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    At UWest, we believe in educating the whole person. We were founded in 1991 as an alternative to the conventional university experience, integrating liberal arts traditions with a global perspective and drawing from Buddhist wisdom to create a community of collaboration and cooperation. Our graduates meet the challenges of an increasingly complex and globally interdependent world with creativity and compassion.

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Available courses

CONT520 Topics in Contemplative Practices: Buddhist Frameworks for Peacemaking

This course examines aspects of suffering, social engagement, spiritual maturity and leading from within, through a developed meditation practice, ritualized life, awareness of conditioning, perspective taking, and spiritual bypass as seen in traditional and contemporary texts.

ENGL102 Composition II: Critical Thinking

Course rating: 5.0(1)

JPN500A First Year Japanese I

Introduction to the basics of Japanese including pronunciation, grammar, & basic reading & writing of Hiragana & Katakana with an emphasis on speaking & listening to standard conversational Japanese.

REL641 Buddhist Studies & Artificial Intelligence

In this course, Dr. Lancaster explores the current state of scholarship on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the field of Buddhist Studies. Topics that will be discussed include the use of AI tools for translation, mapping, editing and analysis, resource and publication appraisal, and presentation/communication.

The purpose of the class is to explore and make known the current state scholarship in terms of Artificial Intelligence in the field of Buddhist Studies. Equips students with dissertation research tools and skills. A range of topics are covered, including research design, data collection, analysis, literature review, citation management, and use of AI tools for translating and editing texts.

REL600-C History & Theory of the Study of Religion

This graduate seminar will provide students with an overview of how religion can be studied in different theoretical frameworks. It explores the historical and contemporary approaches to study the religious ideas and practices that contextualize people’s everyday life. Through intensive reading and discussion, this course also aims to examine “religion” in relation to other disciplines in the Humanities and Social Science.

REL600 History & Theory of the Study of Religion

This graduate seminar will provide students with an overview of how religion can be studied in different theoretical frameworks. It explores the historical and contemporary approaches to study the religious ideas and practices that contextualize people’s everyday life. Through intensive reading and discussion, this course also aims to examine “religion” in relation to other disciplines in the Humanities and Social Science.

REL592 Myth & Mythology

REL530 Topics in Buddhist Meditation

REL645 Seminar: Regional Buddhist Traditions - South Asian Buddhism

BMIN600 Seminar: Buddhist Issues & Frameworks

BMIN610 Ethics in Buddhist Ministry

BMIN698A Proposal Writing

This course focuses on development of the dissertation proposal. Topics include selection of a topic, development of an original argument, situating the topic in relation to existing scholarship, and Buddhist-inspired strategies for writing and completing project.

CONT510 Topics in Comparative Contemplative Practice

MDIV515 Power, Privilege, & Difference

MDIV525 Chaplaincy Roles & Competencies

Buddha and sick monk

MDIV650 Pastoral Theology

MDIVGP503 Group Process 3

MDIVSL504 Service Learning in Buddhist Chaplaincy

This course builds on SL501, 502, & 503. Through service-learning projects, reflections, research, check-ins, and class-based discussion groups, students will practice their chaplain skills in real-world settings, allowing them to build character, increase compassion for themselves & others, explore their growth edges, learn collaboration skills to negotiate challenges, increase their understanding of social equity issues, and develop their spiritual leadership skills as they support the needs of their chosen community and practice self-care skills to reduce burnout.

BUS200 Business Law

BUS210 Introduction to Financial Accounting

BUS301 Managerial Economics

BUS330 Principles of Marketing

BUS351 International Business

BUS410 Advanced Accounting

Dear Students,

Welcome to the BUS 410 Advanced Accounting class. In this class we will study the concepts & methods used in advanced financial accounting, such as Investments, Business Combinations, Partnerships, Governmental and Not-For-Profit Accounting, with emphasis on the use of financial information for internal decision making. The emphasis is also placed on case studies and research where students will identify the effect of current and emerging reporting trends, conduct research, weigh relevant factors, make informed decisions, and discuss their positions on the cases.

