RELI30433

Prerequisites: RELI 10023, 10033, 10043 or permission of instructor. Applying the 'influencer' concept to the study of Asian religions, this courseexplores how religion, like social media, provides a potent platform for religiouswomen to influence how cultures think about gender norms and opportunities forwomen's greater freedom. It examines women's authority in Asian religionsthrough multiple perspectives with a focus on 'charisma' and 'spiritual genius.'Furthermore, it stresses ethnographic approaches that elevate women's roles andother cultural variables to understand how charisma motivates women'sexperiences of spiritual genius, and orients their relationship to power andleadership, tradition and innovation, religion and modernity in Asian cultures.

CORE - HUM (Humanities)