HISTORY OF ANCIENT JAPANESE PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIONS 1

This course falls within the characterising teachings of the curriculum "Japan" of the course "Language and Civilisation of Asia and Mediterranean Africa."
Its training objectives fit within the area of cultural and humanistic skills learning.

Knowledge and understanding:
- Knowledge of the main events relating to the meeting between European missionaries and Japanese people in the XVI-XVII centuries
- Knowledge of the tenets of the Jesuits’ approaches to evangelization in Japan, and understanding of its key dynamics
- Knowledge of the most important themes of the Christian-Buddhism polemics, especially those from Japanese texts
- Understanding of the dynamics of Japanese re-elaboration of Christianity, with particular attention to those emerging subsequently the expulsion of the missionaries

Applying knowledge and understanding:
- Analysis of interreligious dynamics, contextualizing them in the relevant historical period
- Identification of processes of accomodatio in the sources and identification their influence on the creation of the image of Japan and its religious dimension in Europe
- Identification of the main religious and anthropological characters in the criticism and adoption of Christianity by Japanese people

Making judgements:
- Formulation of critical judgements on religious phenomena considered during the course

Communication skills:
- Coherent re-elaboration of the key ideas of the course and of the assigned bibliography, both in written and oral form

Learning skills:
- Taking notes and elaborate them during revision
- Critical reading of the relevant texts and their bibliography
- Elaboration of an essay on a topic chosen withing the scope of the course

A general knowledge of Japanese history and religions is advisable, as is the understanding of written English (intermediate level).

This course analyses the interreligious encounter between Japanese people and Christian missionaries in the XVI-XVII centuries.
After an introduction on the historical and religious contexts, the focus will shift to the evangelisation approaches attempted by the Catholic missionaries in regards to Japan, with particular attention given to the construction of the image of Japanese religions for European audiences, and to so-called accomodatio.
The course will further consider the main themes found in the religious debates carried out by Buddhist and Catholic representatives and in the polemical texts written against Christianity, and, finally, the varieties of Japanese Christianity that emerged after the edict of expulsion of the missionaries.

The examination is subdivided between an oral and a written part (essay).

Information on the technical aspects of the essay can be found in the relative file in Moodle; the essay is to be sent to the lecturer at least two weeks before the oral exam date.

The oral exam is comprised by the exposition of the content of the essay and questions on the topics of the course.

Face-to-face lectures with PowerPoint slides.

Italian

The complete Syllabus will be available on Moodle.

written and oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development