Download Course in Explorations

Request for Designation as a Global Perspectives (GP) Course in Explorations
Name__Matthew Levey_______________________________________________
Course number and title_HI/HON 282 Disputers of the Dao_____________
Departmental endorsement_________Yes_____________________________________
Has this course been submitted for any other Explorations designation? __Yes_________
If so, which one? __Problem Solving (IA)____________
Please list which of your course assignments or activities addresses each of the guidelines, state
briefly how this is accomplished, and attach a syllabus or a preliminary redesign plan for the
course.
The criterion for a global perspectives course is a primary focus on the viewing of subject
matter within a global framework (culturally, politically, socially, economically, historically,
linguistically, or aesthetically).
On its face, HON/ HI 282 is an attempt to introduce to students who come largely from a
Western philosophical and religious tradition to Asian modes of analysis of morality, the human
condition and the reality of the world around them. However, because of the rich interpretive
possibilities I teach the course in a comparative global perspective. The point is to give these
different traditions a close reading so that we can understand not only their fundamental
premises about the human condition and the world, but to see how these traditions changed
over time, and to show that how they changed was largely in their responses to what they saw
in the traditions around them. However, because of the garbled history of “Western”
interpretation of these traditions and translations of their major texts, I introduce and students
on their own often raise comparative questions about how these traditions are similar to and
differ from Euro-American religious, cultural and philosophical traditions. It is an inherent part
of the project to read the texts of these traditions in a global comparative context.
One example assignment or activity that addresses the GP guidelines, addresses the tendency
on the part of missionary-scholars, who dominated Western discourse on Chinese (heck, Asian)
traditions up till the early post WWII period, to translate an early Chinese concept, Shangdi
(“the supreme ruling deity”) as “God.” It is clear that a close reading of the texts that contain
this term cannot sustain this reading. I facilitate discussion of assigned material, in this case
texts that come from the earliest known written material from Chinese civilization (so-called
“oracle bone” inscriptions from the Shang dynasty (roughly 11th century BCE) and the earliest
extant interpretations from the Zhou period (roughly 5th century BCE) in a manner that allows
the students to see what kind of deities the earliest Chinese writers posited the existence of
and the nature of the powers they were presumed to possess. Though shown to be powerful
and influential in the lives of the royal family, the aristocratic elite and the common people,
the texts show clearly that Chinese did not conceive of an all knowing, all powerful,
omnipresent Creator God and, along with an excerpt by a famous protestant translator,
James Legge, that the idea of translating the term Shangdi as God comes from an impulse
found initially in texts translated by Catholic and later Protestant Missionaries, who were
quite explicit in their evangelical aim of converting Chinese to Christianity.
In addition I have students write answers to questions I pose on a QA sheet for these items
and have them write midterm and final essays in which the issues posed by this first set of
readings emerges as a critical factor in how they depict the evolution of, at least, the
Confucian tradition in both China and Japan. The essays are open-ended insofar as I allow the
students to pick the theme they wish to cover, but the issues raised by this first assignment
ramifies through much of the history of the Confucian tradition in East Asia and are sure to
come up in some fashion or other as the students engage in the larger written assignments.
However, missionaries, seeking to sustain their conversion project translated the term that
way on the theory that Chinese and monotheistic traditions share certain critical concepts and
a shared conceptual space where conversion of Chinese to Christianity could take place.
However, to read Shangdi as “God” is fundamentally misunderstand one of the basic aspects of
Chinese understanding of the universe and the place of humans in it. Ancient Chinese had no
concept of a single all-knowing, all-pervasive creator God. They did have concepts of a creative
(generating) Dao, but this was not “God.”
Please turn this form as one electronic file with a syllabus appended to [email protected] by 30 May
2011.
