Welcome to SPACE, our adult continuing education program which offers interactive monthly courses for personal enrichment! Learn more here.

Dr. Robert Steed

Middle Moot coordinator • Signum Tutorials Program • SPACE Preceptor • Thesis Advisor

Godfather of East Asian Studies at Signum

Robert Steed holds a PhD in History of Asian Religions (Chinese Religions) from the University of Iowa Department of Religious Studies. [see full bio...]

Current and Upcoming Modules

October 2025
January 2026
February 2026
March 2026
April 2026
June 2026

Highlighted Modules

Series

All Modules

A Brief Exploration of Japanese Poetry

Mixed Lecture/Discussion Medium intensity
Over the course of this module we will read and explore the work of a few major pre-modern Japanese poets in translation, putting them in their historical, cultural, and religious contexts along the way, but always focusing on the poetry itself. Group discussion is strongly encouraged. Poetry and p...

A Cultural History of Anime

Mixed Lecture/Discussion Low intensity
In this module we will look at the historical development of anime, with special attention to its uses in re-imagining post-war Japanese culture and society. From Momotaro’s Divine Sea Warriors to mushroom-cloud explosions and kawaii aesthetic, come explore how anime shapes Japanese (and others’) pe...

A Sip of Tea and Tea Culture

Lecture-based Low intensity
In this module we will explore the cultural history of tea production, tea consumption, and tea-related cultural forms and practices. Primary focus will be on Asia, with side-expeditions to other parts of the world. White, green, Oolong, red (black), the Silk Road, tea bricks, tea ceremonies, tea-a...

An Intensive Reading of the Tao Te Ching/Daode jing 道德經 Part II

Mixed Lecture/Discussion Medium intensity
We will continue onwards with our intensive reading and discussion of the text from wherever we end in "An Intensive Reading of the Tao Te Ching/Daode jing 道德經".

An Intensive Reading of the Tao Te Ching/Daode jing 道德經

Lecture-based Medium intensity
"The Way that can be talked about is not the lasting Way": so begins this classic text of world literature and Chinese philosophical and religious thought. The Tao Te Ching has been read, interpreted, and applied in a variety of ways throughout Chinese and world history. We'll do a close rea...

An Intensive Reading of the Zhuangzi/Chuang Tzu 莊子

Discussion-based Medium intensity
Zhuangzi is often presented as the second thinker of classical Daoist thought after Laozi, but in terms of impact on East Asian philosophy and fine arts, Zhuangzi is probably the more significant figure. We will read the text together, taking plenty of time to discuss participant interpretations, a...

An Introduction to Hinduism

Lecture-based Low intensity
In this module we will cover various religious traditions generally covered by the umbrella term "Hinduism." We will start with an overview of some of the methodological challenges faced when studying these traditions, and then turn our attention to some of the major streams of Hindu history and pr...

An Introduction to Islam

Lecture-based Low intensity
In this module we will cover the basics of Islamic Religious tradition, thought, and practice. A basic biography of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), the development of the early Islamic movement (the Ummah), division into the Sunni and Shi'ite forms of Islam, Islamic cosmology, the Four Orthodox school...

An Introduction to Sacramental Christianity

Lecture-based Low intensity
In this module we will explore the sacramental worldview and practices of Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholicism, with maybe a bit of Anglicanism thrown into the mix. We will cover what a sacramental worldview consists of, what the sacraments themselves are, what sacramentals are and how their use is ju...

Beginning Japanese Series of 12

Mixed Lecture/Discussion Medium intensity
Come join us as we begin to learn basic Japanese, focusing on the four areas of reading, writing, speaking, and listening comprehension. Over the course of this module series we will start by learning: the characteristics of the three scripts (hiragana, katakana, and kanji); how to read and write ...

Classical Chinese Series

Lecture-based Medium intensity
This is the textual language of the early classical Chinese philosophical and literary tradition, bearing a relationship to modern forms of Chinese like that of classical Latin to a modern Romance language. Just as one does not need to know Italian to study Latin, no prior knowledge of modern forms ...

Exploring Journey to the West 西遊記

Mixed Lecture/Discussion Low intensity
One of the most beloved of all classical Chinese novels, Journey to the West features Monkey, Pig, Sand-demon, White Horse, and the monk Tripitaka as they make a pilgrimage from Tang-dynasty Chang’an to India to bring back Buddhist scriptures, having outrageous adventures all along the way....

Exploring The Japanese Mind: A Cultural Dialogue

Discussion-based Low intensity
Using Roger J. Davies and Osamu Ikeno’s seminal book, The Japanese Mind, let’s dive into a discussion-based exploration of some key concepts of Japanese culture. We will read and discuss concepts such as Gambari, 頑張,(do the best you can/ determination), Honne / Tatemae, 本音 / 建前(public/priva...

Exploring Pu Songling's Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio 聊齋誌異

Mixed Lecture/Discussion Medium intensity
In this module we will read and discuss 104 strange tales collected by the 17th-18th century Chinese scholar, Pu Songling. Featuring Daoist/Taoist wizards, fox spirits, ghosts of all kinds, anomalous plants and animals, Buddhist wonder-workers, deities and immortals, Pu's collection has entertained ...

Exploring Sei Shonagon's The Pillow Book 枕草子

Mixed Lecture/Discussion Low intensity
Sei Shōnagon 清少納言 is a major writer of the Heian period (794-1185) whose Makura no Sōshi 枕草子 (The Pillow Book) has intrigued and delighted reading audiences for centuries. Colorful, witty, incisive, charming, thoughtful, melancholy, poetic---these qualities and more characterize this diary of...

