Logo UAB
2020/2021

Classical East Asian Thought

Code: 101537 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500244 East Asian Studies OB 2 1
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Artur Lozano Mendez
Email:
Artur.Lozano@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
english (eng)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Other comments on languages

The topics in Module 1 will be taught in Spanish by prof. Gustavo Pita. The topics in Module 2 will be taught in English by prof. Artur Lozano.

Teachers

Gustavo Pita Céspedes

Prerequisites

This subject does not have specific academic prerequisites. To make the most of it, one ought to have reading habits and intellectual curiosity, and be open to dialogue.

Objectives and Contextualisation

On successfully completing this subject, students will be able to show that… 

  • they know and understand the basic concepts of classical East Asian thought, having read translated primary texts and explanatory teaching material;
  • they can apply their knowledge and understanding of the basic concepts of classical East Asian thought in discussions;
  • they can form opinions on the interpretation of the basic concepts of classical East Asian thought and on how they may be applied to solve social, economic and political problems, by gathering and interpreting relevant data; 
  • they can communicate information, ideas, problems and solutions related to the basic concepts of classical East Asian thought; 
  • they have acquired the learning skills needed to continue studying East Asian thought with a high level of autonomy.

Competences

  • Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  • Developing self-learning strategies.
  • Ensuring the quality of one's own work.
  • Following the characteristic code of ethics of the professional practice.
  • Having interpersonal skills.
  • Knowing and comprehending the classical, modern and late modern thinking of East Asia.
  • Knowing the great literary, philosophical, and artistic movements of East Asia.
  • Knowing, comprehending, describing and analysing the values, beliefs and ideologies of East Asia.
  • Knowing, understanding, describing, analysing, and assessing the history, thought and literature of East Asia.
  • Producing innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activity.
  • Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  • Respecting the gender equality.
  • Solving conflict situations.
  • Solving problems of intercultural communication.
  • Students must be flexible and capable of adapting to new circumstances.
  • Understanding the referential universe of written and verbal texts in the languages of East Asia.
  • Working in interdisciplinary and intercultural groups.
  • Working in teams in an international, multilingual and multicultural context.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  2. Developing self-learning strategies.
  3. Ensuring the quality of one's own work.
  4. Following the characteristic code of ethics of the professional practice.
  5. Having interpersonal skills.
  6. Knowing and comprehending the classical, modern and late modern thinking of East Asia.
  7. Knowing the great literary, philosophical, and artistic movements of East Asia.
  8. Knowing, comprehending, describing and analysing the values, beliefs and ideologies of East Asia.
  9. Knowing, understanding, describing, analysing, and assessing the history, thought and literature of East Asia.
  10. Producing innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activity.
  11. Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  12. Respecting the gender equality.
  13. Solving conflict situations.
  14. Solving problems of intercultural communication.
  15. Students must be flexible and capable of adapting to new circumstances.
  16. Understanding the referential universe of written and verbal texts in the languages of East Asia.
  17. Working in interdisciplinary and intercultural groups.
  18. Working in teams in an international, multilingual and multicultural context.

Content

MODULE 1: CHINA

  1. Ancient myths and beliefs.
  2. Confucianism.
  3. Mohism.
  4. School of Names.
  5. Legalism.
  6. Daoism.
  7. Yin-Yang School.
  8. Neo-Daoism.
  9. Buddhism.
  10. Introduction to Neo-Confucianism. 

MODULE 2: JAPAN 

Buddhism in Asia:

  • Historical origins and development
  • Ethical and philosophical teachings
  • Main branches

Japan:

  • Buddhism
  • Confucianism 
  • Daoism
  • Shintō 

Methodology

The learning methodology is comprised of, on the one hand, lectures about the topics. Lessons will contain texts that will both expand and reinforce students’ knowledge of the issues involved. It will be compulsory to read certain texts in order to benefit fully from the course and to pass its tests.

If the professors deem it convenient, some of the sessions will be centred on the discussion of primary documents, which the students will read in advance.

To write their essays, students will research academic and specialised sources, whose information they will need to contrast to form and express their own conclusions. 

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lectures 52.5 2.1 4, 16, 6, 8, 9, 1, 14, 11, 12, 15, 5, 18, 3
Type: Supervised      
Document based class discussions 5 0.2 4, 16, 6, 8, 9, 2, 1, 10, 14, 13, 11, 12, 15, 5, 18, 17, 3
Type: Autonomous      
Autonomous work 50.5 2.02 4, 16, 6, 8, 9, 2, 1, 10, 11, 15, 3

Assessment

Assessment is continuous:

  1. Quiz about the contents of Module 1: Chinese thought (30% of the subject's final mark).
  2. Quiz about the contents of Module 2: Buddhism and Japanese thought (30% of the subject's final mark).
  3. Individual written assignment (40% of the subject's final mark).

Related matters

The above information on assessment, assessment activities and their weighting is merely a guide. The subject's lecturer will provide full information when teaching begins.

Review

When publishing final marks prior to recording them on students' transcripts, the lecturer will provide written notification of a date and time for reviewing assessment activities. Students must arrange reviews in agreement with the lecturer.

Missed/failed assessment activities 

Students may retake assessment activities they have failed or compensate for any they have missed, provided that those they have actually performed account for a minimum of 66.6% (two thirds) of the subject's final mark and that they have a weighted average mark of at least 3.5. Under no circumstances may an assessment activity worth 100% of the final mark be retaken or compensated for.

