You are beautiful, just the way you are. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
This course is a survey of the major historical and contemporary currents of religious thought and
practice in Chinese culture. Our aim will be to gain a richer understanding of some characteristic
Chinese ways of experiencing the self, society, and the world. We will examine the three traditional
“teachings” (Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism), as well as “popular religion,” and the
contributions of all four to Chinese culture. Specific themes will include ancestor worship, sacrifice
and divination, religious ethics, meditation, longevity techniques, and the close connection between
Chinese religion and politics. During the last two weeks we will look into some contemporary religious
movements in Taiwan. In each section we will attempt to identify those aspects of Chinese religion
which are inextricable from traditional Chinese culture and those which are capable of crossing cultural
boundaries. Classes are a mixture of lecture, discussion, and films.
Reading:
Available in Bookstore
• Joseph A. Adler, Chinese Religious Traditions
• Wm. Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom, eds., Sources of Chinese Tradition, 2 ed., vol. 1
nd
• Richard Madsen, Democracy’s Dharma: Religious Renaissance and Political Development in
Taiwan2
The Essay on Chinese Traditional Religion
... is well known that Confucianism is an indigenous religion and is the soul of Chinese culture, which enjoyed popular support among people and ... of thought and behavior that developed into a sophisticated ethico-religious tradition. Confucianism was adopted by the Han dynasty (206 B. ...
Course Requirements and Grading:
1. Participation (15%).
Regular attendance, timely completion of reading assignments, active
participation in class discussions, and one short conference with me in my office no later than
Thursday, September 15. Grading criteria are as follows:
A: Regular attendance (no more than 3 unexcused absences), regular contribution to
discussion (at least once a week)
B: Regular attendance, occasional contribution
C: Too many absences OR too little contribution
D: Too many absences AND too little contribution
F: Other serious problems
Option: To supplement the class discussion portion of your participation grade for any week, you
may turn in a written “reaction paper” (1-2 pages, typed, maximum one per week) containing your
reactions to, reflections on, and/or questions about course readings, films, and lectures. These will
be graded 1 (credit), 2 (good), or 3 (excellent) and will be returned within a week with comments.
The best times to turn these in would be on Mondays, after we have completed a section.
2. Three short quizzes (10% each), consisting of short-answer questions.
3. Two short research papers (20% each), 6-10 pages plus bibliography (following the Paper Format
Guide; see also the Paper criteria).
Each paper will make use of at least two books or articles
outside of assigned class readings.
Paper 1:
a) Classical Confucianism and/or Daoism due Mon., Sep. 26
or b) Cosmology, Popular Religion, or Daoist religion Mon., Oct. 24
Paper 2:
a) Chinese Buddhism and/or Neo-Confucianism Mon., Nov. 14
or b) Western religions or the 20 century Mon., Dec. 12
th
You must discuss your particular topic with me in advance at least one week in advance of the due
date. There is a list of sample paper topics under Selected handouts/readings.
4. Final exam (15%) during the last scheduled class period (Dec. 9): short-answer questions (like the
quizzes) and one or two short essays (1 hour).
The Essay on The British Society And The Class System: Short Notes
When talking about UK’s culture and Britishness, we surely can’t help mentioning the British class system. In fact, this phenomenon has largely influenced the framework of the British society throughout the centuries. But what is the class system and how is it structured? According to sociologists, social classes can be defined as the grouping of people by occupation, so we have: the ...
5. Notes:
• Personal computers are not allowed in class. Readings that are online must be printed out and
brought to class. The reason for this is that I want you to engage with the readings by marking
them up with notes. Cellphones, of course, must be turned completely off.
• If you have a disability that will affect your work or participation in this class, please contact
Erin Salva, Coordinator of Disability Services, at 427-5453 or via e-mail at
[email protected], and speak to me individually, early in the semester, about the
arrangements you will need. 3
First line of the
Daodejing
Master Kong
COURSE SCHEDULE
1 Aug 26-Sep 2 Introduction to the course
Religion in Chinese history
Shang and early Zhou religion
Read: N Adler, Chinese Religious Traditions (CRT), chs. 1-2
N de Bary and Bloom, Sources of Chinese Tradition, pp. 3-40
2 Sep 5-9 Classical Confucianism: The Way of the Sages
The Mandate of Heaven and the Five Classics
Confucius (Kongzi): humanity (ren) and ritual
propriety (li)
Mencius (Mengzi) and his theory of human nature
Read: N CRT, pp. 30-42
N Sources, pp. 41-63 (Confucius),
112-158 (Mencius)
3 Sep 12-16 “The Great Learning” (Daxue) and “The Mean
(Zhongyong)
Xunzi: another theory of human nature
Filiality (xiao)
Women in Confucianism
Rites and Music
Film: “A Question of Balance”
Read: N CRT, pp. 42, 63-67
N Sources, pp. 159-183 (Xunzi),
326-344 (Xiaojing, Liji, Great Learning, The Mean, sacrifice, music)
819 (bot.)-831 (women’s education)
N Selections from The Twenty-four Exemplars of Filial Piety (handout)
4 Sep 19-23 Classical Daoism: The Way of Nature
Laozi: Daodejing
Zhuangzi
Read: N CRT, pp. 42-57
N Sources, pp. 77-111, 263-268, 386-390
Monday:
Quiz 14
The 8 Trigrams and the
Taiji symbol
A dangki (spirit-medium or shaman) flailing
himself during a temple festival in Taiwan.
The Term Paper on Affect of Culture and Religion on Curriculum
It has been observed that the teenage period of a child has been given the most important position in the life of a human being. During this age, children go across various notions of life, and concepts and ideas are matured up by them, which is used and implement by them during their lives. Therefore, growth period of a child has to be provided with good quality and matured curriculum according ...
Jindan,
“Golden
Elixir”
5 Sep 26-30 Han syncretism and Chinese cosmology
Qi, yin-yang, and Five Phases (wuxing)
The Yijing
Read: N CRT, pp. 58-63
N Sources, pp. 206-212 (Li Si),
235-242 (Lüshi chunqiu, Huang-Lao Daoism),
273-282 (medical theory, the six schools),
292-297 (Dong Zhongshu),
311-325 (Confucian canon, Yijing),
344-352 (three bonds, cosmology, time)
6 Oct 3-5 Popular religion 1
Gods, ghosts, and ancestors
Ancestor worship, divination,
village festivals, and state religion
Read: N CRT, pp. 102-107, 112-121
N Tam Wai Lun, “Local Religion in
Contemporary China” (from Miller,
Chinese Religions in Contemporary
Societies, ch. 3) [Moodle]
<< October Break >>
7 Oct 10-14 Popular religion 2
Film:”To Taste a Hundred Herbs”
Read: N David K. Jordan, Gods, Ghosts and Ancestors, ch.4 (Divination) [online]
N “Lord Kuan Manifests a Divine Presence…” (from Luo Guanzhong, Three
Kingdoms) [Moodle]
8 Oct 17-21 Daoist religious experience and practice
Revelation, ritual, meditation, alchemy
Read: N CRT, pp. 67-73, 97-99
N Sources, pp. 392-414
N Livia Kohn [Moodle]:
R “Laozi: Ancient Philosopher, Master of Immortality, and God”
R “Daoist rites and meditation”
R “Training
