bristol ma buddhisthandbook

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UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL

FACULTY OF ARTS

MA IN BUDDHIST STUDIES

HANDBOOK FOR STUDENTS

2009-10


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Important note:The information within this Handbook has been checked, but there may be errors. Please inform

your MA Programme Director and the Graduate School of Arts and Humanities office if you find

any. University rules and guidance regarding a number of matters change from year to year, so

please consult the University Web pages for the most current information.

This handbook should be read in conjunction with the following publications:

The Universitys Code of Practice and Regulations for Taught Postgraduate Programmes

The Universitys Code of Practice for the Assessment of Students on Taught Programmes

and also the Faculty of Arts Postgraduate Handbook.These are available in hard copy from the Graduate School office or online at:

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/esu/pg/pgtcodeonline.html

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/esu/assessment/codeonline.html

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/gradschool/

Graduate School of Arts and HumanitiesTel: 44 (0) 117 928 8897

Fax: 44 (0) 117 331 8333

e-mail: [email protected]: www.bris.ac.uk/arts/gradschool

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CONTENTS

page

Welcome 4

Institutional FrameworkUniversity, Faculty of Arts, the Department and the Centre for Buddhist Studies 4

Resources and FacilitiesGraduate School, Library, Postgraduate Buddhist Studies library, Inter-Library Loans,Language Centre

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Postgraduate Skills and Research TrainingEnglish language and academic writing support, Faculty of Arts postgraduate trainingcourses

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Research Seminars, Lectures and ConferencesDepartmental research seminars, guest lectures and conferences, School of HumanitiesResearch Seminars, Research events in the Faculty of Arts and BIRTHA

8

Practical InformationGraduate School office, Communications, Change of address, Health and Safety, Your

personal tutor and your personal welfare, Fees, Accommodation

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Programme Structure and Programme Requirements Structure, Credit points,Assessed coursework, Deadlines, Extensions for coursework, Written work - Presenta-

tion and scholarly apparatus

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MA Units 16

The DissertationSupervision, Submission deadlines for the Dissertation, Dissertation guidelines, Com-mitment, Style guidelines, Extensions to the maximum period of study and suspensionof study, What happens after you have submitted your dissertation

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Assessment GuidelinesFaculty of Arts guidelines for the degree of MA, Plagiarism

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Complaints and Appeals Procedure 25

Further Postgraduate StudyApplying for a research degree, Self-funding and funding your research degree

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Appendix 1: Centre for Buddhist Studies Staff Profiles 28

Appendix 2 : Academic Staff: Contact Details 29

Appendix 3: University of Bristol Term Dates, 2009-10 30

Appendix 4: Map of the Faculty of Arts 31

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Welcome to the School of Humanities

Welcome to the University of Bristol and a very warm welcome to the School of Hu-

manities (known as HUMs). We are delighted that you will be joining us for the year,

or more, as a Postgraduate Student.

Whether you are taking a taught course, or embarking on a research degree, you are

entering a vibrant and multi-faceted research environment. HUMs is committed to

research excellence in all its forms: from individual scholarship of international cali-

bre through collaborative projects of various kinds (many of them cross-disciplinary)

to conferences, lectures, seminars and other events. And we are equally committed to

communicating the results of that research both to our students (through taught pro-

grammes and in other ways) and to the wider public.

This Handbook is designed to provide you with the information you require regarding

the administration, teaching and structure of your programme. It should be used inconjunction with the Faculty of Arts Postgraduate Handbook. Throughout your stud-

ies here we will do all we can to ensure that you receive the best education we can

provide.

You are warmly invited to join in all our activities. In particular, you are actively en-

couraged to attend Department, School and Faculty seminars and other research

events, and to take every opportunity to widen your intellectual horizons. All infor-

mation will be included in e-mail circulars, which makes it imperative that you check

your University e-mail account, preferably every day.

Take time to read carefully the information provided in this Handbook, and do not

hesitate to ask for clarification on any matters.

Most of all, work hard and enjoy your postgraduate studies with us in HUMs.

Professor Roger Middleton

Head, School of Humanities

Institutional Framework

The University Of Bristol

Founded in the 1870s and granted its charter in 1909, the University

(http://www.bris.ac.uk/) is now well established as one of Europes leading research

institutions with some 12,000 students, of whom about 2,000 are postgraduates, and

1,000 are from overseas. The University has a wide range of academic schools & de-partments with a variety of specialist resources.

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Bristol is not a campus university but its main academic facilities are concentrated on

one site near the centre of the city. It has excellent accommodation, medical and wel-

fare services, and a Language Centre that provides specialised tuition in English and

other languages for academic purposes. It also has good recreational facilities, includ-

ing a recently built Sports Centre, and one of the countrys largest Students Unions,with a swimming pool among other facilities. The Students Union

(http://www.ubu.org.uk/) sponsors a broad range of sports as well as a host of other

activities. The University Offices, including the Student Finance Office, are in Senate

House on Tyndall Avenue.

The Faculty of Arts

The Faculty of Arts consists of thirteen Departments organised into three Schools:

Arts, Humanities (Classics & Ancient History, English, Historical Studies, and Theol-

ogy & Religious Studies) and Modern Languages. The Departments are housed in vil-

las along Woodland Road. The Faculty Office is in the basement of 3/5 Woodland

Road. The Faculty of Arts Postgraduate Handbook explains how the Faculty is run

and its procedures and regulations with regard to graduate students. As a student in

the Arts Faculty these rules and procedures apply to you, and it is therefore important

that you know what they are.

Another key source of information is the Universitys Regulations and Code of Prac-

tice for Research Degree Programmes. You will be given a copy of this either when

you first register. See http://www.bris.ac.uk/tsu/policy/cop-research-degrees.html for

further details and an online version.

The Centre for Buddhist Studies

The University of Bristol Centre for Buddhist Studies is a research centre within the

Department of Theology and Religious Studies which aims to co-ordinate and

promote academic Buddhist research in the Southwest of England. The university has

an excellent collection of books on Buddhism, including the complete Buddhist

canons in Pali, Chinese and Tibetan. There is also an extensive collection of Tibetan

texts mainly on microfiche, particularly for the study of Madhyamaka thought. In

addition the University Library possesses the collection of the late Professor EdwardConze. An Edward Conze Memorial Prize is available annually for outstanding

undergraduate or graduate performance.

The Centre for Buddhist Studies encourages applications for postgraduate research

places leading to the degrees of MLitt and PhD; and applications for a taught MA in

Buddhist Studies. The Centre also has web pages at http://www.bris.ac.uk/thrs/

A list of Centre for Buddhist Staff is given in an Appendix.

