We have one more kind of Buddhism to consider in the East Asian setting. This is Vajrayana, or Tantric Buddhism.
Tantra can exist in both Buddhist and Hindu forms. In this class we will discuss Buddhist tantra. Hindu dimensions of tantra will come up in the following semester course.
Vajrayana is generally understood to be one kind of Mahayana Buddhism, but it is so distinct that it is often considered a separate branch of Buddhism (along with Mahayana and Theravada as the two main other branches).