Is there an academic assignment that needs to be completed prior to departure for Japan?”
The Japan Program begins two weeks prior to your departure for Japan. (You will be formally registered at Antioch University two weeks prior to departure.) During these two weeks (or earlier if you wish) you are expected to complete an independent research project, i.e., a Predeparture Assignment. This assignment culminates with a research essay in dialogue format, a hardcopy of which is to be submitted on the first day of the Orientation Program in Kyoto. Note that this assignment is not “busy-work,” but, rather, is designed to ensure that all students arrive in Kyoto with a basic knowledge of (pre-Japanese) Buddhist doctrines and practice. Specifically, your assignment consists of reading at least two books and writing an essay. The recommended books (or their equivalents): 1. Lopez, Donald S., Jr. The Story of Buddhism: A Concise Guide to its History and Teachings. New York: HarperCollins, 2001. 2. Rahula, Walpola. What the Buddha Taught. New York: Grove Press, 1974. Complete inform
