 54-56.
*Quiz this week*
Feb. 13.           Introduction to Mahāyāna Buddhism.
Feb. 15.           Kushan period sculpture and royal patronage of Buddhism.
Feb. 17.           Gupta period sculpture from Mathura and Sarnath.

Week 6.           Feb. 20-24. The spread of Mahāyāna Buddhism.
Readings:         Buddhist Art and Architecture, 51-52, 57-61, 186-95; Talbot et al. 1886.
Feb. 20.           Mahāyāna caitya halls and murals at Ajānta.
Feb. 22.           The colossal buddhas at Bamian.
Feb. 24.           Angkor temple complexes in Cambodia.

Week 7.           Feb. 27-Mar. 2.  The introduction of Mahāyāna Buddhism to China.
Readings:          Buddhist Art and Architecture, 86-95; Story of Buddhism, 92-97; Kumarajiva 1997.
Feb. 27.           Art from the caves at Miran, Kizil, and Dunhuang.
Feb. 29.           Royal patronage and colossal buddhas at Yungang and Longmen grottoes.
Mar. 2.            The debate between Vimalakīrti and Mañjuśrī in Chinese art; RESPONSE PAPER DUE.

Week 8.           Mar. 5-9. Mahāyāna Buddhism in China and Korea.
Readings:         Buddhist Art and Architecture, 96-115, 125-38; Emperor Wuzong 1960.
Mar. 5.             Imperial patronage at Chang’an and Longmen.
Mar. 7.             Temple complexes of the Tang dynasty.
Mar. 9.             Temple architecture and sculpture in Korea; FIRST TEST DUE.

[Sun., Mar. 11. Field trip to the Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University. Optional.]

Week 9.           Mar. 12-16. Mahāyāna Buddhism in Japan.
Readings:         Buddhist Art and Architecture, 138-44, 156-61.
Mar. 12.           Architecture, sculpture, and painting at Horyūji.
Mar. 14.           Temples in Nara: Yakushiji and Tōdaiji; ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE.
Mar. 16.           TBA.

[March 17-25, SPRING RECESS]

Week 10.         Mar. 26-30. The development of Esoteric Buddhism.
Readings:         Buddhist Art and Architecture, 144-54, 195-203; Story of Buddhism, 213-30.
Mar. 26.           Temples in Nara: Tōshōdaiji and Murōji.
Mar. 28.           A temple in Kyōto: Tōji.
Mar. 30.           A mandala in stone: Borobudur in Indonesia.

Week 11.         Apr. 2-6. Esoteric art in Nepal and Tibet.
Readings:         Buddhist Art and Architecture, 71-85.
*Quiz this week*
Apr. 2.              Nepalese art and architecture.
Apr. 4.              Teachers, deities, and Tibetan architecture.
Apr. 6.              Tibetan protectors, wrathful deities, mandalas, and tantric images.

Week 12.         Apr. 9-13. Pure Land art and architecture in East Asia.
Readings:         Buddhist Art and Architecture, 154-56, 161-62; Story of Buddhism, 230-42; Genshin 2001.
Apr. 9.              Chinese representations of realms of existence.
Apr. 11.           The Phoenix Hall and Japanese images of the Western Pure Land.
Apr. 13.           Japanese paintings of hells, hungry ghosts, and death and decay; RESPONSE PAPER DUE.

Week 13.         Apr. 16-20. Pure Land art and architecture in Japan and connections with Zen.
Readings:         Buddhist Art and Architecture, 162-65; Story of Buddhism, 242-52.  
Apr. 16.           Images of Pure Land teachers.
Apr. 18.           Worshipping Amida and Kannon.
Apr. 20.           The Golden and Silver Pavilions in Kyōto; RESEARCH PAPER DUE.

Week 14.         Apr. 23-27. Zen, art, and meditation in China and Japan.
Readings:         Buddhist Art and Architecture, 115-24, 165-66.
Apr. 23.           Chan paintings in the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties.
Apr. 25.           Zen paintings in the Muromachi and Edo periods.
Apr. 27.           Two Kyōto gardens.

Week 15.         Apr. 30. Conclusions.

Finals Week.   May 7. SECOND TEST DUE.

Course requirements:

1.         Class participation (15%).  This includes regular and punctual attendance (see attendance policy) and participating in discussions in class or on the Blackboard discussion board. I grade participation on a daily basis, as follows: check-plus for speaking up in class or on the discussion board (even to ask a question or to answer one of my questions incorrectly), check for showing up to class but not speaking, check-minus for not paying attention or coming in late, zero (0) for not coming to class at all.