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Resources and Facilities

The Graduate School of Arts and Humanities

The Graduate School of Arts and Humanities is located in the newly refurbished villa

at 7 Woodland Road. Designed as a dedicated space for postgraduate students and

staff, the Graduate School provides teaching and seminar rooms, individual study

space, computer and printing facilities and a large common-room for postgraduates to

gather, relax and converse. The Graduate School will be a focal point for the post-

graduate community in the Faculty of Arts at Bristol and will offer a postgraduate

training programme as well as a variety of research seminars and events.

The Library

The Arts and Social Sciences Library has a stock of over a million books, and over

6,000 periodicals. Every year it adds about 25,000 books and bound periodicals to its

shelves. It is situated in Tyndall Avenue, just around the corner of Woodland Road.

In term time, the Library is open for reading late at night and during the weekends.

There is an up-to-date list of Library opening times on the main door of the Library

and on the web at www.bristol.ac.uk/is/locations/branches/assl/. The main collec-

tion of books and bound back-numbers of periodicals is housed on three floors. Many

reference books (encyclopaedias, dictionaries, bibliographies) are housed on the

ground and first floors, but some are contained within individual subject sections on

other floors. For the convenience of undergraduate and postgraduate students, books

which are likely to be in permanent demand or which are needed for permanent refer-

ence are confined to the Library and may not be borrowed under any circumstances.

These are clearly marked with a special book-plate, and with a red band on the spine.

In addition, a number of books which are likely to be in frequent demand on courses

are put on permanent Seven-Day Loan or in the temporary Short Loan Collection

(SLC). In the former case, the items may only be borrowed for one week; in the latter

case, for a specified period, the items may only be borrowed overnight or for a few

hours. The Librarys Electronic Catalogue will tell you what books status is.

MetaLib: your resource gateway is the starting point for searching the librarys onlinecatalogue of printed resources, online journals, databases, general internet links and a

wealth of other useful resources. MetaLib is at www.metalib.bristol.ac.uk/

Your subject librarian is Emma Place ([email protected]), who is happy to

help and advise you with enquiries relating to library matters. She will also provide

tours of the library for new students and training in information resources.

Students should report to their tutor(s)/adviser(s) any difficulties that they have in ob-

taining books, and any suggestions which they might have for acquisitions of new ma-

terial or of duplicate copies of existing stock.

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Postgraduate Buddhist Studies library

A library containing some duplicates of books related to Buddhist studies held in the

main Arts and Social Science Library is located in room 2.6 of the Department. Stu-

dents may normally use the library during normal working hours (9.00 a.m. to 5.00p.m.), Monday to Friday. CBS has a fully catalogued specialist collection of 600 vol-

umes (Chinese, Tibetan and Pali texts) which has grown extensively from bequests

and donations. Students are asked to abide by the rules posted in the library. Please

note that sometimes, although infrequently, this room may need to be used as an of-

fice. To gain access you will need to get a key from the School of Humanities General

Office, 11 Woodland Rd, for which a returnable deposit of 10 is payable. Failure to

return the key within one week from the submission of your final dissertation will re-

sult in forfeiture of the deposit, which will then be used to cut a new key. Students

who fail to return library books after the end of the course will not be able to graduate.

Inter-Library Loans (ILL) and ILL Vouchers

The Library has an Inter-Library Loan service to provide copies of books and articles

that are not available in the Universitys own collections. After ordering (using the

Electronic Catalogue), it usually takes a week or two for an item to arrive. There is a

charge for this service, so before collecting the item you should get a voucher from

the Graduate School Office to settle the librarys charge. For further information

about Inter-Library Loan vouchers, see the Graduate School webpages:

www.bris.ac.uk/arts/gradschool. It is sensible to consult your supervisor before plac-ing an ILL request: he/she may have a copy of the book or article and may know

whether or not it is relevant to your interests. More information can be found at

http://www.bris.ac.uk/is/library/lending/interloans/ .

The Language Centre

The Language Centre, based in 30/32 Tyndalls Park Road, serves two main purposes

for graduate students. First, if offers a number of courses for the benefit of students

whose first language is not English. These courses help both with oral and writing

skills. Second, it offers facilities for independent study of languages. The facilities

consist of a Reading Room, an Audio-Visual Room and a Computer Room. The

Reading Room offers books, cassettes and videos at all levels in a range of lan-

guages. There is also a quiet study area with newspapers and magazines in several

languages. The AV Room offers cassette players for students to listen to cassettes and

record themselves, and Satellite TV, offering many European channels. In the Com-

puter Room students are able to develop their skills, working with the latest interac-

tive multimedia language packages.

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Postgraduate Skills and Research Training

English Language and Academic Writing Support

If, in the course of your study, whether in writing or in seminar situations, you find

that you have difficulty meeting the demands that postgraduate work makes on your

writing or oral skills, do make this known to your MA Programme Director. You also

need to know that both international students and native speakers who need to im-

prove their academic writing skills can benefit from the Arts Faculty Training Courses

(especially the course Academic Writing Skills), which are designed especially for

the needs of our graduate students. For international students whose first language is

not English, the Language Centre (see above) offers appropriate taught language units

(e.g. English for Academic Purposes). See www.bristol.ac.uk/languagecentre/ for in-

formation. Both undergraduate and postgraduate students can take advantage of

courses in writing skills offered by the Faculty: see http://www.bris.ac.uk/arts/skills/.

Faculty of Arts Postgraduate Training Courses

As a graduate student in the Faculty of Arts, you have the opportunity to benefit from

a full programme of training courses designed to further your professional develop-

ment of our postgraduate students. The programme usually includes courses on ge-

neric skills (e.g. Presentation Skills, IT, Word-Processing), on languages (German

Reading, Latin), and so on. Information about the courses that are on offer, and about

how to register for them, is given in the booklet entitled Postgraduate Training

Courses.

Research Seminars, Guest Lectures

and Conferences

Attending research events is an important and enriching part of academic life and

academic learning. As a postgraduate student, you are expected to attend the Depart-

ments seminars (see below), so that you can learn from cutting-edge research, meet

scholars from Bristol and elsewhere, and join with other postgraduate students in dis-

cussion. You are also strongly urged to participate in other research events organised

by the department (visiting lectures and conferences), and in the research activities

organised by the School of Humanities and the Faculty.

School of Humanities Research Seminars

Please also note the four School of Humanities Seminars that will run on Tuesdays

starting at 4.15. Venue: Link Rooms: 27 October 2009: School Seminar, Historical

Studies; 24 November 2009: School Seminar, English; 2 February 2010: School

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Seminar, Theology and Religious Studies 2 March 2010: School Seminar, Classics.

All are welcome. For further details please contact Professor Peter Coates.

Research Events in the Faculty of Arts and BIRTHA

A convenient way of keeping informed about all seminars, lectures, and conferences

taking place in the Arts Faculty is to check the website of BIRTHA (Bristol Institute

for Research in the Humanities and Arts), at (www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/birtha). BIRTHA

coordinates the research activity, and also sponsors some high-profile guest lectures

and conferences. The BIRTHA calendar of research events will keep you informed

about what is happening in the Faculty.