I wish you interesting study time!

Professor Sahakyan
BUS 413

BUS433 International Marketing

BUS480 Capstone

Welcome to the real world of business! This class is about what it takes for organizations, businesses and executives to be successful in our ever-changing and increasingly competitive world. It challenges you to think strategically about complex organizational problems and find creative and imaginative solutions to deal with an unpredictable environment and get ahead of the competition. Whether you aspire to be an effective manager, leader, CEO or billionaire entrepreneur, this class will show you how to get there!

PSYCH700/712 Practicum in Buddhist/Multicultural Counseling Psychology

Hands-on clinical experience with a focus on multicultural psychotherapy theory and related interventions. Students develop personal and professional skills through individual and/or group supervision at their practicum site, discussing clinical cases and professional issues in the training seminar, working with clients individually and in groups, and connecting clients to the community. Coursework focuses on clinical group consultation, assessment, case conceptualization, intervention, self-of-the-therapist, and self-care

PSYCH643 Trauma & Resiliency

PSYCH623 Poverty, Dislocation, & Stigma

This course explores the basic theories of dislocation and cultural identity, analyzing human phenomena of poverty and stigma, embedded in human psyche through painful experience such as war, colonization, and natural disasters in the global and local context. Also in this self-implicated study, students examine and deepen self knowledge on their own cultural identity (ies), values, and biases as it relates to the therapeutic process and their role as an MFT.

PSYCH614 Religion & Psychology Seminar

PSYCH545 Psychopharmacology

PSYCH540 Counseling Through the Lifespan

PSYCH538 Psychological Testing

PSYCH532 Law & Ethics

This course will focus on the professional organizations (especially AAMFT and CAMFT) that have evolved to oversee the field of counseling.  In particular, we will review the ethical codes put forth by these organizations, and the California laws and regulations relevant to counselors.  Ethical decision-making skills using these standards, as guidelines are applied, and professional counseling identities are developed. Students will also be introduced to the evolution of the field of counseling and the roles and functions counselors play.

PSYCH531 Theories I

PSYCH505 Multicultural & Buddhist Community Mental Health

PSYCH503-C Fundamentals of Buddhist Psychology

Course rating: 5.0(1)

PSYCH501 Experimental Design & Statistical Analysis

PSYCH470 Integrative Psychology of Living & Dying

Classroom: ED307

This course introduces the Buddhist teachings on aging, illness, and death. It also explores the practices of loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity along with gratitude for self-care as well as counseling clients who experience grief and losses. 

PSYCH300 Research Design and Data Analysis in Psychology

Introduces the manner in which research studies are created through quasi-experimental and experimental designs, ways in which research data is analyzed, and the implications of data interpretation, while applying the key lenses of ethics and culture.

PSYCH150 Introduction to Buddhist Psychology

WELL120 Strength Training & Fitness

TESOL420 Methods of Teaching Second Languages

TESOL400 Foundations of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

L&C120 Life & Culture: World Religion

MATH107 Mathematics for Liberal Arts

MATH102 Quantitative Reasoning I

Introduces fundamentals of algebra with emphasis on quantitative thinking. Reasoning quantitatively using tables & graphs, & application of linear functions, quadratic functions & linear systems to problems is emphasized.

LIT401 Major American Authors & Literary Movements in the US

JPN101 Beginning Japanese I

Introduction to the basics of Japanese including pronunciation, grammar, & basic reading & writing of Hiragana & Katakana with an emphasis on speaking & listening to standard conversational Japanese.

ENGL102 Composition II: Critical Thinking

ENGL101 English Composition

ENGL100D College Reading

Preparation for college-level reading. Focus includes critical & analytical reading skills for academic texts, information literacy skills for college writing, & academic vocabulary.

