Admission requirements
Students enrolled in one of the programmes listed in the tab on the right have priority in enrolling for this course. Other students may enrol in the course as space permits.
Description
This lecture will offer an overview of major lineages of thought as they emerged in the Warring States Period (c. 475-221 BCE) of China’s early history. The traditions introduced in the class strongly influence the development of China’s intellectual and spiritual culture, shaping not only the ideas and institutions of its imperial ages, but of the present as well. We will examine early writings of Confucian, Mohist, Daoist, Yangist and Legalist schools to discern what their approaches were to learning and knowledge, personhood, nature, social ethics and politics. The course will prepare you for further study in Chinese philosophy and encourage you to reflect on the relevance of these traditions in historical and contemporary global perspectives. The early Chinese philosophical tradition was oriented toward an urgently concrete problem, namely that, in the wars that precipitated the collapse of a long-standing imperial dynasty that gave rise to constant inter-state power-struggles in its wake, Chinese thinkers were searching for and debating about how to restore order and peace to the world in the face of ever-increasing violence and chaos. Everything from their cosmological speculation to their recommendations for ethics and politics was formed by this context. The ambition of this course therefore is to familiarize ourselves with all the resources ancient Chinese philosophers drew on to meet a dire human crisis and reflect on what lessons their efforts may offer us in the present.
Course objectives
Students will:
learn the genres, ideas, arguments and contexts of ancient Chinese philosophy.
learn how to read, analyze and critically reflect on a global philosophical tradition.
learn to discuss and debate philosophical ideas in the classroom environment.
demonstrate their comprehension of the course content during in-class written exams.
Timetable
The timetables are available through MyTimetable.
Mode of instruction
Lecture
Research
Assessment method
Assessment
Midterm written examination (3-hours) with closed, short open and essay questions: 45%
Final written examination (3-hours) with closed, short open and essay questions: 45%
Active participation in class discussions: 10%
Weighing
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average. To pass the course, the weighted average of the partial grades must be 5.5 or higher.
Resit
The resit consists of a written examination and covers the final exam only. The grade for the midterm exam remains in place. No separate resit will be offered for the midterm test. The resit will be conducted live, and evalutions and feedback will be available to students via Brightspace no more than two workweeks after they complete the resit.
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
Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy. Second Edition. Philip J. Ivanhoe and Bryan W. van Norden, eds., Hackett Publishing, Indianapolis, Indiana, 2001. (Required Textbook)
Introducting Chinese Philosophy: From the Warring States to the 21st Century. Douglas L. Berger, Routledge, New York and London, 2025. (Recommended Background Reading)
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Registration À la carte education and Exchange
Information for those interested in taking this course in context of À la carte education (without taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.
For the registration of exchange students contact Humanities International Office.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Huizinga.
Remarks
Not applicable.