Fall 2011

Forgiveness
Chris Fry

(Please note that this Fall 2011 online 'Forgiveness' course is a prerequisite for the Spring 2012 course.)

“Forgiveness honors the heart’s greatest dignity. Whenever we are lost, it brings us back to the ground of love. With forgiveness we become unwilling to attack or wish harm to another. Whenever we forgive, in small ways at home, or in great ways between nations, we free ourselves from the past.” ~Jack Kornfield / In this year-long, online class we will meet people from all over the world who have practiced forgiveness as a means of healing, peace, and liberation. Through films, readings, and spiritual exercises we will explore responsible ways of responding to wrongdoing through forgiveness, reconciliation and/or repair. We will also develop our own "forgiveness practices" so that we can use forgiveness, as appropriate, in our lives and ministries. This course will draw on the wisdom and practices of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism as well as positive psychology, poetry, and neuroscience. First semester will focus on the development of "forgiveness practices" and interpersonal forgiveness. Second semester will address the larger contexts (e.g., communities, institutions, nations) in which forgiveness, reconciliation, and/or repair may counter oppression and create more just, joyful and sustainable ways of living. / The Rev. Chris Fry is a grateful graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry (‘96). An Adjunct Faculty member for more than five years, Chris has taught courses on poetry, illness and pastoral care; forgiveness; compassion and moral repair; and religious education. She offers “Write for Health” groups and spiritual direction, coordinates her church’s small group ministry, and is active in an interfaith shelter program in her hometown of Davis, CA. Her daughter, Esumi, was born during Chris’ second year at SKSM and is now a high school junior. Her husband, Isao Fujimoto, is a community organizer and professor at UC Davis.
PS-8430          1.5 Units       
Minimum 5       Limit 22             Pin Required: Yes
Click for Syllabus
Registration closed

Adult Faith Development
Rudra Dundzila
The Adult Faith Development course explores the theory and practice of adult faith formation. It emphasizes Fowler’s stages of faith development, Gilligan’s stages of faith development, Gardner’s multiple intelligences, Krathwohl’s Taxonomy of the Affective Domain, Groome’s shared praxis, Moran’s adult religious education, and Unitarian Universalist Process Theology. It will distinguish between spiritual development and religious education. It will survey select, exemplary faith development programs to explore their best practices. Participants will experiment with the programs, and will reflect on their learning experiences. The program will tentatively conclude with participants developing unique adult faith development programming that they could implement in their congregations. / Dr. Vilius Rudra Dundzila is a Unitarian Universalist minister in preliminary fellowship and Professor of Humanities and Comparative Religion for Harry S. Truman College (City Colleges of Chicago). He has conducted spiritual direction, groups, and retreats for Gay men. He currently serves as the director of the Illinois Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry.
EDRS-8470          3 Units       
Minimum 5       Limit 20            Pin Required: Yes
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Registration closed

Dynamic Youth Ministry
Megan Dowdell and Betty Jeanne Rueters-Ward
This lively and interactive on-line course grounds participants in philosophical, psychological, programmatic, ethical and theological aspects of youth ministry. Geared particularly toward Unitarian Universalists, but open to all, this course seeks to embody a vision of youth ministry that is a vibrant, robust, and flexible part of every congregation. Topics of instruction include leadership and spiritual development, professional support for youth advisors, denominational polity, adolescent life issues, building intergenerational community, and a critical analysis of different models of youth ministry and programming. Includes a praxis-immersion component tailored to the student’s local/global context. Recommended for all religious leaders, both new and old to youth ministry.

Listen to an introduction to this course as offered in the fall of 2010. The speaker is Betty Jeanne Rueters-Ward, one of the course instructors:

Dynamic Youth Ministry from Starr King Acad Affairs on Vimeo.

