Instructor: Srinivas Reddy srinivas@iitgn.ac.in
TAs: Akshat Mohan akshat.mohan@iitgn.ac.in and Kamakshi Khosla 24310032@iitgn.ac.in
Timing: Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:00pm – 6:20pm
Room: AB 1/101
The theme of the 2025 edition of IITGN’s Indian Knowledge Systems will be Buddhism in Indian and Beyond. Originating in India over 2,500 years ago, Buddhist teachings and practices have spread to all corners of the globe. This 8th edition of IITGN’s IKS course will bring together an international group of expert scholars to illuminate Buddhism’s Indian origins and its multidimensional spread to various parts of Asia. Beginning with an overview of Indian Buddhism with specific reference to the historical Buddha, King Ashoka and Nalanda University, the course will also explore Buddhism’s circulation and cultural influence in Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, Tibet, China and Japan.
Course Outline and Organization:
This class is intended to be discussion-based and interactive. Each week will be dedicated to a specific aspect of Buddhism and will typically involve a guest lecture and Q&A with the presenter on Tuesday followed by a robust discussion session on Thursday.
There are no prerequisites for the class.
- Your on-time attendance and active participation in all class meetings is essential.
You are the heart of the class. - Each week will include a reading selection to be completed prior to each Tuesday lecture.
- Plagiarism of any kind, including AI technology, is strictly impermissible.
We want only your original thoughts and ideas with proper citations. - No phones or laptops in class.
Assignments & Grading:
- Reflection Paper (10%)
~500-word reflection paper on any subject covered thus far.
- Book Review (20%)
~750-word review of a book of your choosing related to Buddhism.
- Final Project Outline (10%)
Detailed outline of your final project (form to be provided).
- Final Project Video (30%)
8-10 minute video essay on a research topic of your choosing.
- Attendance and Class Participation (30%)
Weekly Schedule
Week 1: 7 & 9 January 2025 – Buddhism: An Overview
Presentation: A Very Short, Utterly Cursory Introduction to Buddhism
Speaker: Srinivas Reddy
Reading: Buddhist primary sources, excerpts from Illuminating Worlds (Reddy 2024)
Assignment: Reading for this week and next week
Week 2: 14 & 16 January 2025 – Early Buddhism
Presentation: Voyage of Dhamma Transcending Borders
Speaker: Godabarisha Mishra
Reading: Excerpt from History of Buddhist Philosophy (Kalupahana 1992)
Assignment: Review and reading for next week
Week 3: 21 & 23 January 2025 – Buddhism and Archaeological Sciences
Presentation: Five Degrees of Variation at Nalanda: A Stellar Hypothesis
Speaker: M. B. Rajani
Reading: Nalanda: A Tale in the Twist (Rajani and Kumar 2019)
Assignment: Reading for next week and begin looking for a book to review
Week 4: 28 & 30 January 2025 – Buddhism in Japan
Presentation: India in Japan: A Journey through Cultural Exchange and Influence
Speaker: Siddharth Singh
Reading: India-Japan Cultural Relations (Singh 2024)
Assignment: Reading for next week and Reflection Paper DUE 30 January
Week 5: 4 & 6 February 2025 – Buddhist Art & Archaeology I
Presentation: Buddhist Art & Architecture of Ajanta & Ellora
Speaker: V. N. Prabhakar
Reading: TBA
Assignment: Reading for next week and finalize your book for review
Week 6: 11 & 13 February 2025 – Buddhist Art & Archaeology II
Presentation: Buddhism in South India: The Amaravati School of Art
Speaker: Jyoti Rohilla Rana
Reading: The Great Railing at Amarāvatī (Shimada 2006)
Assignment: Reading for next week and read your book for review
Week 7: 18 & 20 February 2025 – Buddhism in Southeast Asia
Presentation: A Buddhist Ritual Object as a Voyaging Object
Speaker: Suchandra Ghosh
Reading: Buddhism and the Circulation of Ritual in Early Peninsular Southeast Asia (Skilling 2011)
Assignment: Reading for next week and finish reading your book for review
Week 8: 25 February 2025 – Workshop Final Project
All: Workshop Final Projects
Assignment: Book Review DUE 27 February
Week 9: 4 & 6 March 2025 – Tibetan Buddhism & Science
Presentation: Convergence and Diversion of Ontology in Buddhist Philosophy and Quantum Physics
Speaker: Geshe Dorji Damdul
Reading: TBA
Assignment: Review and read for this next week
Week 10: 11 & 13 March 2025 – Read, Research, Review
All: Mid-sem Break
Assignment: Review, work on final project outline, read for next week
Week 11: 18 & 20 March 2025 – Global Buddhism
Presentation: Rise, Decline and Resurgence in Global Buddhism
Speaker: Srinivas Reddy
Reading: The Disappearance of Buddhism and the Survival of Jainism in India (Jaini 1980)
Assignment: Final Project Outline DUE 20 March
Week 12: 25 & 27 March 2025 – Navayana Buddhism
Presentation: Ambedkar, Kabir and Navayana Buddhism
Speaker: S. Anand
Reading: Excerpt from Kabir’s Notbook (2024)
Assignment: Read for next week and work on final project videos
Week 13: 1 & 3 April 2025 – Buddhism in China
Presentation: An Overview of Chinese Buddhism
Speaker: Larson DiFiori
Reading: Excerpt from Chinese Religions (Fowler and Fowler 2008)
Assignment: ALL FINAL PROJECT VIDEOS DUE by NOON on Saturday April 5
Week 14 & 15: 8, 10, 15 & 17 April 2025 – Class Presentations
Presentation: Individual Final Project Presentations in Panel Format
Speakers: All
Assignment: Watch Video Presentations in preparation for panel discussions
Week 16: 22 April 2025 – Class Overview & Party
Class Reflections & Party