Traditions in China and Japan
This course concerns the historical development of the three primary philosophical
and religious traditions of East Asia—Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism—taught through
the reading of a selection of their fundamental texts and in the context of the patterns
of their historical development, in China and in Japan. The geographic focus of the course
is China, primarily because China is the cultural home of two (Confucianism and Taoism) of
the three primary traditions of East Asia and is also the place from which all three
(including Buddhism) traditions were transmitted to Japan, and in fact the other nations
of East Asia. The goal of the course is to introduce students to the major doctrines and
theories of religious/moral practice of these traditions as they developed over time and to
compare and contrast their development in China with their developments in Japan and
Korea, at least to a limited degree. In this way, the goal is not only to comprehend the
major doctrines and philosophical assumptions of these traditions (and, trust me, we will
spend a great deal of time working through these carefully through close reading of
primary sources), but to comprehend these traditions, assumptions and doctrines
historically, in terms of their continuities and discontinuities over time and place.
This project of historical analysis of traditions evolving over time should show in
concrete terms the four following things: (1) Canonization and Legitimation: a close
inspection of the doctrinal disputes that provide an opportunity for members of a
tradition to articulate its fundamental aims, ideas and practices. There is a constant need
to canonize and legitimize texts, ideas, and practices connected to those ideas. Essentially,
canonization and legitimization mean that the member of the tradition argues that the
ideas are true and of value to the moral and religious life, that there are certain texts
that express these ideas clearly and in depth, and that there are certain behavioral norms
that express the moral expectations embedded in the ideas. (2) Drawing Boundaries
Between Traditions: canonization and legitimization occur in relation to other traditions.
Members of a tradition define that tradition in relation to other traditions and sometimes
in relation to other definitions of that tradition articulated by other members. Hence, how
one defines a tradition amounts to imagining the boundary between one's own tradition and
others. This involves the canonization of certain texts, certain doctrines and certain
religious practices and distinguishing them from the texts, doctrines and practices of
other traditions. (3) Changing Boundaries Over Time: no tradition has a single unchanging
definition of itself and its relation to others. The disputes that have taken place between
and within the Confucian, Daoist and Buddhist traditions will make clear that definitions,
and therefore where a tradition imagines the boundary between it and other traditions,
change over time. That is, the texts, ideas, and religious practices canonized and
legitimized change over time. Finally, (4), traditions are not the same everywhere in place
either. On the one hand, we will find significant consistency and stability in the traditions
of Buddhism and Confucianism in China and Japan. For example, there are “Pure Land” and
Chan or Zen Buddhists in both China and Japan (and in India too, in fact). Similarly, one will
find practitioners of both Cheng-Zhu and Lu-Wang Confucianism in both China, Japan (and
even Korea). Yet, we will also find that these similarities notwithstanding, the cultural and
socio-political positions of both Buddhism and Confucianism differ dramatically in China
and Japan. For example, while Confucianism developed in China in an environment involving
the primacy of a so-called “scholar-official” elite, its primacy in Japan was based on a
“warrior” (samurai) elite that had been forced by concrete circumstances of the 17th and
18th centuries to adjust to an administrative role. Thus, even though Confucianism was an
elite tradition in both China and Japan, the societal conditions for their presence and even
dominance was very different. Another example is Buddhism. In Japan, Buddhism was
closely associated with the “warrior” (bushi) elite, that group that eventually became more
Confucian in orientation but whose lives were focused on war making in the 13th-16th
centuries. There is no precedent for that association in China (or India for that matter);
and this is of great consequence, because it had an impact on the place of Buddhism in
Japanese society.
Expectations and Evaluation
Grading Criteria and Evaluation for Final Grade
The final grade for the course will be determined on the basis of the aforementioned
components, weighted as follows:
classroom participation
30%
Q/A sheets
10%
3 short (4-5 page) essays
30%
a. Early China and relations b/w----(due Friday 10/8)
native Chinese traditions in
their Early period of development
b. Buddhism as it emerged first----(due Friday 10/29)
in India and then was received
in China and Later Japan
c. Late Imperial, Cheng-Zhu---------(due Friday 11/19)
Confucian Tradition
final comprehensive essay, in lieu------30% (due Mon 12/13, 12 Noon)
of a final exam (10 pages)
1. Written Work: To understand the evolution of Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism, the
student must read the assigned materials with great care. Historians derive their
arguments from evidence; if have not prepared, you cannot back up your arguments with
evidence, and therefore will offer only extraneous contributions to classroom discussion.