ENGL100B College Speech

ENGL090A Academic Writing

ANTHR301 Special Topics in Anthropology: Ethnicity & National Identity

Cross-cultural study of ethnicity and nationalism. Examines concepts of social identity and how gender, language, religion, and national identity interact. Also, explores the historical and societal macro process of ethnic identities.

MBA590 Internship

MBA588 Business Philosophy & Ethics

Reviews relevant philosophies; discusses ethics from different religious perspectives, particularly humanistic Buddhism, & emphasizes how such philosophy & ethics can be effectively used in modern organizations & management.

Why This is Important?

How can you be an ethical corporate citizen in an increasingly complex, multiple-stakeholder world?

This is the most pressing question facing businesses today, small and large, local and global. Business Ethics is a thorough yet accessible exploration of the main ethical theories and how these apply to the major stakeholders facing this question.

MBA521 Business Analytics

Application of scientific methods, techniques, and tools to provide optimum solutions to problems involving the operation of systems. Focuses on analysis and solution of managerial decision-making problems. Major topics include data visualization, descriptive data mining, statistical inference, linear regression, and time series analysis.

Course Objectives

·         Able to Describe the challenges of big data and its relevance in business

·         Able to apply basic data analytics tools to various areas in business

·         Able to apply big data on regression and optimization models

MBA516 - International Finance

Introduces the environment and tools of international financial management, covering financial, tax, economic, political, and legal issues that an international financial manager faces. Also covers foreign exchange rates, risk assessment, balance of payment, and financial alternatives and tradeoffs.

Course Objectives:
Able to describe different types of int’l financial markets and its functions and roles;
Able to explain how the hedge and arbitrage can be used to diversify the risk and make profits;
Able to explain how to manage the currency risks.

MBA513 Managerial Accounting

MBA504 Principles of Management

EPM501 Comprehensive Study of Business & Mgt

BIO110 Ecology & Biodiversity

CAP401 Capstone: Religion, Science & Society

This seminar examines the politics and ethics of knowledge through the lenses of narrative, attention, and authority.  Humans make meaning through stories, beliefs, and evidence.  How do those narratives shape individuals, communities, and public life?  We examine how knowledge claims are constructed, evaluated, and lived, bridging religion, science, history, media, and technology.  This course is discussion-intensive, practice-oriented, and project-based. You will engage with readings, films, experiential practices, and media artifacts to build habits of care with attention, interpretation, and public expression.  This is not a course about easy answers but about better questions.

ENGL090A Academic Writing

ENGL100A College Writing

ENGL100B College Speech

ENGL100D College Reading

Preparation for college-level reading. Focus includes critical & analytical reading skills for academic texts, information literacy skills for college writing, & academic vocabulary.

ENGL101 English Composition

ENGL102 Composition II: Critical Thinking

ENGL412 Seminar: Folklore & Mythology - Oral Traditions to Popular Culture

IDS310 Art & Anthropology

In this course, you will examine the wide variety of material objects produced and consumed by people around the world. These objects are not only considered as “beautiful works of art” but play a crucial role in societies, including religious, economic and political roles. By defining ‘art’ as a social process, we will analyze these objects from diverse dimensions. Some of the questions that we will examine are; How were Anthropologists’ notion of ‘art’ influenced by particular historical processes, such as the emergence of colonialism, nationalism and the belief in scientific objectivities? Why are some objects successfully marketed as ‘art’ while others keep their ‘non-artistic’ status? What is the political dimension of collecting art/objects?
Course rating: 5.0(1)

2026 Spring IEP Blocks A&C

JPN102 Beginning Japanese II

Konnicniwa! In this second level of the Introductory Japanese course, students will further develop their skills for conversation, reading and writing in Japanese through a variety of activities. Topics of activities includes talking about families and friends, ordering food in a Japanese restaurant and planning a trip to Japan. Students will continue to explore various aspects of Japanese culture including Japanese history, traditional music and food, and current lifestyles.