Megan Dowdell is a Unitarian Universalist lay leader, graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry, and current PhD student at the Graduate Theological Union. She served as the first Youth Trustee-at-Large on the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Board of Trustees, and co-convened the Association’s Consultation on Youth Ministry with the Rev. Dr. Bill Sinkford, then the UUA President. Previously, she served as a mentor for the YMCA Y-Scholars program, helping first-generation college-bound students achieve their goals. / Betty Jeanne Rueters-Ward is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist and full-time Youth and Young Adult Program Coordinator at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Shelter Rock. She is a graduate of the newly-established Master of Arts in Religious Leadership for Social Change at Starr King. As a Youth Programs Specialist for the Unitarian Universalist Association, Betty Jeanne coordinated international conferences, trainings and social justice initiatives. She has also served as a youth advisor at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland, as a youth mentor for OutLoud Radio, and with youth clients at Carroll Center for the Blind. / Megan and Betty Jeanne bring over two decades of experience in youth ministry. Individually and as a team, they have consulted with Unitarian Universalist congregations, districts, camps and conferences on multigenerational community building, youth ministry, and other issues.
EDFT-8462          3 Units       
Minimum 5       Limit 25            Pin Required: Yes
Click for Syllabus
Registration closed

Promised Lands and Immigrants
Hugo Córdova Quero
This online course will focus on the cases of Latina/o immigrants in the United States and Japan in relation to their experiences of faith, ethnicity and gender. The approach is interdisciplinary as we will draw from several fields for the analysis of the class topics. The goal of the course is to provide grounds for students to acquire tools for understanding the different realities of immigrants. Issues of faith, race/ethnicity, gender and migration will be constantly connected to pastoral reflection throughout the course, especially since our world is increasingly becoming multicultural, multiethnic and multireligious.

Listen to an introduction to this course by the instructor:

Instructor Hugo Córdova Quero holds a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He is also visiting researcher at the Center for Lusophone Studies at Sophia University, in Tokyo. He has worked both pastorally and academically in Argentina, United States, Hong Kong and Tokyo. During 2006 to 2008 he conducted fieldwork in seven Roman Catholic parishes, interviewing Japanese Brazilian migrants who are currently residing in Tokyo Metropolitan Area. He has published in several journals and books, and he is currently editing books in the areas of migration and theology, gender, queer theology and queer theory.
RSHR-8427          3 Units       
Minimum 5       Limit 18            Pin Required: Yes
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Registration closed
           

UU Congregational Polity
Emily Mace
This is a course in the history and development of Congregational Polity in the Unitarian Universalist tradition. How did Congregational Polity evolve and what were the differences in the Unitarian and Universalist approaches to governance? How have we handled issues of centralized authority and bureaucracy? We’ll look at how religious communities make decisions, support their leaders and define ministry. With ministry we will ask about power, gender and ethics, the call, and the meaning and context for worship and rites of passage. / Emily R. Mace received her doctoral degree in religious studies in 2010 from Princeton University, where she specialized in the study of American religious history. She holds an M.T.S. in Christianity and Culture from Harvard Divinity School and a B.A. in Religion from Amherst College. Her scholarship focuses on religious liberalism in the late nineteenth century and emphasizes issues of practice, ritual, gender, and pluralism. Mace’s dissertation explored how radical religious liberals sought to embody an eclectic cosmopolitanism in their religious practices, looking at practice of fellowship, dedication ceremonies, religious education courses, holidays, and compiled bibles. Currently she serves as an adjunct instructor in the humanities at Brevard College in the mountains of Western North Carolina and has taught the UU History course at Starr King.
FT-8420          3 Units       
Minimum 5       Limit 25             Pin Required: Yes
Click for Syllabus
Registration closed

Buddhist Traditions of South Asia
Natalie Quli
Introduces the Buddhist traditions as they originated in India and developed throughout South and Southeast Asia. First half of the required year-long introductory survey of the entire Buddhist tradition. Usually offered each fall semester. Course format: Online discussion. Evaluation method: Participation/Term paper. This course is co-sponsored by Starr King School for the Ministry and the Institute for Buddhist Studies.
HRHS-8151    3 units
No Limit           NO PIN Required
Registration closed
           

Introduction to Shin Buddhist Thought
David Matsumoto
Introduces the major ideas of Shin thought in the context of contemporary religious and philosophic discussions. Evaluation based on participation in discussion forums and final research paper. Intended audience: MA/MTS and MDiv. [HR 1550 or Faculty permission required]. This course is co-sponsored by Starr King School for the Ministry and the Institute for Buddhist Studies.
HR-8140    3 units
No Limit           [HR-1550 or Faculty permission required]
Registration closed
           

