This course will be taught in two parts. The first part will be taught by Dr. Jeremy Saul. The second part will be taught by Dr. Julia Esteve.
The first part of this course will focus on a particular theme in Asian religions that will serve as a case study of ritual and symbol in religion.
That focus will be on tantra and divine embodiment. Initially, in the first class meeting (today), we will consider some of the theoretical background for studying ritual and symbol, and in the coming weeks we will explore the various expressions of tantra and divine embodiment in Asia.
So the first half of this course will be informally known as “Tantra and Divine Embodiment.”
The second half of the course will consider ritual and symbol in terms of a different subject, to be determined by Dr. Esteve.