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Lecturer(s)
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Serrán-Pagán Cristóbal, prof. Dr.
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Course content
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Basic Literature: Koller, John M. (2007) Asian philosophies. Fifth edition. Pearson: Upper Saddle River. Recommended Literature: Morgan, Diane. The best guide to Eastern philosophy and religion (2001). Renaissance Books, New York. Any translations of the Bhagavad Gita and the Dao de jing.\ Course Title: Asian Philosophies Vyučující: C. Serran-Pagan Topics: Each seminar will cover important philosophical questions discussed in the Asian schools of thought. These include: The Indian Vedas and the Upanishads: Atman is Brahman The Jain Vision: From Karma to Liberation through Ahimsa Buddhism: the Four Noble Truths Mindfulness, The Middle Way, and Nothingness in the Mahayana tradition The Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga schools Advaita Vedanta: Shankara, Ramanujan, Madhva Modern Thinkers from Gandhi to Aurobindo to Iqbal to Radhakrishnan Confucianism: the Virtues and the 5 Human Relations in Confucius, Mengzi, and Xunzi Daoism: Laozi, Zhuangzi, and the Coincidence of Opposites Other Chinese Schools: Chan, Pure Land, and Idealism Japanese Philosophy: Pure Land, Žen, Dogen, Zažeň and Koans Last Asian Influential Thinkers: Fung Yu-lan and Nishida Kitaro
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Learning activities and teaching methods
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Dialogic Lecture (Discussion, Dialog, Brainstorming), Work with Text (with Book, Textbook)
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Learning outcomes
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Course Title: Asian Philosophies Topics: This course will examine the rich history of schools of philosophy which originated in Asia, especially focusing on the major thinkers in Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhim, Daoism, Confucianism, Zen, and the Kyoto school. The purpose of this course is to explore their historical-cultural origin and development, their worldviews and their spiritual practices, and their major impact in today's world. We will address important issues such as enlightenment, spiritual and political liberation, gender, human identity, human relationships, social caste systems, ecology, power, mysticism, and interfaith (East-West) dialogue. By the end of the course students will be able to discern the positive and negative contributions of these living Asian philosophies to the world of believers and non-believers alike. Each seminar will cover important philosophical questions discussed in the Asian schools of thought. These include: The Indian Vedas and the Upanishads: Atman is Brahman The Jain Vision: From Karma to Liberation through Ahimsa Buddhism: the Four Noble Truths Mindfulness, The Middle Way, and Nothingness in the Mahayana tradition The Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga schools Advaita Vedanta: Shankara, Ramanujan, Madhva Modern Thinkers from Gandhi to Aurobindo to Iqbal to Radhakrishnan Confucianism: the Virtues and the 5 Human Relations in Confucius, Mengzi, and Xunzi Daoism: Laozi, Zhuangzi, and the Coincidence of Opposites Other Chinese Schools: Chan, Pure Land, and Idealism Japanese Philosophy: Pure Land, Žen, Dogen, Zažeň and Koans Last Asian Influential Thinkers: Fung Yu-lan and Nishida Kitaro
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Prerequisites
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unspecified
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Assessment methods and criteria
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Student performance
Students are expected to do the following if they want to get a good grade at the end of the semester: Attend classes (10%): Students are expected to attend classes and sign up on the sheet of paper at the beginning of the class. My policy of attendance is that students may miss up to 2 out of the 13 classes without any penalties. But once the student misses one more class the overall grade will drop one letter grade from A to B to C to D to F unless the student brings me proof of documentation from a doctor in case of illness. The student may fail the class if he or she misses a total of 6 classes which is almost half of the semester. Then, the student will need to repeat the class. Active participation in class (10%): Students are required to read all the material before coming to class. Be ready to actively participate in class discussions by sharing their thoughts with the professor and their classmates. How so? By asking good questions and sharing your opinions based on the reading material and your own research on the given topics. 6 short papers (10% each paper=60%): Students are required to submit 7 short papers (2 pages minimum and 3 pages maximum) based on the assigned readings from Koller's textbook. Which weakness and which strength did you find in each philosophical argument mentioned in the required chapters (see syllabus in Moodle)? Deadlines are important. Students will drop a letter grade each day it is delayed and is not submitted at the beginning of class. Oral Presentation (20%): Students will present orally one approved topic for research during the Exam week. It is mandatory to present on the chosen day. This counts 20% plus 10% from attendance and active participation. NOTE: In this seminar class there are no exams or quizzes but there are plenty of activities to learn from on how to improve your written and oral skills in English and to advance in your academic knowledge of the subject.
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Recommended literature
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