Chinese Thought and Culture: Traditional Patterns, Modern Manifestations

This course seeks to explore the influence exerted on modern Chinese society by the traditional philosophies of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Specifically, we will explore how these philosophies are manifested in such cultural forms as aesthetics and art, family dynamics and social structure, politics and economics, and language and communication. We will find that understanding the philosophical foundation of these modern cultural practices reveals continuities of thought and habits of thinking that help us understand why the Chinese act and think the way they do. Through this course students will gain a solid understanding of the main lines of thought of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Students will be able to discuss these concepts in Chinese, and be able to read selected short but foundational passages in classical Chinese and discuss them in modern Chinese. Students will learn to recognize the manifestation of these
philosophies in important modern cultural forms. The course requirements include two short papers, one long paper, and a reading log.