Shin Buddhist Theology ~ cancelled
David Matsumoto
An examination of a range of theological issues raised by a contemporary consideration of Shin Buddhist thought, focusing on questions of ethics, human nature, faith and salvation. Lecture and seminar format. Evaluation based on student participation in classroom discussions and final research paper. Intended for MDiv and MA/MTS students. Prerequisites: HR-1614 or instructor's permission. This course is co-sponsored by Starr King School for the Ministry and the Institute for Buddhist Studies.
HR-8457    3 units
No Limit           NO PIN Required
cancelled
           

Buddhist Japanese I
Yufuko Kurioka
Introduces basics of Japanese grammar, vocabulary, kana & kanji, and dictionary work, including both Buddhist vocabulary and dictionaries. Work with paragraph length selections from modern popular Japanese publications on Buddhism. Course format: Lecture. Evaluation method: Participation/ Homework Assignments/ Exams. This course is co-sponsored by Starr King School for the Ministry and the Institute for Buddhist Studies.
HR-8146    3 units
No Limit           NO PIN Required
Registration closed
           

Tibetan Buddhism
Laura Harrington
For centuries Tibet and Tibetan Buddhists have held an allure and mystique in the minds of westerners and others that is akin to that of the magical kingdom of Shangri-La.This seminar will draw on key histories, myths, poems, images, biographies and religious discourses to explore the core philosophies and practices of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as the ways in which Tibetan Buddhism has been mythologized by Tibetans and non-Tibetans alike. Course requirements include weekly posts in the class discussion board, an independent field trip to selected site, 3 short essays and a Final Reflective Paper. It is appropriate to graduate students of any background. This course is co-sponsored by Starr King School for the Ministry and the Institute for Buddhist Studies.
HR-8301    3 units
No Limit           NO PIN Required
Registration closed
           

Readings in Early Buddhist Texts
Gil Fronsdal and Nona Olivia
As a collection of teachings by the Buddha and his early disciples, the Middle Length Discourses provides a comprehensive introduction to early Buddhist teachings. It contains some of the most detailed instructions in early Buddhist meditation practice, ethics, and world view. Many of these teachings appear in stories of conversations the Buddha had with people he encountered. These narratives give the teachings a human and social context that helps us understand what the teachings meant in the ancient world. The Middle Length Discourse provides an excellent source for understanding the foundation from which all subsequent teachings of Buddhism came. This online course consists of extensive reading of selected discourse from the collection. These readings will be aided by study guides as well as 39 archived audio files of lectures. A co-teacher will lead question and discussion and evaluate assignments. Evaluation will be based on one 2 page reflective essay on each of the ten course sections, on a take home essay mid-term and a final term paper. The course is intended for MA and MDiv students. This course is co-sponsored by Starr King School for the Ministry and the Institute for Buddhist Studies.
HR-8160    3 units
No Limit           NO PIN Required
Registration closed
           

Topics in Japanese Religions: Buddhism and Shinto in Japanese History
Lisa Grumbach
Explores the relationship between Shinto and Buddhism through the course of Japanese history, from the advent of Buddhism to Japan, to the various associations and combinations of the two traditions, and their forced separation by the government at the end of the 19th century. Prerequisites: Assumes some knowledge of Japanese religion, culture and/or language. Course format: Online discussion.Evaluation method: Participation/Term paper. This course is co-sponsored by Starr King School for the Ministry and the Institute for Buddhist Studies.
HRHS-8450    3 units
No Limit           NO PIN Required
Registration closed

Spring 2012

Systems Thinking and Leadership
Helen Bishop
This course is designed to promote understanding among religious leaders of how organizations operate on the systems level. “Systems thinking” is a methodology linking understandings of how individuals, as well as small and large groups of people, interact with organizational structure, policies, practices, and culture. Participants will read materials on various aspects of organizational life and their interactions, discuss emotional and family systems theories, use systems analysis and thinking to investigate congregational leadership, analyze case studies for evidence of organizational frames, and prepare materials demonstrating systems thinking. References and examples of working to counter oppressions are foundational to this course. / Dr. Helen Bishop holds an Ed.D. in organizational leadership and has an extensive background working with Unitarian Universalist congregations, districts and affiliated organizations. She has designed, developed and taught online courses related to all aspects of lay leadership and congregational studies, including a pilot project for Unitarian Universalist lay leaders. She also served as director of The Mountain Learning Center for Leadership in Highlands, N.C., and as District Executive for Congregational Services for the UUA’s Central Midwest District. She received the Angus MacLean Award for Service to Religious Education in October, 2008.
Registration PIN required - priority given to off-campus students.
FT-8410    3 units
Minimum: 8           Limit: 20            Pin Required: Yes
Click for Sample Syllabus
Next Registration Period: Jan. 16 - Jan. 27, 2012
Course Closed: Late registration has ended