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DEPARTMENT OF THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES,

SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES

UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL

3 Woodland Road

POSTGRADUATE SEMINAR PROGRAMME 2009-10

Venue: ROOM G5

Tea: 4.00 pm, Seminar: 4.30pm

6 October 2009: Catherine Newell (SOAS), Understanding the Dhammakaya temples in the Thai con-

text(Chair: Rupert Gethin).

20 October 2009: Max Deeg (Cardiff University),Nestorianism in China (Chair: John Kieschnick).

3 November 2009: Hildegard Diemberger (Mongolia and Inner Asia Studies Unit, Dept. of Social An-thropology, Cambridge) When a Woman Becomes a Religious Dynasty: The Samding Dorje Phagmo of

Tibet(Chair: Paul Williams).

17 November 2009: James Crossley (University of Sheffield): For Every Manc a Religion: Uses ofBiblical Language and Imagery in the Manchester Music Scene, 1977-1994 (Chair: John Lyons).

[Please note that Professors Crossley paper is part of a half-day conference entitled The Recep-

tion of the Bible. For further details see below.]

1 December 2009: John Kieschnick (University of Bristol, Theology and Religious Studies),India inChinese Buddhist Historiography (Chair: Rupert Gethin).

19 January 2010: Tim Cole (University of Bristol, Historical Studies)Defining Jewishness: Hungary1944 (Chair: Jo Carruthers).

16 February 2010: Ingmar Heise, Calling Back and Ferrying Across - Some Remarks on Buddhistrituals for the Dead in Contemporary South China (Chair: John Kieschnick).

13 March 2010 (Saturday):Fifteenth Joint Postgraduate Conference, Theology and Religious Stud-

ies, 9.305.00 (Organized by Jon Balserak).

16 March 2010: Bernard McGinn (Chicago University),Human Dignity and the Christian /Imago Dei/Tradition. (Chair: Carolyn Muessig).

20 April 2010: Andrew Moore, University of Oxford, The Empirical Spirit. Co-sponsored by the De-partment of Philosophy. (Chair: Gavin DCosta).

4 May 2010: Brian Leftow (University of Oxford), Scripture, God and Time (Chair Oliver Crisp).For further information please contact Carolyn Muessig ([email protected]).

Special Events:

20 November 26 November:The Creation and Destruction of a Sand Mandala by the Monks of the

Tashi Lhunpo Monastery (Venue: Multifaith Chaplaincy, University of Bristol).

6 March 2010: Great Mystics Address the Contemporary World(Organized by Bernard McGinn,Anke Holdenried and Carolyn Muessig).

There will be a half-day conference on Tuesday, 17 November 2009 entitled: The Reception of theBible. The speakers are John Lyons (Bristol), Francesca Stavrakopoulou (University of Exeter), andJames Crossley (University of Sheffield). The final paper of this half-day conference by James

Crossley will be scheduled at the usual time and place of the postgraduate research seminars. For fur-ther details contact Dr John Lyons ([email protected])

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Practical Information

Graduate School Office

Postgraduate administrative staff are based in the Graduate School of Arts & Humani-

ties which is located at 7 Woodland Road. If you need to contact a member of the ad-

ministrative team please ask at the Reception Office on the Ground Floor or call 0117

9288897.

Communications

Post:

The postgraduate student pigeonholes are located on the first floor of the Department

of Theology and Religious Studies, 3 Woodland Road.. Communications from teach-

ing and administrative staff will be placed in pigeon-holes and you should check them

regularly.

E-mail:

More and more, e-mail is the way you will receive communications from the Depart-

ment, the school and the faculty. Your University e-mail address is the one that will

be used for these purposes, rather than any private e-mail address you may have. If

you e-mail a lecturer or administrator, please use an appropriate subject header and

give your name and surname in the message.

Noticeboards:

There is also a noticeboard for all postgraduates in the School of Humanities near the

common room area in 11 Woodland Road. Notices, conference announcements, andso on, are put there. Do check this and the departmental noticeboards regularly so that

you know whats going on.

Change of address

It is your responsibility to inform the University of any change in your address (either

home or term-time address) and contact details. You should do this by changing your

University record on-line, which you can do by visiting the web-page:

https://www.bris.ac.uk/studentinfo/, and you should also inform the Graduate School

office.

Health and Safety

If you have a concern about health and safety, or are involved in an accident of any

kind on University premises, you should report it in the first instance to the Graduate

School office.

Your Personal Tutor and Your Personal Welfare

In addition to your academic tutors, the MA Programme Director, Dr John Kieschnick([email protected]) is your personal tutor. He is available to do his best

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to help you with any problem, academic or personal, which you wish to discuss.

Above all, if anything interferes with your work, tell your personal tutor well before a

crisis develops. Please do not hesitate to see your personal tutor if you want to talk

about any matter. In general, you should feel able to consult any member of staff in-

volved in the course, but your personal tutor has a particular responsibility for you.

The University also has a number of services dedicated to the welfare of its students:

ourAccess Unit for Deaf and Disabled Students offers a range of services to assist

students with a registered disability: see www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/AccessUnit; the Stu-

dent Counselling Service at 1A priory Road

(www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/StudentsCounselling/), tel. 954 665, has qualified counsellors

who can help students when particular issues are troubling them; the Student Health

Service on St Michaels Hill (tel. 3302720; webpages

http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/StudentHealthService/ is there to look after students

health; the Student Union, and its new student website, is an excellent port of call for

information regarding jobs, money, accommodation, legal advice. See

www.bristol.ac.uk/studenthelp/.

Fees

Academic fees are revised annually. For information about student fees and payment

arrangements see: http://www.bris.ac.uk/academicregistry/fees/

Accommodation

Please see the Accommodation Office webpages on:

http://www.bris.ac.uk/accom/

There is also a wealth of information available from the International Students Advi-

sory Centre on their webpages, including the pre-arrival guide for International Stu-

dents:

http://www.bris.ac.uk/internationalcentre/studentsupport/

This also contains information about estimated living expenses.

From time to time positions as tutors in halls of residence become available (these ap-

pointments are dealt with by the individual halls and are advertised in the University

Newsletter). This generally involves free or subsidised accommodation in a hall of

residence in return for the undertaking of certain supervisory and pastoral duties inrelation to the undergraduates living there.