The lecturer will inform students of the procedure involved, in writing, when publishing final marks prior to recording them on transcripts. The lecturer may set one assignment per failed or missed assessment activity or a single assignment to cover a number of such activities.

Classification as "not assessable" 

In the event of the assessment activities a student has performed accounting for just 25% or less of the subject's final mark, their work will be classified as "not assessable" on their transcript.

Misconduct in assessment activities 

Students who engage in misconduct (plagiarism, copying, personation,etc.) in an assessment activity will receive a mark of “0” for the activity in question. In the case of misconduct in more than one assessment activity, the students involved will be given a final mark of “0” for the subject.

Students may not retake assessment activities in which they are found to have engaged in misconduct. Plagiarism is considered to mean presenting all or part of an author's work, whether published in print or in digital format, as one's own, i.e. without citing it. Copying is considered to mean reproducing all or a substantial part of another student's work. In cases of copying in which it is impossible to determine which of two students has copied the work of the other, both will be penalised.

More information: http://www.uab.cat/web/study-abroad/undergraduate/academic-information/evaluation/what-is-it-about-1345670077352.html

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Individual written assignment 40% 38 1.52 4, 16, 7, 6, 8, 9, 2, 1, 10, 14, 13, 11, 12, 15, 5, 18, 17, 3
Quiz about the contents of Module 1 30% 2 0.08 16, 7, 6, 8, 9, 2, 12, 15
Quiz about the contents of Module 2 30% 2 0.08 16, 7, 6, 8, 9, 2, 12, 15

Bibliography

Bibliography (China):

Cheng, Anne (2006) Historia del pensamiento chino. Barcelona: Edicions Bellaterra.

Feng Youlan (1991) Selected philosophical writings. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press.

Graham, Angus Charles (2012) El Dao en disputa. La argumentación filosófica en la China antigua. Traducción de Daniel Stern; revisión de Flora Botton. México D. F.: Fondo de Cultura Económica.

Maspero, Henri (2000) El taoísmo y las religiones chinas. Valladolid: Editorial Trotta.

Xinzhong Yao (2001) El confucianismo. Madrid: Cambridge University Press.

Bibliography (Japan):

Asian Philosophy. An International Journal of the Philosophical Traditions of the East: <http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/casp20/current>. Taylor and Francis. 

Barnes, Gina L. (2007): State Formation in Japan: Emergence of a 4th-Century Ruling Elite. London: Routledge. <http://cataleg.uab.cat/record=b1770822~S1*cat>.

De Bary, William Theodore (1972). The Buddhist Tradition in India, China & Japan. New York: Vintage Books. <http://amzn.eu/gOdIEC3>.

De Bary, William Theodore; Gluck, Carol; Tiedemann, Arthur E. (eds.), Sources of Japanese Tradition—Volume 2: 1600 to 2000. Part One: 1600 to 1868. Abridged, Second edition, vol. 2, part 1, New York: Columbia University Press, 2006.  <http://cataleg.uab.cat/record=b1722626~S1*cat>.

De Bary, William Theodore; Gluck, Carol; Tiedemann, Arthur E. (eds.), Sources of Japanese Tradition—Volume 2: 1600 to 2000. Part One: 1868 to 2000. Abridged, Second edition, vol. 2, part 2, New York: Columbia University Press, 2006.  <http://cataleg.uab.cat/record=b1722626~S1*cat>.

De Bary, William Theodore; Keene, Donald; Tanabe, George; Varley, Paul (eds.), Sources of Japanese Tradition—Volume 1: From Earliest Times to 1600, second edition, vol. 1, New York: Columbia University Press, 2002.  <http://cataleg.uab.cat/record=b1722626~S1*cat>.

González Valles, Jesús (2002) Historia de la filosofía japonesa. Madrid: Tecnos. <http://cataleg.uab.cat/record=b1805369~S1*cat>.

Heisig, J. W., Kasulis, T. P., & Maraldo, J. C. (2011): Japanese Philosophy: A Sourcebook. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press. <http://cataleg.uab.cat/record=b1976978~S1*cat>, <http://www.amazon.es/dp/B00N5ESPLO>.

Kasulis, T. P. (2004). Shinto: The Way Home. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press. <http://cataleg.uab.cat/record=b1977769~S1*cat>

Naumann, Nelly (1998): Antiguos mitos japoneses. Barcelona: Herder. <http://cataleg.uab.cat/record=b1710034~S1*cat>.

Recursos de filosofía en el fondo documental de la UAB: <http://blogs.uab.cat/bhfilosofia/revistes/>

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: <http://plato.stanford.edu>. Metaphysics Research Lab, Center for the Study of Language and Information, Stanford University.

Swanson, P. L. (Paul L., & Chilson, C. (2006). Nanzan guide to Japanese religions. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press. <http://cataleg.uab.cat/record=b1822835~S1*cat>

Zavala, Agustín Jacinto (ed) (1995) Textos de la filosofía japonesa moderna / Antología, Vol. I. Zamora: El Colegio de Michoacán. <http://cataleg.uab.cat/record=b1385550~S1*cat>.

Zavala, Agustín Jacinto (ed) (1997) La otra filosofía japonesa / Antología, Vol. II. Zamora: El Colegio de Michoacán. <http://cataleg.uab.cat/record=b1430603~S1*cat>.