To help you with comprehending the assigned readings and to make linkages between the
sets of readings over the course of the semester, you will be asked to write responses to
questions on the readings provided by the instructors (Q/A). These sheets, keyed to each
reading assignment, will be collected periodically during the semester and for final
inspection at the end of the semester. Students will also be required to write three short
(5 pages) essays and one final, comparative essay. Together, the three essays cover three
of the four major sections of material we will be covering and the final essay, whose focus
will be designed by you, will be an attempt to integrate the fourth unit of material with
the previous three and to bring a major theme of the course to its conclusion. This essay
will act as the equivalent of a comprehensive final examination.
2. Classroom discussion: This course will operate as a seminar; hence, participation in
classroom discussion is required. Aside from helping written analytical skills, the written
work is designed to help you prepare for classroom discussion. If you do these informal
writing assignments you should have a good grasp of the issues at hand, and having
articulated in written form, the instructors hope that this will ease with articulation in class.
Honor Code
Any student suspected of violating the Honor Code will be referred immediately to the
Honor Council. A verdict of guilty will result in a final grade of "F" in the course, in addition
to any other sanctions the Honor Council may impose. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Please consult the Student Handbook for more details.
Attendance Policy
Classroom attendance is required and is not the same as participation. No more than two
absences will be allowed for any reason including illness and participation in collegesponsored activities. The course grade of any student who exceeds two absences will be
reduced by one-half a letter grade for each absence beyond two. There are no exceptions.
Attendance also means being present for the entire class period. Those who arrive
excessively--and/or frequently--late may be counted as absent.
Books for Purchase
William T. de Bary, Sources of Chinese Tradition (2nd ed, Vol 1)
Electronic Reserve on Moodle
The bulk of our readings from China will come from de Bary’s volume. All other readings,
designated by asterisk (*), are located on Moodle in courses under my name with the title
“10FA HI 282 A Disputers of the Tao.” (of course they got the wrong transliteration!!)
Students are registered automatically when they enroll in the course but it is important to
check that this registration has occurred because one cannot get access to the materials on
Moodle without being registered. If you have not been enrolled, inform the instructor, who
will enroll you.
Part One: Early Chinese Thought, from Beginnings Thru
“Classical” Period of “Contending Schools” to Han
Unification and State Sponsored Orthodoxy
of Confucianism over Daoism
Date
Topic(s) of Discussion
Assigned Readings
Th 9/2
Introduction to the Course--------------1. syllabus
2. “Traditions of the World on “S**t”
3. Guide to Chinese Pronunciation
Tu 9/7
A. Earliest Chinese Writing, Views-----Oracle bone inscriptions and de Bary’s
of Link between Human Society &
explanations, in deBary, Sources, 3-23
Supernatural Powers that Impact
It, & Religious Practice (Divination)
in Shang Dynasty
B. Transition to a More Generalized
1. Yijing, in de Bary, 318-325 top
Vision of Plumbing the Mysteries of a 2. Wikipedia article on Yijing*
Cosmos that Changes Constantly
Changes, though in an Orderly Way
C. Earliest Political Philosophy, from
1. “Classic of Odes or Songs” (Shijing)
Shangdi to the “Mandate of Heaven” in de Bary, 24 btm-25 btm, 37 btm-40
(tianming), as the Foundation of the
2. “Classic of Documents or History”
Chinese Dynastic Form of Historical
(Shangshu/Shijing), in de Bary, 27-37
Writing
3. Shangshu (“Speech by Tang”)*