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MA in Buddhist Studies: Programme Structure

and Programme Requirements

1. One of the following language units (40 credits points): THRSM0012 Pali * THRSM0013 Sanskrit THRSM0014 Classical Tibetan THRSM0029 Introduction to Buddhist Chinese *Assessment: class tests (Pali); 1 three-hour examination (Buddhist Chinese)

2. Units worth 80 credit-points from the following list of options, worth 20 creditpoints each:

THRSM0015 Buddhism: The Foundations * THRSM0016 Buddhism: The Mahyna Tradition * THRSM0017 Abhidhamma THRSM0018 The Practice of Theravda Buddhism in Asia THRSM0019 The Buddhist Path to Awakening THRSM0020 The Foundations of Tibetan Buddhism * THRSM0021 Development of Buddhist Thought & Practice in Tibet * THRSM0027 Aspects of Chinese Buddhism * THRSM0028 The Origins & Development of Zen Buddhism *

Assessment: 1 essay of 34000 words per unit

It is also possible to replace an optional unit with the two Research Methods Training units offered by the Facultyof Arts. Alternatively these units can be taken as additional units (not for credit). For further details of the

Research Methods training, see the Faculty of Arts Postgraduate Training Courses booklet.

3. THRSM0024 Dissertation of 15,000 words (60 credit points) *Students without a first degree involving substantial component of Buddhist studies

will normally be expected to take THRSM0015 Buddhism: The Foundations and

THRSM0016 Buddhism: The Mahyna Tradition.

Part-time students will normally take one of the language units (40 credit points)

together with other units worth 40 credit points in their first year of study; in their

second year they will take further units worth 40 credit points, plus the dissertation

(60 credit points).

* Please note that not all these units will be available in any given year. Units

available in 09-10 are marked *

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Credit points

The units that make up the MA are modular, which means that they carry a weighted

value measured in what are called credit points. Credit points are not the same thingas the marks that one is awarded for a piece of work such as an essay. They are more

like a certificate to the effect that a given unit has been completed satisfactorily by

the student. Credit points are indivisible. That is to say, one cannot be awarded some

but not all of the credit points attaching to a unit; one is either awarded the credit

points or not, even if one has met some (but not all, of course) of the criteria for the

award.

In order to complete and be eligible to be awarded the MA, one mustaccumulate the full 180 credit points made up of the various taught units and

the dissertation.

60 credit points are the requirement for the award of a Certificate; 120 for the award of a Diploma.

To progress through the various parts of the degree programme, students must fully

satisfy all the criteria for the award of credit points on all the units taken. The criteria

are:

Satisfactory attendance at seminars and lectures (The requirement ofattendance at seminars means that you must give the MA course tutors prior

warning of any absences, which must be for a reasonable cause. Failure to

attend seminars and lectures without sufficient cause will jeopardize your

eligibility to proceed to the award of a degree.)

Submission of assessed work by the specified deadlines. Submission of assessed work to a standard that represents a genuine attempt to

achieve a pass mark (50).

Assessed Coursework

Submission

Coursework - Timetable of Deadlines

Assessed Essays

Units (other than Pali, Sanskrit, Chinese and Tibetan, the Research Methods Training

units and the Dissertation) are assessed by an essay of 3,0004,000 words (exclusive

of notes and bibliography).

Two copies of each essay must be submitted in person to the Graduate School office,

before 5 pm (PLEASE NOTE THE PENALTIES FOR LATE SUBMISSION OF MA

COURSEWORK see the Faculty of Arts Postgraduate Handbook).

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Each copy handed in must have a completed cover sheet and feedback form. These

are available from the Graduate School office.

Deadlines

The deadlines for submission of the essays are:

Teaching Block 1 unitsFriday 15 January 2010 (week 11)

Teaching Block 2 unitsFriday 7 May 2010 (week 23)

Extensions for Course Work

Extensions beyond the specified deadlines can be granted if there are reasonable

grounds for an extension. If you need an extension, you should discuss this with the

MA Programme Director. You will need to complete an extension form, available

from the Graduate School office.

Any extension for longer than a week normally requires evidence (e.g. medical note).

Note that work submitted late without an extension attracts a penalty.

Written work - Presentation and scholarly apparatus

GeneralYou are required to meet the highest scholarly standards in presentation. Your essays

and dissertation must be typed or word-processed. They must include notes and a full

bibliography. Above all, accuracy and consistency must characterise presentation.

Conventions should not be mixed. You should consult theMHRA Style Guide: A

Handbook for Authors, Editors and Writers of Theses (Leeds: Modern Humanities

Research Association, 2002), normally available in the University branch of

Waterstones (5) and available on-line free as a PDF file fromhttp://www.mhra.org.uk/Publications/Books/StyleGuide/index.html. It is essential that

you master the scholarly conventions for the presentation of your at an early stage in

the preparation of your essays so that you do not find yourself wrestling with

technical details when you are writing your dissertation.

Use of diacritical marksAll Sanskrit and Pali words should be transliterated according to the recognised

scholarly convention using diacritical marks. Suitable Fonts for Macs and PCs can be

downloaded from John Smiths Indic fonts web pages:

ftp://bombay.oriental.cam.ac.uk/pub/john/software/fonts. Be sure to read the ReadMe

documents available at this site. For PC/Windows users the CSX+ fonts arerecommended, for Mac users either Times_Norman or the Mac versions of the CSX+

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fonts; a new version of Times_Norman compatible with Microsoft Word 2004 and

Mac OSX is available for Rupert Gethin. Alternatively for those using the Unicode

standard on Macs or PCs, suitable Unicode fonts are the TITUS Cyberbit Unicode

font, which you can download from the Thesaurus Indogermanischer Text- und

Sprachmaterialien website at http://titus.fkidg1.uni-frankfurt.de/indexe.htm, or the

Gandhari Unicode fonts available from http://www.ebmp.org/p_dwnlds.php

Please check and correct your work carefully before handing it in.

MA Buddhist Studies Units

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS

* Please note that not all these units will be available in any given year.

THRSM0012 Pali (Dr Rupert Gethin / Dr Rita Langer)

The first half of the unit aims to introduce students to the basics of Pali grammar as a

foundation for the reading of Pali texts, and involves the completion of weekly Pali/English

and English/Pali exercises and the preparation of short passages for reading. The second half

of the unit aims to consolidate previous work on basic Pali grammar by continuing with a

certain amount of grammatical practice with an increasing emphasis on reading selections

from the discourses of the Buddha. The unit will conclude with the reading of onesutta from

the Pali canon.

SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHY

A. K. Warder,Introduction to Pali (London: Pali Text Society, 1974)

40 CREDIT POINTS

3 HOURS A WEEK FOR 20 WEEKS

ASSESSMENT:class tests.

THRSM0013 Sanskrit (Dr Rupert Gethin / Dr Rita Langer)

The first half of the unit aims to introduce students to the basics of Sanskrit grammar as a

foundation for the reading of Sanskrit texts, and involves the completion of weekly

Sanskrit/English and English/Sanskrit exercises and the preparation of short passages for

reading. The second half of the unit aims to consolidate previous work on basic Sanskrit

grammar by continuing with a certain amount of grammatical practice with increasing

emphasis on reading (adapted) selections from Sanskrit literature.SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHY

W. H. Maurer, The Sanskrit Language: An introductory grammar and reader, 2 vols

(Richmond, 1995)

40 CREDIT POINTS

3 HOURS A WEEK FOR 20 WEEKS

ASSESSMENT:class tests.

