Contemporary Religion in Japan's Ancient Capital: Sustaining and Recasting Tradition

This course is being offered in collaboration with the Stanford Program in Kyoto, Bing Overseas Studies Program. Taught online, students will receive real-time instruction from Prof. Ludvik based in Kyoto on contemporary Japanese attitudes to religion and popular forms of religiosity in the context of the ancient capital of Kyoto, center of Japanese tradition and culture. Intersecting past and present, the city offers fascinating perspectives on time-honoured syncretic religious traditions in symbiosis with modern developments and the challenges they present. The course will examine various aspects and expressions of contemporary Japanese religion, including the pursuit of worldly benefits, religion and healing, fortune-telling, the popularity of ascetic practices and practitioners, pilgrimage, the enormous appeal of festivals (matsuri), the impact of tourism on religious sites, and the response of religion in times of crisis, such as natural disasters or COVID-19.
The course is offered remotely (online - synchronous) and enrollment is limited to 20 undergraduate students. A permission code will be given to admitted students to register in the class.
Interested students can apply by going to this Google form link by April 4: https://forms.gle/jDciz6YNKC3fvKNe9