2.         Quizzes (5%).  Quizzes will be administered on Blackboard and available for one week. They are noted on the calendar and cannot be made up if missed.

3.         Response papers (15%).  Throughout the semester you will write three one-page papers responding to some of the primary sources we will read in translation. More details to follow.

4.         Research paper (25%), due Friday, April 20.  This is to be a short research paper (roughly 5-7 pages) on a single work of art or architecture. More details to follow.

5.         First test (20%), due Friday, March 9.  This take-home test covers material from Weeks 1-7.

6.         Second test (20%), due Monday, May 7, 11:30am.  This take-home test covers material from Weeks 8-15.

Office hours:
I am happy to meet with you outside of class during my office hours (see top of syllabus), or at another time that is convenient for you, in 208 Houghton House. The best way to reach me to set up an appointment is by e-mail, but please note that I regularly read e-mail only between 9:00am and 4:30pm.

Attendance policy:
I consider attendance at lectures to be mandatory. Asian art history is a challenging subject; don't make it impossible by skipping class! That said, if you have a reasonable excuse for missing a class, I expect you to notify me as soon as possible--preferably in advance--and to turn in a one-page essay on the topics covered on the day of your absence, within a week. Not doing so will give you a zero (0) for participation for that day. If you are absent four times or more, you should be prepared for me to notify the Deans about your performance. I will be taking attendance regularly. NOTE: leaving early or returning late for Spring Break does not count as an excused absence.

Attendance and religious holidays:
“The Colleges accept the responsibility of making available to each student who is absent from class because of religious obligations and practices an equivalent opportunity to make up any examination, study or work requirement missed.”
Please inform me in advance of any religious holidays when you will be out of class. I do my best to avoid religious holidays with regard to due dates, but there are times when that is impossible.  Please talk to me if you have any difficulties!

Format for written work:
One of the things you will learn in an art history class is the importance of presentation. This applies to your written work as well:

1. Type all work in a 12-point font.
2. Double-space.
3. Leave one-inch margins on all sides.
4. Number your pages.
5. Staple your work.
6. Put your name on every page, and the date on the first page.
7. Check that your spelling, grammar and punctuation are correct--these are crucial to effective communication of your ideas. Your grade will drop if you have excessive errors.
8. If you cite another source, use either parenthetical references or footnotes. (See A note about cheating and plagiarism below.) Make sure that you follow a standard documentation style, ideally the one found in the Chicago Manual of Style (which is what art historians most typically use).
9. Include a picture with a caption if appropriate (and please attach it to a clean sheet of paper--do not give me a loose postcard, an illustration torn from a magazine, or a copy of the book you found the picture in. Black-and-white photocopies are okay).

A note about cheating and plagiarism:
I will not tolerate any form of academic dishonesty. Not only does it destroy the trust that I have in you to do your best, it is unfair to the other students, and obviously you will not learn anything if you resort to cheating. If I find that you have cheated on a test or on a written assignment, you will receive a zero for the assignment and I will contact the Deans and/or the Committee on Standards about your case.

Now, just in case you are not clear about what plagiarism is: plagiarism is the use of someone else's words or ideas without giving that person credit. In application, this means that in your writing assignments, you need to cite your sources. When quoting directly from a text--say, five words or more in succession--you need to put those words in quotation marks and include a parenthetical reference or footnote citing the source. When rewriting a passage from a text in your own words, you don't need the quotation marks but you do still need the parenthetical reference or footnote. If you don't understand exactly what constitutes plagiarism, or how to use parenthetical references or footnotes, please ask me. I would prefer to explain what it is and how to avoid it before it happens rather than after.

Grading:
Tests, quizzes, and the research paper will receive numerical grades. Class participation and response papers will receive a check-plus, check, or check-minus. Make-up written assignments, which count as part of your participation grade, will receive a check or a check-minus. If you are unsatisfied with a grade, please prepare a written statement explaining what grade you think you should have received and why, and submit it to me along with the assignment for review.

Assignments are due during the class period on the due date. Please turn in a hard copy . PLEASE NOTE:  I mark down one-third of a letter grade (for example, from A to A-) for each calendar day that a paper is late. If you think you will need an extension, you should talk to me as early as possible.

My grading scale is as follows:

A note about the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL):
At Hobart and William Smith Colleges, we encourage students to seek the academic collaboration and resources that will enable them to do their best work. The CTL offers a variety of resources that can help students achieve academic success, including Teaching Fellows (for course content help in the departments of Anthropology,Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Geoscience, Philosophy, Physics, Psychology, Sociology, and Spanish & Hispanic Studies), Writing Colleagues (for help on papers), Study Mentors (for help with study skills and time management), Group Study Tables (for content help in specific courses), and more.