Prospectus

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World Philosophies: China

Course
2020-2021

Admission requirements

Admission to this course is restricted to:

  • BA students in Philosophy: Global and Comparative Perspectives

  • Pre-master’s students in Philosophy who are in possession of an admission statement, and for whom this course is part of their programme.

Description

This course will introduce the student to the major early philosophical traditions of China that originated during the Warring States Period, including Confucianism, Mohism, Daoism, Legalism and Yangism. Students will explore both the distinct ideas and arguments as well as overlapping frameworks of these traditions of thought as they attempted to respond to the urgent moral, social, political and envisioned cosmological crises out of which they emerged.

Course objectives

This course aims to acquaint students with the conceptual frameworks, philosophical worldviews and argumentational genres of the early philosophical traditions of China and train them to think through and critically evaluate the positions and debates of some of the first Chinese philosophical schools.

Students who successfully complete the course will have a good understanding of:

  • the early Chinese philosophical texts that exerted the longest influences on Chinese thought;

  • the ideas, argumentational styles and debates of the early Chinese philosophical lineages.

Timetable

Visit MyTimetable.

Mode of instruction

  • Lectures

Class attendance is required.

Assessment method

Assessment

  • Midterm online examination

  • Final online examination

Weighting

The final mark for the course is established by determination of the weighted average of the two subtests:

  • Midterm online examination: 50%

  • Final online examination: 50%

Resit

The resit consists of an online examination and covers the final exam only. The grade for the midterm exam remains in place. No separate resit will be offered for the mid-term test.

Inspection and feedback

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.

Reading list

  • Van Norden & Ivanhoe, eds., Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy. (Course textbook to be purchased)

  • Course syllabus will be distributed via Brightspace.

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

Prof. dr. D.L. Berger

Remarks

Not applicable.