Admission requirements
Admission to this course is is restricted to BA students in Philosophy who have been enrolled in the Global and Comparative Philosophy track.
Description
This course will introduce the student to the major perspectives on language in the classical Indian and Chinese philosophical systems that were concerned with it. In the Indian tradition, the language analysis of the Brahminical Grammarians, Vedic Exegetes, Logicians and Vedantins, along with Buddhist Logicians, will be examined. In the Chinese tradition, the views of language held by classical Confucians, Mohists, Daoists and the School of Names will be surveyed. Given that classical Sanskrit and classical Chinese were such radically different languages with such distinctive grammatical and logicial structures, students will gain an appreciation of the wide variety of ways that philosophies of language were formulated in ancient South and East Asia. But, since the examinations of each tradition will be mediated through various comparative perspectives, students will also learn how Asian philosophies of language may contrast with or resonate with western approaches to philosophical language analysis.
Course objectives
This course aims to acquaint students with the most prevelant philosophical approaches to conceptual and linguistic analysis found in ancient and medieval Indian and Chinese philosophical schools.
Students who successfully complete the course will have a good understanding of:
how the structures of ancient languages influence philosophies of language;
how concepts and arguments are formed through reflections on language;
the centrality of the philosophy of language for Indian and Chinese though.
Students who successfully complete the course will be able to:
- examine philosophy of language in a broad, global perspective.
Timetable
See: BA Philosophy: Global and Comparative Perspectives
- Philosophy: Global and Comparative Perspective - BA2
Mode of instruction
Lectures
Tutorials
Class attendance is required for both lectures and tutorials.
Course Load
Total course load 5 x 28 hours = 140 hours
Attending lectures (13 x 2 hours): 26 hours
Attending tutorials (13 x 2 hours): 26 hours
Further calculation of the course load to be announced.
Assessment method
Assessment:
Two written, take-home examinations with essay questions
Prepared questions for lectures
Attendance and Participation in Course and Tutorial Discussions
Weighing
Midterm take examination: 40%
Final take home examination: 40%
Tutorial or Lecture Questions: 12%
Attendance and Participation: 8%
Resit
The resit consists of one examination for all parts at once, consisting of a take home examionation. The mark for the resit replaces all previously earned marks for subtests.
Students who have obtained a satisfactory grade for the first examination cannot take the resit.
Exam review
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for:
student take-home assignments and grade reporting;
posting syllabus, announcements about class-related matters and materials.
Reading list
Course textbook: course readings will be provided through library reserves and Blackboard
Course syllabus will be distributed via Blackboard
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available on the website
Students are strongly advised to register in uSis through the activity number which can be found in the timetables for courses and exams.
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Not applicable.
Contact
Remarks
Not applicable