SUS 330 - Ecology and Religion in Japan

Course unit(s): 1
Meets GAR (students beginning prior to Fall 2024): DE, SC and IL
Meets requirement: IEL
Prerequisite(s): Instructor permission required
Through religious life and environmental stewardship are often understood to be mutually exclusive realms of human activity, the reality is that these land practices often influence one another in important ways. This course to Japan offers a unique opportunity to explore the intersections of sustainability and religion in the context of an industrialized Asian country. After a semester introducing students to the fundamentals of ecology and how humans rely upon and impact ecosystems processes, as well as to the history and ritual of Buddhism and indigenous Shinto, we will visit Japan. There, we will explore Japanese religious communities, businesses, schools, and secular urban spaces to gain an understanding of Japanese practices of place, addressing several key questions. How does the recently designated UNESCO World Heritage Pilgrimage, and Kumano Kodo, handle the environmental stress of its 15 million annual visitors? To what extent does the Buddhist teaching of no-self affect the Japanese response to the 2011 tsunami? How do small-scale fisheries situate themselves in both the global economy and in the Shinto universe of gods and humans? We will visit both urban industrialized Osaka and deeply rural Wakayama, investigating the way Japanese people attempt to balance industrialized manufacturing, dense urban living, and the limited resources of a small island nation. As case studies, we will explore the impacts of the Japanese fishing industry on global ocean health and engage in service learning with a lay-based ecological religious movement led by a Shugendo priest. Our trip will also include visits the historically important cities of Hiroshima and Kyoto.