THRSM0014 Classical Tibetan (Professor Paul Williams)

An introduction to the classical written language, the language of translations into Tibetan of

Buddhist scriptures. This form of Tibetan is known as chos skador the Dharma language.

The unit aims to provide students with a working vocabulary of classical Buddhist Tibetan,and the ability to translate slowly, using a dictionary, works from the Tibetan Buddhist Canon

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translated from Indian languages or Chinese. Students will read pieces of real Buddhist

Tibetan including the root verses of theBar do thos grol, the so-called Tibetan Book of the

Dead, and normally the first twenty verses of the Tibetan translation of Atias

Bodhipathapradpa, theByang chub lam gyi sgron me.

SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHY

S. Hodge,An Introduction to Classical Tibetan (Warminster: Aris & Phillips, 1990).M. Hahn,Lehrbuch der klassischen tibetischen Schriftsprache (Bonn: M. Hahn, 1981).

H.A. Jschke,A Tibetan-English Dictionary (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1975)

40 CREDIT POINTS

20 TWO-HOUR WEEKLY SEMINARS

ASSESSMENT:1 EXAMINATION (3hours).

THRSM0029 Introduction to Buddhist Chinese (Dr John Kieschnick)

This unit introduces the grammar and vocabulary of Chinese Buddhist Texts in the pre-

modern period.

SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHY

S. Hodge,Reading Buddhism Through Chinese (Routledge, 2000).

40 CREDIT POINTS


ASSESSMENT:1 EXAMINATION (3hours).

THRSM0015 Buddhism: the Foundations (Dr Rita Langer)

The aim of this unit is to develop an understanding of the fundamental ideas and practices

shared in common by ancient Indian Buddhism and which form something of a common

heritage for Buddhism in East Asia, Tibet and South and South East Asia. The emphasis is on

reading selected primary sources in translation that illustrate and exemplify certainfundamental themes: the Buddha, the development of Buddhist scriptures and schools, the

Buddhist monasticism, karmaand rebirth, the teaching of not-self (anatt) and dependentarising (iccasamuppdapat), theories of meditation, and nibbna.

SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHY

S. Collins, S., Selfless Persons: Imagery and Thought in TheravdaBuddhism (Cambridge:Cambridge University Press, 1982).

Rupert Gethin, The Foundations of Buddhism (Oxford: OUP, 1998)

A. K. Warder,Indian Buddhism, second edition (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1980).

20 CREDIT POINTS


ASSESSMENT: 1 ESSAY (3,0004,000 words)

THRSM0016 Buddhism: the Mahyna Tradition (Professor Paul Williams)

This unit concentrates on the religious and philosophical foundations of Indian and to a lesser

extent Tibetan Mahyna Buddhism, with occasional references to its Sino-Japanese forms.

Topics include Buddhism after the death of the Buddha, philosophical discussions of how

things really are, the path to Buddhahood, the changing status of the Buddha and the growth

of Buddhist devotionalism.

SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHY

Paul Williams,MahynaBuddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations(Routledge, 1989).

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The above will be a set-text. In addition we use many other books for this unit. You could try

also the Mahyna sections from E. Conze, et al., Buddhist Texts Through the Ages (Harper,

1964).

20 CREDIT POINTS



THRSM0017 Abhidhamma (Dr Rupert Gethin)

This unit aims to provide an overall understanding of the Abhidhamma enterprise and the cru-

cial role it plays in the development of Buddhist thought, setting the agenda for such

developments as the Madhyamaka and Yogcra. The unit will focus on the study of the first

six chapters of Anuruddhas classic 10th century manual, theAbhidhammatthasagaha.

SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bhikkhu Bodhi (trans.), A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma (Kandy: Buddhist

Publication Society, 1993).

W. F. Jayasuriya, The Psychology and Philosophy of Buddhism (Kuala Lumpur: BuddhistMissionary Society, 1976)

R. Gethin, Bhavanga and Rebirth According to the Abhidhamma in The Buddhist Forum,

Vol. III, edited by T. Skorupski and U. Pagel (London: School of Oriental and African

Studies, 1994), pp. 1135.

Lama Anagarika Govinda, The Psychological Attitude of Early Buddhist Philosophy (London:

Rider & Company, 1969).

20 CREDIT POINTS



THRSM0018 The Buddhist Path to Awakening: the way of calm and insight (Dr RupertGethin)

The course will examine the classic accounts of the stages of the Buddhist path of meditation

as presented in the earlysuttas, Buddhaghosas Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga) and

Vasubandhus Treasury of Abhidharma (Abhidharmakoa). Topics covered include asceticpractices, the subjects of meditation, meditation attainments (jhna), psychic powers (iddhi),the ways of calm (samatha) and insight (vipassan), the mind at the moment of enlight-enment; the paths of equipment, endeavour, seeing, development, and the adept.

SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHY

W. King, TheravdaMeditation: The Buddhist Transformation of Yoga ( Pennsylvania, 1980)Vajirana Mahthera,Buddhist Meditation in Theory and Practice (Kuala Lumpur: Buddhist

Missionary Society, 2nd edition, 1975)

R. M. L. Gethin, The Buddhist Path to Awakening, 2nd edition (Oxford: Oneworld, 2001).

20 CREDIT POINTS



THRSM0019 The Practice of Theravda Buddhsim in Asia (Dr Rita Langer)

A study of the practice of Theravda Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand and

Cambodia. After a brief look at the history of Buddhism in these countries, the unit

concentrates on lay and monastic practice in both the ancient and modern period. Topics

covered include the stages of the path of meditation, monasticism, Buddhism and spirit

cults, esoteric meditation systems, the relationship between the monk and the laity, theposition of women and Buddhist nuns.

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SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHY

F. Bizot,Le figuier cinq branches: recherches sur le bouddhisme khmer(Paris: EFEO,

1976)

R. F. Gombrich,Precept and Practice: Traditional Buddhism in the Rural Highlands of

Ceylon (Oxford: OUP, 1971)

G. Schopen,Bones, Stones, and Buddhist Monks: Collected Papers on the Archaeology,

Epigraphy, and Texts of Monastic Buddhism in India (Honolulu: University of Hawai'i

Press, 1997).

J. S. Strong, The Legend and Cult Of Upagupta (Princeton: Princeton University Press 1992)

S. Tambiah, The Buddhist Saints of the Forest and the Cult of Amulets (Cambridge: CUP,

1984)

20 CREDIT POINTS



THRSM0020 The Foundations of Tibetan Buddhism (Professor Paul Williams)

We shall begin by spending some weeks looking at the Indo-Tibetan doctrinal foundations of

esoteric (Tantric; Vajrayna) Buddhism. We then treat the historical context and events of the

transmission of Buddhism to Tibet, and look at thesiddhas (the wandering yogins/yogins)

and some of their practices associated with the Six Yogas of Nropa. We then go on to some

characteristic religious ideas of the rNying ma pa (the Ancient Ones)Padmasambhava and

his Hidden Treasures, and the philosophical and meditation teachings known as the Great

Perfection considered by many to be the peak of Buddhist meditation practice.

SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHY

The essential reading for this unit will be drawn mainly from two books:

Geoffrey Samuel, Civilized Shamans (Washington: Smithsonian Institute, 1993)

John Powers, Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism (Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion, 1995)

Other books include:Daniel Cozort,Highest Yoga Tantra(Snow Lion, 1986)

Namkhai Norbu,Dzogchen: The Self-Perfected State (Arkana, 1989)

David Snellgrove,Indo-Tibetan Buddhism: Indian Buddhists and Their Tibetan Successors

(Serindia, 1987also Shambhala pb).

20 CREDIT POINTS


ASSESSMENT:1 ESSAY (3,0004,000 words).

THRSM0021 The Development of Buddhist Thought and Practice in Tibet (Professor

Paul Williams)

We shall begin by looking at the life of the great hermit Milarepa (11th century), who was

also a layman. This will then be contrasted with the very monastically-based Buddhism of

Atia (11th century), and also Tsong kha pa (14th/15th centuries), the founder of the Dalai

Lamas tradition. This leads to a consideration of the idea of incarnate teachers and the his-

tory and institution of the Dalai Lamas. Next we look at monastic life, the Tibetan practice of

monastic debate, oracles and divination, folk religion, attitudes and practices associated with

death, and the role of women. A number of videos and also slides will be shown as part of this

unit.

SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHY

The essential reading for this unit will be drawn mainly from two books:

Geoffrey Samuel, Civilized Shamans (Washington: Smithsonian Institute, 1993)John Powers,Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism (Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion, 1995)

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Other books include:

Tsultrim Allione, Women of Wisdom (Arkana, 1986) (Translated material rather than the in-

troduction)

Lobsang P. Lhalungpa (trsl.), The Life of Milarepa (Paladin, 1979)

B. Alan Wallace (trsl.), The Life and Teaching of Geshe Rabten: A Tibetan Lamas Search for

Truth (George Allen & Unwin, 1980)

20 CREDIT POINTS



THRSM0027 Aspects of Chinese Buddhism (Dr John Kieschnick)

This unit examines themes in the history of the encounter between Buddhism and Chinese

culture, including the history of Buddhist art, thought, monasticism, and ritual, as well as state

support and persecution of Buddhism in China.

SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kenneth Ch'en,Buddhism in China (Princeton U.P., 1964)Jacques Gernet,Buddhism in Chinese Society (Columbia U.P., 1995)

Peter N. Gregory, Tsung-mi and the Sinification of Buddhism (Princeton U.P., 1991)

John Kieschnick, The Eminent Monk. Buddhist Ideals in Medieval Chinese Hagiography (U.

of Hawaii P., 1997)

Donald S. Lopez, Jr., Buddhism in Practice (Princeton U.P., 1995)

Holmes Welch, The Practice of Chinese Buddhism 19001950 (Harvard U.P., 1967).

20 CREDIT POINTS



THRSM0028 The Origins & Development of Zen Buddhism (Dr John Kieschnick)

This unit examines the history of Zen Buddhism, from its origins in medieval China to later

developments in Korea, Vietnam and Japan. Themes covered will include the teachings of

key texts and figures, well-known stories, monastic life in Zen monasteries and the

introduction of Zen to the West.

SHORT BIBLIOGRAPHY

Robert T. Buswell, Jr., The Zen Monastic Experience. Buddhist Practice in Contemporary

Korea (Princeton U.P., 1992)

Heinrich Dumoulin,Zen Buddhism: A History, 2 vols (Macmillan, 1988, 1990)

John R. McRae, Seeing Through Zen. Encounter, Transformation, and Genealogy in Chinese

Chan Buddhism (University of California Press, 2003).Cuong Tu Nguyen,Zen in Medieval Vietnam (U. of Hawaii P., 1997).

Burton Watson, The Zen Teachings of Master Lin-chi (Shambhala, 1993).

Philip B. Yampolsky, The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch (Columbia U.P., 1967)

20 CREDIT POINTS



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The Dissertation

Course Requirements for the Dissertation

1. You are required to write a dissertation of 15,000 words. The word-limit includes

quotations, footnotes, references but not appendices or the bibliography. You must

include in your dissertation a statement of the word-count, to the nearest 500. It is

important to note that the examiners of the dissertation are not required to read

more than the 15,000 words, and that the mark may be awarded on the basis of

that limit alone.

2. The dissertation must be typed or word-processed. It may be either soft-bound in a

secure binding (glued or spiral spine, not in a ring or spring or spring binding) or

hard-bound, although you are encouraged to have it soft-bound. The UniversitysPrinting Services (and commercial printing services) can bind your thesis. Use A4

paper and type on one side only. Typing should be double-spaced, except for

quotations, footnotes, tables, etc., which may be single-spaced. Ample margins should

be left all round the text, in particular on the left-hand side of the page to allow for

binding. 3. The following must be clearly displayed on the title page of the

dissertation:

the title of the dissertation the candidate's name the award sought (e.g. MA in Buddhist Studies)

the date of submission (month and year)

4. Every dissertation must include the following:

an abstract, i.e. a summary of not more than 300 words, which must fit on toone side of an A4 page, and should be placed immediately after the title page

a table of contents, with page numbering for the chapters a signed declaration stating that the dissertation is the candidate's own work;

an example is given below:

AUTHORS DECLARATION

I declare that the work in this dissertation was carried out in accordance with the

Regulations of the University of Bristol. The work is original except where indicated

by special reference in the text and no part of the dissertation has been submitted for

any other degree. Any views expressed in the dissertation are those of the author and

in no way represent those of the University of Bristol. The dissertation has not been

presented to any other University for examination either in the United Kingdom or

overseas.

SIGNED:

DATE:

5. Two copies of the dissertation, each bound, must be submitted.

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6. Students must submit their dissertations by the due date unless an extension to

the maximum period of study has been approved (see section on Extensions to

the Maximum period of study further on in this handbook)

7. You must also submit an Intention to Graduate form at the same time as you submit

the dissertation. The form may be downloaded from the degree ceremonies officewebpages:

http://www.bris.ac.uk/cms/go/degreeceremonies/

Commitment

The dissertation is the single most important and demanding part of the course. In a

sense all the units taken during the year lead up to it. It will present you with new

challenges in terms of the volume of material, both primary and secondary, which youwill have to read and use. You will also have to sustain an argument and maintain

technical accuracy for far longer than ever before. If you are to do yourself justice and

fulfil your potential, it is therefore essential that you organise yourself in such a way

as to give the whole project adequate time and commitment. You must not

underestimate the time it will take to design the project in the first place, to do your

research, and to write up. Remember that it is in the nature of research that you cannot

know how your project will work out. You must therefore allow time to cope with

surprises, to think through what you find and to use your discoveries effectively.

