Overview
Choosing one of the topics below, write an analytical essay, 5 double-spaced pages long,
using standard 12-point fonts and 1-inch margins. You must number the pages and staple the
pages; I will subtract 2 points from the mark for any student who doesn’t. Bibliographic
entries, and separate title pages if you use one, do not count as part of the assigned 5 pages (that
said, do make sure to give the paper a proper title and provide full references for all sources you
use). Also, don’t add extra blank lines between the paragraphs; you need the room.
The paper should be viewed as a formal opportunity to synthesize and critically apply
the course material, with the material for this unit (Unit 3) being the most important. You must
use and cite both the assigned readings and the lecture material (in-class lectures,
handouts, and/or Powerpoints), and I strongly recommend using both the textbooks and
any relevant Canvas readings. Sources not specifically assigned or recommended should be
used minimally if at all. If you choose to use sources not specifically assigned or recommended,
they should be supplements to, not substitutes for, the assigned materials.
Always cite your sources fully and clearly, with specific page numbers for printed
material, whether you summarize or directly quote them. For the printed sources (readings), any
standard bibliographic style is OK, but don’t use long footnotes or endnotes. In-class lectures can
be identified by their dates (e.g., Lecture 1/16), posted handouts by their titles and page numbers
(e.g., Quinter, “Daoism,” 2), posted Powerpoints by their titles and slide number (e.g., Quinter,
“Lectures 1 and 2 (China),” slide 3), and videos by their titles.
When you cite a source, make sure that you reflect the author’s views accurately. I urge
caution on consulting internet sources (apart from electronic versions of high-quality academic
journals and scholarly books). But if you do, you must cite them by website or webpage title and
URL. Please try to use shortened URLs that do not include long search strings, etc. Consult the
Chicago Manual of Style, 18th ed. (available online to UofA students), if you are unclear on this.
I will be looking for clear writing, logical organization, freedom from spelling and
grammatical errors, specific knowledge of the assigned readings and lectures, and effective
synthesis of the course material. Your papers should have a clearly articulated thesis, reflect the
course material accurately, and demonstrate your own insight into the issues addressed. More
than just showing how your argument will proceed (“I will do X, then Y, then Z”), a good thesis
statement tells the reader what you will argue (“I will argue that/This paper will show that…”).
In a short paper like this, the thesis statement should generally appear in the first or
second paragraph. I will also be looking for a clear, well-considered introduction and central
argument or question, a logical flow to the supporting paragraphs with effective transitions
between them, and a satisfying conclusion. Do not use long quotes in your papers or just string
together direct quotes to make your arguments. Use your own wording as much as possible; your
own analysis of the material is the most important part.
In keeping with the emphasis on your own analyses and critical thinking, use of advanced
AI tools such as ChatGPT and similar programs is prohibited for the paper, no matter which
topic you choose (see the “Required Notes” section in the syllabus for fuller details). I also want
2
to spare you from the false paths such AI tools can lead you down—like their tendency to
“hallucinate” sources that don’t exist outside their own artificial minds.
But for a good resource for help with paper writing, see the link in Canvas to the
University’s “Writing Services.” You may also find helpful the link I posted under “Readings
and Handouts” to Mark Unno’s guide “Four Keys to Writing in the Humanities.”
Topics
Note: For the topics below, you do not have to address every sub-question in any “Some issues
you may want to consider” parts. But these are included to help guide your thinking on the
papers and to give you a sense of the kinds of issues that can make for a good one.
1) Compare and contrast Chinese Buddhism with Japanese Buddhism.
Some issues you may want to consider: What are some fundamental ways that local
religious traditions affected the development of Buddhism in these countries? Which Chinese
Buddhist schools were imported to Japan? Focusing on two or more of these schools, how did
they change in the Japanese context? What new Buddhist schools or traditions emerged in Japan
with little Chinese precedent?
2) Between the lectures and assigned readings, we have examined several influential Buddhist
masters from Heian and medieval Japan, including Kūkai, Saichō, Dōgen, Shinran, and Eison
(see Watt).
Investigating the thought and practice of at least two of those monks, whose teachings
are the most convincing to you and why? Whose do you find the most problematic or
controversial (either with respect to other Buddhist teachings or to Japanese society then)? Why?
Make sure to ground your analysis in specific examples of their teachings and practices.
3) Analyze the relationships between Shinto and Buddhism in Japan.
Some issues you may want to consider: Institutionally, in what ways did Buddhist
temples and Shinto shrines combine? Ideologically and ritually, how did Buddhism and Shinto
combine or conflict? Historically, would you characterize Buddhism and Shinto in Japan as
largely compatible, incompatible, or somewhere in between? Why? And for what time periods?