 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
Home > Annual News Letter
2002-2003
JAIN STUDIES AT UCSB
Beginning in 2002-2003, the Department of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) will commence a program in Jain Studies. Funded by the Jain community, initially this new program in Jain Studies will include the teaching of a course on the Jain tradition and a conference on Jain Studies to be held in the spring of 2003. A course entitled "Introduction to Jainism" will be taught in the spring of 2003 and will provide a valuable complement to the introductory classes already offered in other Indian religious traditions at UCSB. Spanning the entire breadth of the Jain tradition, this course will provide a detailed historical picture of the Jain community by focusing on the evolution of Jain philosophy and religious practices as they have developed in India over the past 2000 years. In addition, this course will address the cultural and social issues that Jain communities face today as members of a global community.
This class will be taught by Ami Shah, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Religious Studies. Ms. Shah is a lecturer in Hindi in the Department whose academic interest in the Jain tradition includes a study of the early history of the Jain community, devotional aspects of the Jain tradition, and the role of pilgrimage in early and contemporary Jain communities. The resources of this class will be enhanced by guest speakers and a trip to a derasar in the Southern California area.
In addition to this course, the Department will also convene a conference which will provide a forum for leading scholars of the tradition, members of the Jain community, UCSB faculty, and graduate students to come together and discuss specific issues in Jain Studies. As the first in a series of conferences, it will focus on issues relating to the position of Jain Studies within the larger field of Religious Studies. In particular, we hope to begin a process that would bring more attention to Jain Studies in the larger framework of South Asian Religious Traditions. Professor Gurinder Singh Mann is in charge of the conference.
The Department of Religious Studies at UCSB considers it an honor to have received support from the Jain community making this initiative possible. In great measure, this initiative has come to fruition in loving memory of H.H. Acarya Sushil Kumariji Maharaj. Due to his vision and the commitment of the Jain community, we are fortunate to be a part of a program that will provide a home for Jain Studies.
