ARTH 3060 - Arts of Buddhism

This course explores the visual and material cultures of Buddhism as a pan-Asian phenomenon, past and present. The first part of the course introduces key debates and interpretive approaches to the study of Buddhist art raised by its transnational and international history. Beginning in India, the movement of Buddhist art across Asia reflects a complex process of cultural, social, and religious adaptation to local contexts that provides a historical counterpoint to contemporary discussions of globalization. The second part of the course focuses on select major Buddhist monuments within their specific cultural settings and is attentive to the modern rediscovery of ancient sites as seen through a comparative cultural lens.