Th 9/9
Rosh Hashana: No Class
Tu 9/14
Kongzi: Conservative Shaper of New----1. Kong Qiu, Analects, Paras 1.1-1.7 ;
Tradition of Human Moral Community 2.1-2.5; 2.19-4.13; 5.7; 6.5; 6.20& Relation of It to Supernatural
6.28; 7.22; 7.29-9.1; 9.10; 9.28-11.8;
Forces that Help Shape Human
11.25-13.19; 14.2-14.18; 14.37; 15.1-
Behavior
15.10; 15.32-17.21; 19.6; & 20.3, in de
Bary, 45 top-63
2. “The Great Learning”
(Daxue), in de Bary, 330-333
Th 9/16
“Practitioners of State Power”----------1. Guanzi, Hanfeizi and other
(“Legalism”) and “the Art of War”
“Legalists,” in de Bary, 192 top-212
2. Sunzi, in de Bary, 216 mid-223 top
Tu 9/21
Daoist Critique of Confucian Virtue-----1. Chuang-tzu, “Inner Chapters“*
as Artifice and Destructive of What 2. Zhuangzi, in de Bary, 96 mid-111
is Naturally Human: A First
3. The Way and Its Power
Chinese Metaphysics
(Daodejing/Laozi), poems # 17-29;
37-39; 56-66; 81; & 1-4, in de Bary,
79 btm-94
Th 9/23
Adding a Metaphysical Component------1. Mengzi, unit #s, 1A.1; 1A5; 1A. 7;
to Now Divided Confucian Tradition:
2A. 2; 2A6-4A.10; 4A.14; 4A.20;
Speculating on the Moral Qualities
4B.5-4B.28; 6A.1-6A.11; 6A.15-
(or Lack Thereof) of Human
6A.19; & 6B.15-7B.35, in de Bary,
Nature (xingshan vs. xing’e)
117-158
2. Xunzi, in de Bary, 161-183 btm
Tu 9/28
A. Confucianism as State Sponsored---de Bary, 311-318 top, 346 btm-352
Orthodoxy and Formation of Canon
of Confucian Scriptural Writings
B. Han Rejection of “Legalism” and-----1.Jia Yi,“Faults of Qin (Guo Qin lun) ;
Qin Dynasty: The Confucian Moral
Sima Qian, Record of Grand Historian
Ruler as the Linchpin that Holds
(Shiji); Dong Zhongshu, Luxurient
“Heaven and Earth” Together
Gems of the Spring & Autumn Annals
(Chunqiu fanlu), in de Bary, 228 btm234 top, 295 top-301
2. “Asia for Educators” Website
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/
click on “Living in the Chinese Cosmos”; find box on “religion,
the state and imperial legitimacy” and click on “the emperor
in the cosmic order”
C. Han Dynasty Ritual at Court and----1. “Meaning of Sacrifices” (Jiyi),
in the Home, and Confucian Social
“Evolution of Rites” (Liyun), “Record
Hierarchy Predicated on Family/
Music” (Yueji), Classic of Filial
Public Sphere Commonality
Piety (Xiaojing), “The Mean/Centered”
(Zhongyong), & Discourses in the
White Tiger Hall” (Bohu tong), in de
Bary, 339 mid-346 mid, 326 near mid329 near mid, 333 btm-339 mid, 345
mid-346 mid
2. “Asia for Educators” Website
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/
click on “Living in the Chinese Cosmos”; find box on “religion,
the state and imperial legitimacy” and click on “temples of
the state cult”
Th 9/30
Han and Post-Han Syncretism:
A. Confucians Try to Blend Mengzi
1. Dong, Luxurient Gems, in de Bary,
and Xunzi on Nature
302 top-305 top
B. Daoism Moves toward Confucian-----1. Huang-Lao Manuscripts, Huainanzi
Emphasis on State Power and Public
and Sima Tan, in de Bary, 243 mid-
Participation in Government, and
248, 250 btm-252 btm, 279-282
Rejects Earlier View of Societal
2. Wang Bi, Guo Xiang and Xi Kang, in
Withdrawal
de Bary, 377-391
3. Ge Hong, “Autobiography”*
C. Confucianism Hesitantly Accepts----1. Wang Su, K'ung Family Masters
Premise of Withdrawal from
Anthology (K’ung Ts’ung-tzu/
Society and Government as It Moves
Kongcongzi)*
Toward Some Daoist Views
2. Qu Yuan, “Encountering Sorrow” (Lisao)*
3. Sima Qian, Shiji, “Biography of Qu Yuan”*
First Paper—on Confucianism, Daoism and “Legalism”—due Fri 10/8 (choose ONE only)
(1) Compare and contrast Confucian, Daoist, and Legalist imagery concerning the moral content of
human nature. What do these differing images tell us about the historical development of Chinese
thought from the Zhou through the Han Dynasties? OR (2) Compare and contrast Han and Pre-Han
Confucian and Daoist views of the tradition. In what ways, if any, have the Confucian and Daoist
traditions shifted the perceived boundaries between them, from pre-Han to Han?
