Revised on 12-06-07

UMass Lowell Department of Philosophy

45.348.201  Eastern Philosophy and Religion

Gen Ed ADE / 3 credits

Fall Semester 2007 MWF  10:30am-11:20am

Class Location: SO 402 (North Campus)

Description

This course is an introduction to some of the central philosophical and religious movements of South and East Asia, focusing in particular on questions of self-knowledge, self-cultivation, and the good life in traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. We will explore the early and classic philosophical and religious traditions of India and China and, in particular, some of the primary interpretations of Dharma in Indian thought and Tao (Dao) in Chinese thought. We will investigate selected primary works on truth, wisdom, liberation, yogic discipline, spiritual devotion, and liberation, awakening, and enlightenment in Hindu and Buddhist thought in India as well as works on wisdom, virtue, self-cultivation, ritual propriety, nature, and wandering free and at ease in Confucian and Daoist thought in China. Some of the issues that we will examine are the roles of emptiness, language, and nature in Buddhism and Daoism; the debate between "orthodox" (astika) and "unorthodox" (nastika) movements in India; arguments for and against moralistic and naturalistic conceptions of human life in China; and the significance of virtuous action, ritual, and duty in Hinduism and Confucianism. We will also examine their historical-cultural and social-political contexts as well as their relation to issues of well-being, health, and the environment by considering a variety of scholarly resources from different disciplines from an interdisciplinary perspective. We will also reflect on their potential significance for contemporary issues such as the environment and globalism, war and peace, and the relation between morality, religion, and politics.

Prerequisites for the course: None

Students for whom course is intended: All levels

Course Goals and Objectives

1. The goals of this course are to promote:

(a) Familiarity with a wide-range of positions and arguments in South and East Asian thought since antiquity, and

(b) Interdisciplinary and critical reasoning and reflection through considering a variety of cultural-historical, philosophical, and religious issues and approaches.

2. The objectives of this course are for students to develop their ability and skills in:

(a) Interpreting texts by accurately and fully describing concepts and arguments and placing them in their social-historical contexts

(b) Reasoning about ideas by (i) evaluating the content, structure, and strategies of philosophical and religious works, (ii) reflecting on their contexts by considering information and scholarship from the historical and social sciences, and (iii) applying concepts and arguments to contemporary issues and their own lives, and

(c) Collaborating with other students, and presenting and supporting their ideas in public through class participation.

Course Requirements

Students are required to:

1. Complete all assigned readings

2. Maintain regular attendance

3. Participate in class discussion

4. Complete all written assignments on-time

Course Assignments

1. Three Exams = 60% of final course grade.

2. One 5-6 page reflection paper = 20% of final grade.

The reflection paper will involve either (i) using scholarship from the historical, social, or other sciences with cross- or inter-disciplinary implications in order to place the ideas and arguments of a text or passage into a larger context. Possible examples include the relation between trade, trade-routes, and the spread of Buddhism; the historical connections between environmental degradation and ideas about and experiences of nature in Ancient China; comparing discussions of meditation or yoga with the medical study of its bodily effects; or (ii) using concepts and arguments from a text or passage and applying it to a contemporary issue such as war, peace, globalism, the environment, or consumerism.

3. Class Attendance and Participation = 20% of final grade. Note that beginning with the fourth absence, each additional absence will lower the grade by 0.3-0.4 out of a 4.0 scale.

Instructional Rationale

Assignments are intended to familiarize you with the readings, encourage you to develop your skills in reasoning, and reflect on philosophical and religious issues in different cultural and historical contexts and from a variety of perspectives. It is better to do this directly than use unreliable sources on the internet. For example, you can look at sites such as wikipedia to gain an initial impression of the average public understanding of a topic or figure but your own thinking and writing should be more critical, engaged, rigorous, and it should be your own on the basis of the text and the class lectures and discussions.

Special Instructions for Assignments

1. Exams will cover the assigned readings and class discussions of them, and will involve describing, explaining, and evaluating texts, concepts, and arguments.

2. Reflection Papers need to be two full typed pages for full credit and will require engaging and evaluating significant points in the readings and their wider context and/or implications.

3. Students are expected to attend class regularly, and attendance will be taken daily. Attending class and actively participating will improve your final grade by 20%.

We will have one required text:

Baird/Heimbeck, Philosophic Classics: Asian Philosophy, Volume VI (Prentice Hall, 2006) ISBN-10: 0133523292 / ISBN-13: 9780133523294

COURSE CALENDAR

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

1. If you need help, or if you have any suggestions, questions, problems, or other concerns, feel free to talk with me before or after class, during office hours, or by arrangement. Also see the following website: Guide to the Study of Philosophy, http://www.philosophypages.com/sy.htm

2. Professionalism: students are required to adopt a professional attitude toward class conduct and fellow students. Please be on time and leave when the class is over. Please do not engage in discussions that are unrelated to class material and distract your fellow students. Cell phones and pagers should be turned off and calls should be taken after class is over except in cases of extreme emergency such as imminent mortality or imprisonment.

3. Work must be done on time. Late or missed work will be penalized by being lowered a whole grade for each day. Missed in-class assignments cannot be made up because they are part of the attendance/participation grade which requires that you attend class.

4. Attendance is mandatory and not an option. Beginning with the fourth absence, each additional absence will lower the grade by 0.3-0.4 out of a 4.0 scale. Failing attendance and participation will result in failing the course.

5. You are expected to keep up with the reading assignments and participate in class discussions. Consistent failure to keep up with the readings will seriously compromise your ability to succeed in the course.

6. Plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty are serious violations of personal and educational integrity and will result in automatic failure of the course and other possible penalties. The University's definitions and polices on academic dishonesty are available here: http://www.uml.edu/catalog/undergraduate/policies/academic_dishonesty.htm

7. Grading Policy: This will be a reading, thinking, and writing intensive class. The grade of “A” will be given to excellent work that shows that you understand the arguments and issues and that you can work with the question in your own voice. Answers should be accurate, clear, consistent, complete, and involve a thoughtful response to both the readings and class-discussions.

8. If you have a disability that presents a difficulty for you in this class, or are experiencing problems that are interfering with your work in this class, please discuss this with me immediately during the first week of classes and we will attempt to come up with an appropriate solution.

Information on this syllabus is subject to change, and important updates will be posted on the course webpage.