RE 130: Living and Dying in East Asia

What does it mean to live and die? What is a “good life” or a “good death”? This course will explore questions of good lives and deaths (and bad lives and deaths) through the cultures and religions of China, Korea, and Japan. Starting with life, we will discuss coming of age rituals, weddings, and celebrations of old age and then shift to thinking about death through funerals, care for the dead, and ghosts. Much as East Asia is characterized by vibrantly diverse concepts of good and evil, we will explore how these play out in the everyday lives of people in East Asian culture which is deeply influenced by religions such as Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shinto. By examining contemporary and historical understandings of life and death in East Asia, you will come away with a sense of the extraordinary diversity of interpretations of what it means to be human.