Part Two: Buddhism in India, and Then Finding Homes
in China and Japan
Tu 10/5
Basic Concepts of Buddhism:-----------1. John Fenton, et al., Religions
No-Self, Karmic Causality, Rebirth
of Asia*
and Emptiness in the Theravada
2. Majhima-Nikaya, Milindapanha,
Canonical (Sutta/Sutra) Tradition
Mahanidanasutta, Samyutta-Nikaya,
in India
Visuddhi Magga and Dhamma-pada in
Warren, Buddhism in Translation
(A& B)*
Th 10/7
The Distinction between the House----1. de Bary, 420 mid-421 btm
Holder and the Monk Carries over to 2. Mouzi, Disposing of Error (Lihuo
Early Chinese Interpretations of the lun), in de Bary, 421 btm-426 mid
Buddhist Life: Balancing the Need to 3. Hui Yuan, A Monk Does Not Bow
Explain New and Foreign Tradition to Down to a King (Shamen bu jing wang
the Chinese and in Chinese with Need zhe lun), in de Bary, 426 mid-429top
to Suggest Its Difference from
Native Chinese Traditions
Tu 10/12
Emptiness and No-Self Applied to------1. de Bary, 433-438 mid
Doctrine: “Skillful Means” and the
2. Scripture of the Lotus Blossom*
Mahāyāna (“Great Vehicle”) Tradition’s 3. Vimalakirti Sutra*
Critique of Theravada as “Hinayāna”
4. Tsung-mi/Zongmi, “Tracing Human
(“Lesser/Small Vehicle”) Yet Inclusion
Nature to Its Source” (Yuan-jen lun
of it & Non-Buddhist Traditions on
(180 mid-183 mid,184 top-btm, 185
Path to Full Enlightenment
top-btm, 186 btm-187 btm ONLY)*
5. Guanding, “On the Five Periods of
Buddha’s Teaching” and Jizang, “The
Profound Meaning of the Three
Treatises” (Sanlun xuanyi), in de Bary,
455 btm-458 btm, 438top-440 btm
Th 10/14
Fall Break
Tu 10/19
Buddhist Metaphysics: Trying to-------1. “Conscious-Only” texts in de Bary
Explain Ultimate Reality and Its
440 btm-446 top
Relation to Mind’s Delusions:
2. Fazang, “Treatise on Golden Lion”
Chinese Buddhists Domesticate
(Jin Shizi zhang)*
Chinese Conception of Dao in a
3. Tsung-mi, “Tracing Human Nature
Tradition of No-Self and Emptiness
to Its Source” (finish)*
4. Platform Sutra of the Sixth
Patriarch (Liuzu tanjing), in de Bary,
494 mid-504 near btm
5. A Little More from the Platform
Sutra*
Th 10/21
Chan/Zen & Pure Land (Jingtu)---------1.de Bary, 481-483 top,491 midBuddhism in China and Japan: Making 494 mid
the Tradition Available to All and
2. Pure Land & Chan texts in de Bary,
Blurring Line between Monk and
483 top-491 mid, 504 btm-529 near
Laity
Btm
Second Paper—on Buddhism in India and China—due Friday 10/29 (Choose ONE only)
(1) Compare and contrast Buddhist conceptions of the person and things, paying particular attention
to the use of imagery. What do these differing images tell us about the historical development of
Buddhist thought in India and China? OR (2) Examine Buddhist attitudes toward truth and
teachings, Buddhist and non-Buddhist, and compare and contrast with Confucian and Daoist
attitudes.