You should certainly start thinking about possible topics early in the spring term. You

must have ideas to discuss at your progress meeting in the middle of the spring term.You must work on your project over the Easter vacation and submit a written proposal

by the start of the first week of the summer term. The proposal must include a

provisional title, a paragraph describing the issues and questions which you plan to

address, a list of key sources which you intend to use, and the name of a member of

staff who has agreed to act as your adviser (you may have two advisers if

appropriate). You must work out how to plan the rest of your work with your

adviser(s), but you should certainly submit draft chapters to your adviser(s) by late-

July. If you do not present your adviser(s) with drafts until September, you will have

very little time in which to respond to comments, and indeed it will be virtually

impossible to rectify any serious flaws in your work.

Choice of Topic and Use of Primary Sources

You normally are expected to choose your own topic in consultation with one or more

members of staff. The topic must involve the use of primary sources. In designing

your project, you should bear in mind the availability of resources. Bear in mind also

the length of time available and the fact that although a high standard is required for

the awarding of an MA, coverage of a topic cannot hope to be comprehensive: a clear

focus is therefore essential.

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Supervision

It is important that you consult your adviser(s) regularly and it is your responsibility

to arrange this. On the other hand, it is equally important that you do not expect too

much from your adviser(s), since the dissertation has to be your work, reflecting your

intellectual capacities and research skills: one of the qualities which postgraduatework should demonstrate is intellectual independence.

You should certainly seek guidance from your adviser on the following:

the scope and feasibility of your topic possible methods of approach bibliography the title the structure

You should certainly submit a draft of a part or parts of the dissertation for comment.Your adviser(s) should read pieces of work totalling up to, but no more than, 5,000

words provided these are submitted in good time. To ensure this, and to ensure you

benefit from the feedback on the draft material, such material should be handed in

before the end of July at the very latest. The adviser(s) will not normally read more

than 5,000 words, and written work will not normally be read by your advisor after 31

July, although he/she will discuss your dissertation with you after that date.

You should expect to meet your adviser(s) for discussion of your progress at least

twice during the summer vacation. Remember, however, that although staff will

always try to be helpful and available when needed, they have other commitments and

will not be on hand throughout the summer vacation. The crucial thing is to plancarefully at the start of the summer and to work out times of mutual convenience at

which to meet.

Style Guidelines for Dissertations

For details of recommended practice (especially in the matter of citing titles of books

and articles), please refer to the most recent edition of the MHRA Style Guide: Notes

for Authors, Editors and Writers of Theses (the Style Guide may be downloaded free

from the MHRA website (www.MHRA.org.uk). The Oxford Dictionary for Writersand Editors is particularly helpful in the matter of difficult spellings. You should aim

to be accurate and consistent in your practice. Do not mix conventions of style.

Citations of text and references should be based on the most authoritative editions and

not (except for special purposes) on anthologies or cheap editions. Reprints and

internet sources should be approached with caution.

All written work should be accompanied by a bibliography which includes not only

the sources cited or referred to in the course of the essay or dissertation but everything

relevant which has been read or consulted. It is important that there should be a full

listing as a satisfactory record, as an elementary courtesy and acknowledgement ofintellectual indebtedness, and as a precaution against plagiarism. Students are

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reminded that they must cultivate the practice of complete honesty in the

acknowledgement of intellectual and academic debts. Unacknowledged copying or

quotation from the works of others constitutes an act of plagiarism which is subject to

severe penalties including expulsion from the University. The same applies to a heavy

but undeclared dependence on the argument or formulations of one or more writers or

to a piece of work which makes consistent use of submerged quotations. Alwaysdeclare your sources and acknowledge your debts.

In the final stages of checking all quotations should be double-checked for accuracy,

as errors in transcription are almost inevitable, and can lead to serious misquotation

and/or misrepresentation.

Key Dates for Dissertation Submissions

April 2010 dissertation proposal due

Before 31 July 2010 submission of draft sample (max. 5,000words) to adviser

2 copies of the dissertation should be handed in to the Graduate School office by 5pm

on or before:

Wed 15 Sep 2010 Full-time students who commenced Oct 2009 onwards

Fri 29 Oct 2010 Part-time students who commenced on or before Oct 2008

Thurs 15 Sept 2011 Part-time students who commenced Oct 2009 onwards

Extensions to the Maximum Period of Study

Your programme of study officially ends on the day of the dissertation deadline. Re-

quests for dissertation extensions cannot be considered unless there is reasonable

cause and unless they are made in the correct way, and appropriately authorized. Re-

quests should normally be made at least two weeks before the dissertation deadline.

If you think you need an extension, discuss the matter in the first instance with your

adviser/MA Programme Director. You will need to submit an extension to the maxi-

mum period of study for taught postgraduate programmes, on the proper form (avail-

able at www.bris.ac.uk/exams/forms/). This form should either be signed by you or be

accompanied by a short statement from you, and signed off by the MA Programme

Director and then should be submitted to the Graduate School office, together with

any medical evidence, where relevant. The extension has to be approved by the

Graduate Dean. The Graduate School will then write to you with confirmation of

your revised submission date. If you are an externally-funded postgraduate student

(e.g. funded by AHRC), you should also consult the Graduate School webpages:

www.bris.ac.uk/arts/gradschool.

The procedure for applying for suspension of studies is also set out in your Faculty of

Arts Graduate Handbook. Suspension forms are also available at:

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http://www.bris.ac.uk/exams/forms.html. Please consult your MA Programme Direc-

tor in the first instance if you think you need to suspend studies.

What happens after you have submitted your dissertation?

In the weeks after you have submitted, your dissertation will be marked by two inter-

nal examiners. The dissertation is also sent to an external examiner. Once the marking

process is completed and the results have been considered overall, recommendations

are then sent to the Graduate Studies Committee, which acts as the Board of Examin-

ers for all taught postgraduate students in the Faculty of Arts. After Graduate Studies

has ratified the results, the Graduate School will send you feedback on your results.

You will also receive official notification of the result from the University, and, de-

pending on a successful result, you will be invited to attend a graduation ceremony.

MA students submitting a dissertation by the deadline in September should thereforenot expect to hear the final result until mid-December at the earliest. Students who

have been granted an extension beyond the maximum period of study should be aware

that extensions will also extend the examination process. MA dissertations are not

normally returned to students.

Assessment Guidelines

Faculty of Arts Guidelines for the Degree of MA

For details about the Faculty of Arts Marking Scheme, Marking Bands and Criteria,

as well as penalties for late submission of MA coursework see the Faculty of Arts

Postgraduate Handbook.