Forgiveness
Chris Fry

(Please note that the Fall 2011 online 'Forgiveness' course is prerequisite for this Spring 2012 course.)

“Forgiveness honors the heart’s greatest dignity. Whenever we are lost, it brings us back to the ground of love. With forgiveness we become unwilling to attack or wish harm to another. Whenever we forgive, in small ways at home, or in great ways between nations, we free ourselves from the past.” ~Jack Kornfield / In this year-long, online class we will meet people all over the world who have practiced forgiveness as a means of healing, peace, and liberation. Through films, readings, and spiritual exercises we will explore responsible ways of responding to wrongdoing through forgiveness, reconciliation and/or repair. We will also develop our own "forgiveness practices" so that we can use forgiveness, as appropriate, in our lives and ministries. The course will draw on the wisdom and practices of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism as well as positive psychology, poetry, and neuroscience. First semester will focus on the development of "forgiveness practices" and interpersonal forgiveness. Second semester will address the larger contexts (e.g., communities, institutions, nations) in which forgiveness, reconciliation, and/or repair may counter oppression and create more just, joyful and sustainable ways of living. (Please note that the Fall 2011 online Forgiveness course is a prerequisite for this Spring 2012 online part.) / The Rev. Chris Fry is a grateful graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry (‘96). An Adjunct Faculty member for more than five years, Chris has taught courses on poetry, illness and pastoral care; forgiveness; compassion and moral repair; and religious education. She offers “Write for Health” groups and spiritual direction, coordinates her church’s small group ministry, and is active in an interfaith shelter program in her hometown of Davis, CA. Her daughter, Esumi, was born during Chris’ second year at SKSM and is now a high school junior. Her husband, Isao Fujimoto, is a community organizer and professor at UC Davis.
PS-8430    1.5 Units
Minimum 5           Limit: 18            Pin Required: Yes
Click for Syllabus
Next Registration Period: Jan. 16 - Jan. 27, 2012
Course Closed: Late registration has ended

Unitarian Universalist History
Susan Ritchie
The course begins with an examination of the (alleged) antecedents to Unitarianism and Universalism in pre-Reformation Europe. We move on to trace the theological and then institutional emergence of Unitarianism out of the Radical Reformation. The Unitarian churches in Poland, Transylvania, and England will be considered in detail with attention to issues of sameness and difference in their development and declines. Special focus will be given to the relationship of these communities to their Jewish and Islamic contemporaries. We will also look at the universalism of 18th century England, and the current state of Unitarianism in Europe. Then we cross the ocean to examine the emergence of Unitarianism from developments within Puritan Congregationalism. We explore the uniquely North American institution of Universalism as response to the same cultural setting. Next: the major themes and developments of North American Unitarianism through its classical age, the Transcendentalist development, and the various crises of identity and purpose that develop into and through the late 19th and 20th centuries. Then we turn our attention to Universalist ascendency, decline, and then consolidation with Unitarianism (perhaps the most misunderstood aspect of Unitarian/Universalist history). Careful attention will be paid throughout to the Unitarian/Universalist social location in relationship to class, race, and gender identities, and how these sometimes enabled and sometimes impaired social justice advances.

Watch an introduction to Unitarian Universalist History course by Dr. Susan Ritchie. (Video created for Fall 2010 course, but applies equally to Spring 2012 course.)

Unitarian Universalist History from Starr King Academic Affairs on Vimeo.

