LES4201 – Buddhist care practices
Schedule, syllabus and examination date
Course content
In this course, students of Buddhist and other beliefs or life philosophies will learn about the practices of Buddhist chaplaincy, spiritual care, and counseling that exist within the mainstream Buddhist traditions in contemporary societies across the globe. The course will focus in particular on the importance of attitude and self-reflection as well as on concepts and practices of mindfulness and compassion. Depending on the individual backgrounds of the participants, by means of input, self-thinking, work in small groups, and exchange in the plenum, we will discuss and reflect, how to apply Buddhist care practices in Norwegian institutions such as hospitals, hospices, prisons, the army and other counseling contexts such as public counseling centres and Buddhist communities.
Learning outcome
1. Upon completion of the course, students should have obtained knowledge from across the three mainstream Buddhist traditions, how Buddhists care for each other within their communities, not only in Asia and Europe, but also in Norway. How is such caring based in Buddhist root texts, how are these texts applied to contemporary contexts, and how are they complemented by today’s knowledge and skills?
2. By means of self thinking, creative work, joint reflection, and discussion a basic understanding and sensitivity should be developed to realize, what Buddhists have in common, and how their views, practices, and needs may differ, especially when facing suffering in existential crises, conflict, and other difficult situations. How do Buddhists deal with old age, illness and death, which rituals are important to them, what are they ultimately striving for, and how do they relate to questions such as organ donation, abortion, domestic violence, or sexual abuse?
Admission
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Prerequisites
Recommended previous knowledge
No basic knowledge of Buddhism is required, but you should have received or read an introduction to Buddhism within the context of the major world religions.
Teaching
The course consists of 1 x 2 full days (classroom teaching 14 hrs) and 4 session á 3 hrs (= 12 hrs) throughout the semester. Active participation is expected throughout.
During the 1 x 2 days seminar short lectures will be given to introduce themes followed by short student presentations of the results of the work in small groups. We will start each day with a short mindfulness exercise. In preparation for the digital sessions you will be assigned tasks including reading texts and thinking on them on your own (self-reflection). During the sessions there will be inputs and group works followed by panels presenting and discussing the results.
Mandatory requirements:
The course requires a minimum of 80% mandatory presence from the students in the classes.
Course diary: Throughout the seminar the students are expected to take notes (course diary) which will become part of the exam portfolio. One entry per seminar session max. 100 w