This news courtesy of Buddhadharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly Online:
…The University of Hamburg will be accepting applications from February 1 to March 15 for an online course on bhikkhuni/bhikshuni ordination (the two spellings are Pali and Sanskrit, respectively, reflecting the different lineages from which these ordinations derive). According to the course material, “Participants in the class will gain knowledge of the three Vinaya schools in regards to bhikkhuni ordination, and, taking an academic approach, develop the ability to analyze the complexities involved in applying the Buddha’s ideal of the Fourfold Sangha in the conventional world. Finally, students will learn about the strategies women have adopted in order to pursue their renunciant aspirations, in the context of challenges they have faced due to gender bias.”
The course, which consists of 13 weekly English-language lectures with an online discussion platform, will run from April 17 to July 10. It’s being offered as part of the university’s Women in Buddhism Study Initiative, cosponsored by the Numata Center for Buddhist Translation.
All the information about the class, including a lists of courses (with the names of featured lecturers), and registration information can be found right here.