Department Head
Dr. Welter is Professor and Head in the Department of East Asian Studies. He has established a reputation as a leading expert in the academic study of Chan (Zen) Buddhist texts and Chinese Buddhism during the transition from the Tang (late medieval) to the Song (early modern) dynasties (9th-11th centuries). His areas of specialty include Chan/Zen Buddhism; East Asian Buddhism & Culture; Buddhist-State Relations; Literati Buddhism; and Chinese and Japanese Intellectual History.
Currently Teaching
RELI 402 – East Asian Buddhism in Regional Perspective
Buddhism in China, Korea and Japan with emphasis on the relationship between East Asian Buddhist thought and practice and the various historical contexts in which they emerged.