The Rev. Dr. Susan Ritchie has served as the minister of the North Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Lewis Center, Ohio since September of 1996. During that time, the congregation has more than doubled in size, purchased not only its first building but a religious education center, and added three professional staff positions. She holds a PhD in Cultural Studies from the Ohio State University, and a Divinity degree from the Methodist Theological School in Ohio. She is also currently Professor of Unitarian Universalist Heritage and Ministry at the Starr King School for the Ministry, and serves on UUA Board of Trustees. Ritchie is published widely on the topic of Unitarian Universalist history and identity, and also religious cultural studies. Her research demonstrating religious toleration to be outgrowth of Islamic-Unitarian cultural exchange has been published in the Journal of Unitarian Universalist History, The Journal of the Zaytuna Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies, and has been republished in Turkish. Ritchie’s work on “The Promise of Postmodernism for Unitarian Universalist Theology” was published by the Journal of Liberal Religion, and was also translated into Hungarian. She was selected to deliver the Minns Lectures in Spring 2009, “Children of the Same God: Unitarianism in Kinship with Judaism and Islam.” A book resulting from the lectures will be out soon. Ritchie is proud to have grown up as a third generation Unitarian. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her partner Donna and English Springer Valentino, where she enjoys madly competitive amateur tennis and foolishly ambitious cooking.
HSFT-8422    3 units
Minimum 5           Limit: 26            Pin Required: Yes
Click for Syllabus
Next Registration Period: Jan. 16 - Jan. 27, 2012
Course Closed: Late registration has ended

Mental Illness and Oppression
Devorah Greenstein
This is an anti-oppression course. We will gain an understanding of the DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th edition) as the hegemonic framework of "mental disorders." We will use race/ethnicity; class; age; gender; institutional power as the anti-oppression framework to examine cultural definitions and treatments of people who live with "mental disorders." We will take specific issues (e.g. therapies; treatments; pharmaceuticals; criminal justice; mental health policies; children; youth; returning soldiers) to examine the frameworks' intersections. Students will complete the course with an understanding of contemporary systemic and individual meanings of mental illness and our institutional systems. / The Rev. Dr. Devorah Greenstein is recently retired from eight years as the Unitarian Universalist Association as the Program Coordinator in the Office of Accessibility Concerns in the Identity-based Ministries staff group. Since her retirement she has been a visiting research fellow at Yale Divinity School and she continues her institutional calling as the Chair of the National Council of Churches in Christ Committee on Disabilities. Her work includes educating and developing resources for religious professionals, lay leaders, and other individuals and groups who are engaged in anti-racist, anti-oppressive, multicultural transformation work to confront institutional and cultural ageism, ableism, racism, classism, and heterosexism. Her educational training, which includes an M.Div. from Starr King School for the Ministry; M.S. degree from Cornell University in Family Studies; Ph.D. from Cornell University in Developmental Psychology; and a M.S. degree from Syracuse University in Counseling, has given her a contextual theoretical perspective in which she grounds her anti-oppression work. Her work has always been along side of, and on behalf of, people from historically marginalized communities ~ at different times working at different times working with elder communities, farm-worker families, people living with mental illness, and physical disabilities.
CERS-8490    3 units
Minimum 5           Limit: 20             Pin Required: Yes
Click for Syllabus
Next Registration Period: Jan. 16 - Jan. 27, 2012
Course Closed: Late registration has ended

Global Religious Traditions ~ REVISED FOR 2012
Carmen Lansdowne
This course has been redesigned for 2012 to be more interactive and engaging. Together, we will examine the main global religious from a thematic perspective. Acknowledging that a course that covers many religions cannot be comprehensive, we will also look at the assumptions underlying religious studies as a discipline. Students will engage in individual readings, online forums, experiential learning and theological reflection together as an online community. At the end of the course, students should be able to examine the gifts and challenges posed by religious traditions in a globalizing world, as well as undertake power analysis to deepen analysis of faith traditions and address justice issues. Students of all faiths will be invited to participate. Registration PIN required; priority given to off-campus UU students. / The Rev. Carmen Lansdowne (MDiv, 2007) is an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada and a doctoral student in the area of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Graduate Theological Union. She is a member of the Heiltsuk First Nation on the central coast of what is now British Columbia, and she serves on the governing bodies of the United Church of Canada (Toronto, Canada) and the World Council of Churches (Geneva, Switzerland). She also currently serves as co-moderator of the Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum of the World Council. Her hobbies include running and making traditional Heiltsuk regalia. She is a poet, and loves people and the ocean (and the rest of the divine’s creation!).
HR-8401    3 units
Minimum 5           Limit: 20            Pin Required: Yes
Click for Syllabus
Next Registration Period: Jan. 16 - Jan. 27, 2012
Course Closed: Late registration has ended