Part Three: Confucian Revival, as the “Learning of the Way” (Daoxue), and Its
Dominance in Late Imperial China
Tu 10/26
“Learning of the Way“(daoxue) ---------1. Chu Hsi (Zhu Xi), “Letter to Chao
AKA, “Neo-Confucianism”: The
chih-tao (and other materials”)*
Duality of Li and qi to Enable
2. Chu Hsi (Zhu Xi), Ming-tao lun
Primacy of Mencian View of the
hsing shuo/Mingdao lunxing shuo
Good Nature and Mind-Heart
“Cheng [Hao] Mingdao’s Explanation of
Nature”)*
3. “Diagram of the Mind-and-heart”
(Xintu)
Th 10/28
Tang and Song Dynasty Confucian-------1.Han Yu, Emperor Tang Wuzong,
Critique of Buddhism and Daoism as
Ouyang Xiu, and Zhu Xi, in de Bary,
as “Heterodox” and Threatening to
569-573, 582 top-586, 590 btm-595
the Fundamentals of Confucian
mid, 713 mid-714 btm
Society
2. Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi
(Chu Hsi) on Buddhism*
Tu 11/2
Th 11/4
Tu 11/9
Late Imperial Cheng-Zhu Confucian----Zhu Xi on Reading in Gardner,
Self Cultivation of Human Goodness
Learning to be a Sage*
in Order to Become a Sage
(need to rescan)
Lu-Wang Monism of Li and---------------Lu Jiuyuan and Wang Yangming, in de
Critique of Zhu’s Reading
Bary, 715 btm-719, 843 near top-851
Program
btm
Late Imperial Confucian View of
Politics and Reform:
A. Problem of Overly Centralized------Cheng Yi, Cheng Hao, et al, in de Bary,
System of Bureaucratic Monarchy:
598 btm-638, 757 mid-760 mid
The “Classics Mat” and Land Reform
as “Restorationist” Solutions to
Contemporary Problems
B. Social Reform at Local Level--------Zhu Xi, in de Bary, 721 btm-754
and Private Academies as an
Alternative to State-Sponsored
Education and Exams
Th 11/11
A. Placing Problem of Bureaucratic”----1.Sima Qian, in de Bary, 370 top-374
Monarchy in a Historical Frame
2. Liu Zhiji, Du You, et al, in de Bary,
654 top-666
3. Huang Wang & Ku (Huang Tsung-
hsi/Zongxi, Wang Fu-chih/Fuzhi and
Ku Yen-wu/Gu Yanwu) on History and
Imperial Power”*
B. The Dangers of Book Learning-------Chang Hsüeh-ch’eng/Zhang Xuecheng,
as the Basis of Political Reform &
“Tracing the Way to Its Source”
the Problem of Restorationist
(Yüan-tao/Yuandao) *
Reform
Tu 11/16
A. Adoption of Cheng-Zhu Learning----1. “Examination Debate Under [Yuan
as State-Sponsored Orthodoxy
Emperor] Khubilai Khan, in de Bary,
and Cheng-Zhu Vision of Lu
774 btm-778 btm
Wang as “Heresy”
2. Chen Jian, “Comprehensive Sifting
out of the Obscurations of
[Orthodox] Learning [by Heretical
Learning]” (hsüeh-pu t’ung-pien; xuebu
tongbian)*
B. Critical Counter-Voice Suggests-----Yen Yuan, Preservation of Learning
Cheng-Zhu as “Heresy” for Putting
(Ts’un-hsüeh pien; Cunxue bian)*
too much Emphasis on Learning and
Not Enough on Action
3rd Paper on Late Imperial Chinese Confucianism and Cheng-Zhu Orthodoxy (due Friday 11/19)
(choose ONE only)
(1) Examine the Late Imperial vision of Chinese History and how it relates to Confucian ethical
vision of a moral society and the role of government and leadership in its creation. OR (2) Examine
Late Imperial Chinese Confucian visions of “heterodoxy” and “heresy.” Compare and contrast with
Han period views.
