Women, Gender, Sexuality 395B - S-Feminism,BuddstThought&ContP

Feminism and Buddhism both are concerned with suffering and liberation from suffering. Both seek to bring about change through the development of awareness and the overcoming of ignorance. Both address these issues as they pertain to individual minds and bodies and to group-level processes and social structures. How can these two fields engage in closer conversation with each other? Although we will examine the historical and contemporary contributions of women Buddhist teachers and practitioners, this course is not about "women in Buddhism." Rather, it seeks to explore the following questions: How can feminist theories related to embodiment, anti-essentialism, reflexivity, deconstructing binaries, and challenging injustice converse with Buddhist and other contemplative teachings regarding enlightenment, liberation, compassion, suffering and breaking through illusions and unhealthy habit patterns? What specific pedagogical theories and practices can feminism learn from Buddhist and other contemplative practices, and vice versa? How can higher education bring greater self-awareness into the classroom and foster trust, openness and deep exploration? What are the obstacles and challenges to these pedagogies and how can they be addressed? Who is engaged in this work, and what lessons and resources can we share with each other? The course aims to provide a space for students to experiment with new ways of learning, thinking and interacting with each other.