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Comparative Philosophy I: Classical Readings

Vak
2022-2023

Admission requirements

Admission to this course is restricted to:

  • BA students in Philosophy: Global and Comparative Perspectives.

Description

This course will undertake a close reading of a number of philosophical texts from Chinese traditions. Focusing on the theme of “learning/studying” (xue, 學), we will read The Great Learning (Daxue《大學》) along with selected texts from other works including The Analects (Lunyu, 《論語》) and the Zhuangzi (《莊子》). The topic and tasks of this course coincide in fundamental and important ways. The Confucian texts under examination in real respects equate philosophy with genuine learning, while the proto-Daoist selections cast a critical eye on this equivalence and speak of much more broad-ranging reflection as properly philosophical. At the same time, just as the texts we will study emphasize the importance of close reading, we will be engaging in close reading of these Chinese classics in order to enhance our skills in philosophical interpretation, analysis and evaluation.

Course objectives

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

  • The insights of the selected text or texts.

Students who successfully complete the course will be able to:

  • Reflect upon the meaning and purpose of “learning/studying” with the insights discussed in this course;

  • Engage with philosophical reasoning and arguments presented by the author(s) of the text(s);

  • Understand and reconstruct philosophical positions and arguments from philosophical texts;

  • Express, critique and defend these positions and arguments, both orally and in writing;

  • Develop skills in textual analysis through close, guided readings;

  • Improve their ability to interact with philosophical ideas, both in active participation during class, and in written work in the form of (take home) exams.

Timetable

The timetables are available through MyTimetable.

Mode of instruction

  • Seminars
    Class attendance is required.

Assessment method

Assessment

  • Mid-term in-class sit-down examination (40%)

  • Final take home exam with one or more essay questions (50%)

  • Participation (10%)

Weighing

The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average of the subtests.

Resit

The resit consists of one take home examination with one or more essay questions, covering the entire course content. No separate resits will be offered for mid-term or final tests. The mark for the resit will replace all previously earned marks for subtests.

Class attendance is a mandatory requirement for taking the resit.
Students who have obtained a satisfactory grade for the first examination(s) cannot take 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

  • The Great Learning (Daxue, 《大學》)

  • Selected texts from The Analects (Lunyu, 《論語》)

  • Selected texts from the Zhuangzi (《莊子》)

The reading list will be posted on Brightspace prior to the start of the course.

Registration

Enrolment through MyStudymap is mandatory.

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.