Exploring Romance of the Three Kingdoms 三國演義

Mixed Lecture/Discussion Low intensity
Considered to be one the major classics of pre-modern Chinese literature, Romance of the Three Kingdoms focuses on a story of political and military struggle featuring an impressive array of characters, many of whom have become touchstones of Chinese cultural heritage and artistic interest. ...

Intermediate Readings in Japanese

Discussion-based Low intensity
This is a reading-only module series for students of Japanese language who would like to improve their kanji recognition, vocabulary, and general reading skills in the language. The class is designed so new students may join at any point. We will select a reading and take turns reading it togeth...
March 2026

Introduction to Early Buddhism

Lecture-based Low intensity
In this module we will explore the formation and development of early Buddhist traditions, focusing on the life of the historical Buddha, the Deer Park Dharma Discourse, the formation of the Sangha (Buddhist monastic community), and the foundational teachings of the Four Noble Truths, the Three Mark...

Introduction to Japanese Religions Series

Mixed Lecture/Discussion Low intensity
Over the course of two modules, we will cover the basics of Japanese religious history. Particular areas of focus will be Shintō 神道 tradition and various forms of Japanese Buddhism, shamanism, and Shugendō 修験道. Time permitting (unlikely) we can also touch upon Japanese New Religions and/or Japanese...

Introduction to Mahayana Buddhism

Lecture-based Low intensity
Building on the "Introduction to Early Buddhism" module, we will explore the development of Mahayana Buddhist traditions, focusing especially on Madhyamika and Yogacara trends, the Zen and Pure Land Schools, the Heart Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, and interactions with Chinese religio-philosophical system...

Introduction to Vajrayana Buddhism

Lecture-based Low intensity
Building on the previous two Intro to Buddhism modules in this sequence, we will explore the colorful and varied forms of Vajrayana Buddhism, focusing especially on developments in Tibet, but not ignoring the larger world of esoteric Buddhism. The various sects, arts such as the creation of sand ma...

Japanese for Advanced Beginners (Genki II) Series of 12

Mixed Lecture/Discussion Medium intensity
Join us as we continue learning (advanced) basic Japanese, focusing on the areas of reading and listening comprehension, with some attention to speaking and writing. Over the course of this module series we will work our way through the Genki II textbook, building upon the foundation built fr...

Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT): N5 Test Prep

Mixed Lecture/Discussion High intensity
This module is offered for those Japanese language students who wish to take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, level N5. We will not be learning new language skills in this module. Instead we will be reviewing and repetitively practicing the precise set of skills tested on the JLPT N5 test, ...

Le Guin's Earthsea Non-Sequential Series

Mixed Lecture/Discussion Low intensity
Ursula K. Le Guin explores themes of power, love, nature, gender, art, politics, and more through her richly-developed world of Earthsea, drawing upon literary, philosophical, religious, and anthropological interests in doing so. We will walk on the islands of Earthsea and dive into its waters as we...

Plant-based Entheogens, Shapers of History and Consciousness

Lecture-based Low intensity
In this module we will explore the roles that various plant-based entheogens have played, actively and passively, in shaping human consciousness and history. Tea, coffee, chocolate, nutmeg, cannabis, coca, alcohol, opium, pipe-weed (tobacco), and ayahuasca will all be discussed, both in their histor...

Religion in the Life and Works of J.R.R. Tolkien

Mixed Lecture/Discussion Low intensity
Tolkien drew upon a wide range of religious, philosophical, and metaphysical sources in shaping his legendarium, including Greek, Norse, Germanic, and Celtic paganisms, Catholic Christianities, Eastern Orthodox and Jewish mysticisms, various Neo-Platonisms, and western esoteric traditions among othe...

She Watered It With her Tears: Grief, Mourning, and Death in Tolkien's Legendarium

Mixed Lecture/Discussion Low intensity
Among the many themes Tolkien contemplates through his legendarium, that of grief and mourning is prominent. In this class, we will unfold the implications of expressions of grief and mourning in his work. For example, why do lamentations matter, and how might they offer healing? Why does Nienna w...

The Fantastic in East Asia

Lecture-based Low intensity
Come join us as we explore various aspects of the weird, the strange, the uncanny, the dreamlike, and the visionary in East Asian literature, religion, folktales, poetry, and popular media. Whether it is ecstatic visions in Daoist texts, shamanistic expressions in Chinese poetry, gumiho and ghosts i...

The Japanese Heartwarming Book Club

Discussion-based Medium intensity
Called iyashikei - 癒し系 literature, this Japanese literary genre actually (and catually – there’re plenty of cats) means ‘healing’. These lighthearted, warm short novels are designed to soothe the heart and mind and to help us find refuge in stories that make readers reflect on what is important in t...

To Repair Arda: Tolkien's Dwarves through Jewish Mysticism

Mixed Lecture/Discussion Low intensity
J.R.R. Tolkien explicitly and publicly associated his subcreated race of the Dwarves with the Jewish people. This raises all sorts of interesting questions and problems, not least of which is why does he do this, and what within Jewish culture is he referring to? Usually scholars point to Dwarven la...

Warring States Era Chinese Philosophy: Attaining Flow

Lecture-based Low intensity
Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism, Mohism---these Chinese philosophical systems all have their foundational roots in the Warring States period of Chinese history (475–221 BCE), and as such share a set of common interests, even if their proposals for attaining those interests greatly differ. In this mod...

Zen History and Thought: An Overview

Lecture-based Low intensity
In this module we will examine the origins and development of Zen Buddhism from its roots in Mahayana and Daoist thought through its formative years in China and its spread to Korea and Japan. Among other topics, we should have time to cover the Patriarchs of Zen, the Five Houses of Zen, and major f...