JPN500B First Year Japanese II

Konnichiwa! This course is a continuation of First Year Japanese I. It develops an intermediate level of Japanese language skills focusing on sentence structures and elementary reading and writing with Kanji characters. It covers basic terms and social contexts useful for developing academic research in UWest’s fields of study.

L&C121 Life & Culture 2: World Philosophy

Philosophy literally translated from its greek roots is “love of wisdom.” This is an excellent summary of the aim of this course: a love/desire for seeking wisdom. about the deep questions in life. Wrestling with these questions and developing their own answers will ultimately help students live better, more intentional, and more fulfilling lives. We will accomplish this by standing on the shoulders of philosophers or “wisdom-lovers” of the past, using their writings and ideas as a basis for inquiry as we consider issues such as “what is the ultimate nature of reality?” “what, if anything, can we know for sure?” “Why is there evil in the world?” “How should we act towards our fellow humans and the rest of the world?” and “How can we live well?” Critical reasoning will play an important part in this course as we learn to make logically sound arguments and identify shortcomings and inconsistencies. The focus will be on taking these questions and making them practical as we pursue the good life.

LANG301 Introduction to Linguistics

Our world is constructed through communication-- it's worth taking a deeper look into how language works. We’ll tackle asking important questions like “how did language originate?” “How does language change over time?” “How does speech occur?” “How do humans learn languages?” and many others. This course provides foundational knowledge, approaching the study of language from a variety of sub-fields including language acquisition, sociolinguistics, phonetics/phonology, pragmatics and semantics, morphology and syntax, discourse analysis, and philosophy / politics. Each section of the course will provide insight into what language is, and different ways in which to examine it.

LIT302 Creative Writing

Course rating: 5.0(1)

MATH102 Quantitative Reasoning I

Introduces fundamentals of algebra with emphasis on quantitative thinking. Reasoning quantitatively using tables & graphs, & application of linear functions, quadratic functions & linear systems to problems is emphasized.

MATH112 Quantitative Reasoning II

MATH212 Introductory Statistics

REL300 Dimensions of Religion

SPCH101 Oral Communication

Training in clear & effective public speaking, including impromptu & extemporaneous styles. Students prepare & deliver engaging, audience-centered presentations. Emphasis on interpersonal communication as a building block to communicating publicly.
Course rating: 5.0(1)

TESOL430 Language Testing

TESOL450 Syllabus & Material Design

Have you ever been asked to start a conversation class for English language learners? Have you been in charge of an English camp or club? Are you teaching in a school where you have freedom to design classes as you want? For various reasons, teachers often have to design courses on their own. This course will help you do that.
TESOL 450 part of a series of UWest courses that make up the TESOL Certificate, designed to equip our students with the essentials of teaching the English language, whether in informal, non-academic setting or a more standard, academic setting such as universities and language programs.

WELL100 Yoga for Body & Mind

Course Description
Basic Hatha Yoga includes Pranayama (breathing techniques) combined with Asanas (physical postures), Dhyana (meditation), and Savasna (relaxation). Appropriate for all levels, emphasizing proper alignment, modifications and restorative elements, renewing the mind and body.

Course Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

a) reiterate the importance and relevance of 5 Points of Yoga and apply them into the practice of yoga
b) practice yoga as a regular activity to improve their postures and physical health
c) increase awareness of how physical, mental, and emotional health relate to each other through the practice of yoga

Instructional Modalities
This course incorporates physical instruction through weekly in-person yoga practice, didactic instruction (through short lectures), group learning (class discussion and observations), and experiential learning (self-reflection).

PSYCH320 Psychology of Learning

PSYCH330 Developmental Psychology

PSYCH415 Abnormal Psychology

This course will explore the historical views and current perspectives of abnormal behavior, including categorical versus dimensional perspectives. Major diagnostic categories and criteria, individual and social factors of maladaptive behavior, and types of therapy are reviewed. Additionally, various methods of clinical assessment and research strategies are covered. Special attention is paid to the impact of culture on abnormality.

PSYCH503 Fundamentals of Buddhist Psychology

Course rating: 5.0(1)
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