Our Theological House
Sheri Prud'homme
Many progressives do not realize that they even have a theology, much less that there is a systematic theological worldview that is characteristic of the liberal/progressive tradition. This course, developed by Starr King President and Professor of Theology Rebecca Parker, has now resulted in a book, published in early 2010, co-authored with John Buehrens. Using readings from the history of American liberal theology and contemporary progressive sources, those enrolled ~ ministers, religious educators, lay leaders, and seminarians ~ will have a chance to deepen their theological competency and creativity, to reflect on the emerging post-modern context, and to engage in online discussion with others exploring a progressive approach to the classic issues of systematic theology (from the nature of religious community to its mission, from issues of salvation to worship, God and humanity, Christology and Spirit). / The Rev. Sheri Prud'homme is in her second year of a doctoral program in theology and history at the Graduate Theological Union. Her research interests focus on the development of Unitarian and Universalist theologies of nature especially in the American West. Her professional experience includes serving the Pacific Central District (UUA) as the Lifespan Religious Education Consultant, two interim ministries in religious education at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland and at the Davis Unitarian Universalist Church. For most of the past nine years, she has taught annually on the adjunct faculty of Starr King. Her courses include “Topics in Liberal Religious Education” and “Ministry When Children and Youth Are Part of the Community.” This will be her fourth time teaching an online course.
ST-8402    3 units
Minimum 5           Limit: 15            Pin Required: Yes
Click for Syllabus
Next Registration Period: Jan. 16 - Jan. 27, 2012
Course Closed: Late registration has ended

On Other Worlds: Science Fiction, Theology, and Culture, PT. 2
Ayize Jama Everett and Justin K. Waters
This two-part course consisting of a week-long, half-day intensive and an online seminar will explore science fiction through a theological lens and explore personal, community, and cultural theological foundations through a science fiction lens. Students will be encouraged to explore (personal, community, and cultural) theological foundations through a science fiction lens. The course will explore the outer limits of imagination, located histories, the history of science/technology,the role of myth and image in shaping identity, community narration and 21st century oral history, and defining and deconstructing the operation of power. During the intensive, the class will examine the hermeneutics of scientific progress and critically engage science fiction as a potentially liberatory literary genre using social and literary theories, including post/colonial, queer, post-structuralist, postmodern, modern, and critical race studies. The online seminar will apply these theories to engage specific science fiction texts and theological themes, such as utopia, apocalypse, atonement, synchretism, and salvation. Students in both high and low residence will be required to attend weekly classes in the spring seminar—local participants through physical attendance, distance learners through streaming lectures. / Instructors' bios forthcoming
PTPS-8450    1.5 Units
Minimum 5           Limit: 20            Pin Required: Yes
Syllabus forthcoming
Next Registration Period: Jan. 16 - Jan. 27, 2012
Course Closed: Late registration has ended

Buddhist Traditions of East Asia
Charlie Porkorny
Introduces the Buddhist traditions transmitted to East Asia and the development of new traditions. Second half of the required year long introductory survey of the entire Buddhist tradition. Usually offered each spring semester. Course format: Online discussion. Evaluation method: Participation/Term paper. This course is co-sponsored by Starr King School for the Ministry and the Institute for Buddhist Studies.
HRHS-8152    3 units
No Limit           NO PIN Required
Next Registration Period: Jan. 16 - Jan. 27, 2012
Course Closed: Late registration has ended