Part Four: The Domestication of Confucianism in Japan and
Its Syncretic Relations to Shintō and Buddhism
Th 11/18
Shintō Mythological History of---------1. Record of Ancient Matters/Events
Ancient Japan, First Written Down
(Kojiki)*
When Chinese Influence was Strong: 2. Kojiki Geneology*
Origins of Japan & Her Imperial Line 3. (Prince) Shotoku Taishi, “17 Article
& the Japanese Reinterpretation of
Statement of Principles (scan)*
“Mandate of Heaven”
Tu 11/23
A. Pure Land and Zen in Japan:
1. Shinran and Jōkei, 2 Japanese Pure
Explaining the End of Days and
Land Buddhists, in “Amida Buddhist
Taking Credit for the Defeat of
Texts” (pp. 226 mid-228 mid, 235
Mongol/Chinese Invaders: “the
btm-237 top ONLY)*
Divine Wind” (Kamikaze)
2. Eisai and Dōgen, in “Zen Buddhist
Texts” (311 btm-314 top, 315 mid-316
top, 318 top-321 btm, 322 mid-323
btm ONLY)*
3. Nichiren Texts*
B. Synthesizing Buddhist and-----------1. The Great Mirror [of the Past]
Confucian Concepts into this Shintō
(Ōkagami)*
View of Japan’s Past
2. Ōkagami Geneology*
3. Jien, Jottings of a Fool [on the
Patterns of Japanese History]
(Gukanshō)*
4. Tale of the Hei (Taira) Clan
(Heike Monogatari)*
Th 11/25 : Thanksgiving
Tu 11/30
The Life and Spirituality of the
Warrior: Shifting Emphases in the
“Way of the Warrior” (Bushidō) from
Medieval to Early Modern Times
A. Zen and Bushidō in Medieval--------1. Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hidden
“Warring States” Japan
Leaves (Hagakure), in “Ako Vendetta
Texts and Hagakure” (ONLY pp. 475
btm-479)*
B. Confucianism in the Tokugawa:-------1. Sino-Nativist Texts*
Transformation of Warriors into
2. More Sino-Nativist Texts*
into Local Administrators and the
Notion That Japan, not China (Zhongguo),
is the “Middle Kingdom” (Chūgoku) &
Exemplar of the Confucian Tradition
C. Cultural & Political Consequences-----“Ako Vendetta” Texts*
of Confucianization of Bushidō: to
(remainder of “Ako Vendetta Texts
Whom is the Warrior Loyal—the
and Hagakure”)*
Shogun or a Warrior’s Lord (Daimyō)?
Th 12/2
Tu 12/7
The Shintō Response: Rejection of------1. Motoori Norinaga, “Way of the
All Things Chinese, Especially the
Gods” (naobi no mitama)*
“Mandate of Heaven”
2. Shinto-Nativist Texts*
A Peek at the “Modern Period,”
Chinese and Japanese “Intellectuals”
and Political Leaders Grapple with
Idea(l)s from the West
A. From Traditionalist Promotion-------1. Zeng Guofan et al, in “Substance
of Tradition to Total Rejection to
and Function Texts” (SCAN)*
Tepid Renewal of Interest in
2. Chen Duxiu and Lu Xun, in “5/4
China/Contemporary PRC as a Way
Texts” (SCAN)*
To Inculcate Nationalist Values & a
3. “Confucius Institute” (Konzi
Single Culture of “China” (Ch’in/Qin)
xueyuan) website (TBA)
AKA Zhongguo
4. Qinshi Huangdi and Terracotta
Army website (TBA)
B. From a “Victorian” Moment to a------1. Fukuzawa Yukichi, Autobiography*
Synthesis of Confucianism & Shintō
2. Fukuzawa, Abandon Asia and Join
During Empire to Renewed Interest
Europe”*
amongst Contemporary Japan’s
3. The Fundamental Meaning of the
Political Right Wing
Embodiment of the Nation (Kokutai no
hongi)
4. Japanese Society for History
Textbook Reform, “The Restoration
of a National History”*
Final, Comprehensive Paper (Due Monday 13 December, 12 Noon)
Unlike your other papers, I will not try to predetermine the focus of your final essay; I want you to
review our material (voluminous, I grant) and decide what topic or theme you wish to develop. I will
only insist that you find a theme that enables you to integrate material from Japan with all that we
read from China. You are to choose one of the two main traditions, Buddhism and Confucianism, that
we have dealt with the most, in a way that encompasses what we learned about them in China and
Japan. I want to proceed in this way for both practical and theoretical reasons. First, on the
practical level, this is a way of dealing with material you have not yet written about and to do so in a
way that brings some closure to the entire course, as opposed to just one unit. On a more
theoretical level, I want you to give extensive thought to comparing and contrasting China and
Japan.