Plagiarism

Please remember when writing your essays and dissertation that you must always be

completely honest in acknowledging intellectual debts. Unacknowledged quotation or

copying from the works of others (whether published or not) constitutes an act ofpla-

giarism which is subject to severe penalties, including expulsion from the University,

which has clear regulations that apply to you. See

www.bris.ac.uk/secretary/studentrulesregs/examregs.html#plagiarism

You can avoid plagiarism by thinking carefully about the acknowledgement of intel-

lectual and academic debts, and by making sure you always declare your sources.

Complaints and Appeals Procedure

Students who are worried or aggrieved about any aspect of their experience in theSchool should make representations, in the first instance, to their Programme Direc-

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tor. If this is in any way inappropriate, they should approach the Graduate Education

Director. Complaints that are dealt with informally at an early stage have the best

chance of being resolved effectively.

The University has a formal Student Grievance Procedure. See

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/secretary/studentrulesregs/grievance.html

The Student Complaints Officer, who is based in Senate House, can be contacted as

follows: 0117 928 8904 (internal 88904); [email protected].

For appeals, the procedure is set out in the Examinations Regulations:

http://www.bris.ac.uk/secretary/studentrulesregs/examregs.html

Further Postgraduate StudyOne of the functions of the MA is to equip you with the research skills to undertake

further research. Even if that was not the reason you began the MA, you may have

discovered a taste for further postgraduate research. There are various opportunities

you could consider. An MPhil degree is a one-year programme allowing you to work,

with an advisor, on a research project. The MLitt is a two-year programme, and the

PhD a three-year one. All PhD students in the School are initially registered as M.Litt.

students and upgrade to PhD status if their work shows good PhD potential.

If you are thinking of going on to study for a research degree after your MA, it is agood idea to start investigating the possibilities as soon as possible. The Department

of Theology and Religious Studies, with its world-renowned Centre for Buddhist

Studies, is a lively and stimulating environment in which to pursue research, but

whether or not you intend to undertake research in Bristol, it is wise to discuss the

feasibility of your proposed research topic with a relevant member of staff here. It is

most important to have a well-formulated project when applying for a place or, most

especially, when applying for funding. Competition for funding is high. If you apply

for funding you will normally be expected to have either a first-class honours BA de-

gree or equivalent, or a distinction (or predicted distinction) in the MA.

You should arrange an appointment to discuss the possibility of undertaking a re-

search degree and of appropriate funding for such a course with the MA Programme

Director around or soon after Christmas. If you are a potential candidate for funding

you will need to be in the position to write a detailed proposal for a research project

early in the New Year. If you intend to apply for a project which needs joint supervi-

sion from more than one Department, make sure that you discuss this with the rele-

vant Department. You cannot be considered by funding bodies unless you have first

applied and been accepted by a University. This is therefore a priority. Application

forms for those wishing to undertake research degrees in Bristol may be obtained

from the Graduate School office or all relevant forms can be downloaded from:

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/prospectus/postgraduate

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Self-funding and funding your research degree

The majority of postgraduate students, particularly part-timers, are self-funding. Many

students do some part-time work to make ends meets. The University JobShop adver-

tises suitable vacancies: see: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/careers/jobshop/index.aspThere are various sources of funding available for postgraduate students - see the

Faculty of Arts webpages for further information:

http://www.bris.ac.uk/arts/scholarships/index.html

The University Careers Service has a computer package called FunderFinder that

students can use to find out whether they qualify for any grants see:

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/cas/postgrad/pgfin.htm

One such funding opportunity for example is the Wingate Scholarship for Researchstudents covering a variety of disciplines. See

http://www.wingatescholarships.org.uk/overview.php

Details of information and help about funding opportunities are also updated on the

Student Funding Office webpages: www.bristol.ac.uk/studentfunding/.

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Appendix 1

Centre for Buddhist Studies staff profiles

Full-time

Rupert Gethin BA, MA, PhD (Manchester)

Reader in Buddhist StudiesRESEARCH INTERESTS: Theravda Buddhist thought, Abhidharma; the development ofBuddhist theories of meditation; Buddhaghosas commentaries.

John KieschnickPhD (Stanford)

Reader in Buddhist Studies

RESEARCH INTERESTS: History of Chinese Buddhism, particularly as it relates to other

aspects of Chinese culture; Buddhist historiography in China.

Ailsa LAXTON BA (SOAS) MA (Bristol)

Research Assistant: RESEARCH INTERESTS: Buddhist archaeology and material culture,

funeral rituals of Southeast Asia and China

(Teaching Block 1, 2009-10)

Rita Langer MA (Hamburg), Dip (Kelaniya), PhD (Hamburg)

Lecturer in Buddhist Studies

RESEARCH INTERESTS: The notion of consciousness in early Buddhism; Buddhist

funerary rites in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.

Paul Williams BA (Sussex), DPhil (Oxon)Professor of Indian & Tibetan Philosophy

RESEARCH INTERESTS: Buddhist philosophy and religion in India and Tibet;

Mahyna Buddhism; Medieval philosophical and mystical theology.

Part-time staff

John Peacock BA (Warwick), PhD (Warwick)

Part-time Tutor in Buddhist Studies

RESEARCH INTERESTS: Tibetan Buddhist philosophy (rNying-ma and dGelugs);

contemporary European philosophy; Heidegger; ethics, ontology, and aesthetics.

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APPENDIX 2

Staff contact Information

Internalphone

Externalphone E-mail

Dr R Gethin 88169 928 8169 [email protected] J Kieschnick 88170 928 8170 [email protected] R Langer 88248 928 8248 [email protected] J Peacock [email protected] P Williams 87762 928 7762 [email protected]

Departmental Address

University of Bristol

Centre for Buddhist Studies

Department of Theology & Religious Studies

3 Woodland Road

Bristol

BS8 1TB

Website: http://www/bris.ac.uk/thrs

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mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Appendix 3

University of Bristol Term Dates 2009-10

See also: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/academicregistry/office/almanac/

Autumn Term

First day of autumn term Monday 28 September 2009

Start of first teaching block Monday 5 October 2009

Last day of autumn term Friday 11 December 2009

Followed by Christmas Vacation

Spring Term

First day of spring term Wednesday 8 January 2010

Start of second teaching block Monday 25 January 2010

Last day of spring term Friday 19 March 2010

Followed by Easter Vacation

Summer Term

First day of summer term Monday 19 April 2010

Last day of second teaching block Friday 14 May 2010

Last day of summer term Friday 18 June 2010

Bank Holidays 3 and 31 May 2010

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http://www.bristol.ac.uk/academicregistry/office/almanac/http://www.bristol.ac.uk/academicregistry/office/almanac/


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Appendix 4

bristol ma buddhisthandbook

Documents