Topics in Buddhist Traditions of Japan: Zen Master Dogen
Taigen Dan Leighton
The writings of Dogen, 13th century Japanese Soto Zen founder, are a unique highpoint of Zen literature. Exploring profound Buddhist philosophical issues, Dogen creatively used poetic language and wordplay to evocatively express the meaning of practice/ enlightenment and buddha nature, and to train his students who successfully established Soto Zen in Japan. We will do textual study of a selection of Dogen’s major writings, including teachings about meditation, nature mysticism, community life, koans (teaching stories), and Buddhist theories of temporality. After discussing background material on Dogen, and several of the essays from one of Dogen's major works, Shobogenzo (True Dharma Eye Treasury), we will focus on the short discourses to his students in Dogen's Extensive Record, which demonstrate his teaching style and humor. We will consider the impact of Dogen’s various background sources, including the Chinese koan tradition, the Japanese poetic and aesthetic tradition, the East Asian Buddhist monastic tradition, and Mahayana sutras and bodhisattva lore. We will also explore how Dogen’s challenging writings relate to modern spiritual issues. Online Discussion/ Midterm Exam/ Final Reserach paper. This course is co-sponsored by Starr King School for the Ministry and the Institute for Buddhist Studies.
HRHS-8454    3 units
No Limit           NO PIN Required
Next Registration Period: Jan. 16 - Jan. 27, 2012
Course Closed: Late registration has ended

Buddhist Japanese II             
Yufuko Kurioka
Introduces intermediate Japanese grammar. Work with longer Japanese text selections, e.g., short essay selections drawn from popular Buddhism publications. Define Buddhist terms and relate them to multiple language equivalents (Sanskrit, Pali, and Chinese.) Course format: Lecture. Evaluation method: Participation / Homework Assignments / Exams. This course is co-sponsored by Starr King School for the Ministry and the Institute for Buddhist Studies.
HR-8146    3 units
No Limit           NO PIN Required
Next Registration Period: Jan. 16 - Jan. 27, 2012
Course Closed: Late registration has ended

Psychological Aspects Buddhism: Buddhist Psychology Part 1
Gordon Bermant
This course introduces seminary students to the psychological fundamentals of early Buddhism: abhidharma, alaya vijnana, tathagatagarbha and Madhyamaka. Students read original materials in English translation and commentaries by ancient and modern authors. Fundamental concepts addressed include the nature and content of consciousness, sleeping and dreaming, sources of motivation including motives arising from unconscious sources, nirvana and its metaphors, the nature of text as a script or score rather than a descriptive document, and the forms of tension between traces of essentialism and the teaching of emptiness without remainder. This is an online course that has attracted MA students from IBS and Starr King seminaries so far. Students write frequently and complete the term with a term paper on a topic chosen by them from among the subjects that have been presented. This course is co-sponsored by Starr King School for the Ministry and the Institute for Buddhist Studies.
HRPS-8320    3 units
No Limit           NO PIN Required
Next Registration Period: Jan. 16 - Jan. 27, 2012
Course Closed: Late registration has ended

Topics in Japanese Religions: Japanese Religious Landscape
Lisa Grumbach
This course explores Japanese religious thought and practice through the theoretical lens of landscape. Topics will include: the influence of geography (islands, mountains, plains, oceans) on the conceptions of kami (gods) in early Japan; ideas about landscape and space in Japanese Buddhism; how Buddhist doctrine is “taught” through landscape art; how landscape determines religious practice; the practical and theoretical roles of temple and shrine architecture, grounds, and gardens; pilgrimage as movement through religious space/landscape; and changing religious practices in the modern landscape. This course is co-sponsored by Starr King School for the Ministry and the Institute for Buddhist Studies.
HRHS-8450    3 units
No Limit           NO PIN Required
Next Registration Period: Jan. 16 - Jan. 27, 2012
Course Closed: Late registration has ended

Works of Shinran IV
David Matsumoto
A consideration of the thought and religious experience of Shinran through the study of a highly provocative and problematic Shin text. Evaluation based on student participation in online forums and final research paper. Intended audience: MDiv and MA/MTS. HR-1614 or instructor's permission required. This course is co-sponsored by Starr King School for the Ministry and the Institute for Buddhist Studies.
HR-8456          3 units
No Limit           HR-1614 or instructor's permission required
Next Registration Period: Jan. 16 - Jan. 27, 2012
Course Closed: Late registration has ended

Again, Early Registration is strongly advised. Soon to come: online courses for academic year 2012-2013. Click for “How to Register for an Online Course.”

For fee information, see Course Fees.

View Starr King's Academic Calendar.

Click to see all 2011-2012, 2010-2011 and 2009-2010 Starr King School for the Ministry courses.